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Visit our website: www.dekalbcountykeys.org |
The KEYS to the Future |
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JANUARY 2009 |
Volume 1, Number 9 |
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Want to know more about Search Institute’s asset categories or the 40 Developmental Assets and ideas for helping young people build them? Visit their website at www.search-institute.org/assets
Developmental Assets® are positive factors within young people, families, communities, schools, and other settings that research has found to be important in promoting the healthy development of young people. From Instant Assets: 52 Short and Simple E-Mails for Sharing the Asset Message. Copyright © 2007 by Search Institute®, 877-240-7251; www.search-institute.org. This message may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only (with this copyright line). All rights reserved.
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Subject: Asset 7 – Community Values Youth
Listening to diverse opinions can help everyone move ahead As young people grow older, they quickly sense where they are wanted and where they aren’t. Do the young people around you have opportunities to participate, serve, lead, and make decisions within the community? Do these same young people feel the community supports children and youth? If the answer to these questions is “not always” or “not enough,” it may be time to make some changes. After all, remember how you felt when you were young and the adults around you didn’t listen or give you credit for your opinions? Everyone deserves a voice! Community Values Youth is Asset 7 of Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets, the qualities, experiences, and relationships that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
Here are the facts Research shows that young people who perceive that adults in the community value young people are more likely to grow up healthy, exhibit leadership, value diversity, and succeed in school. Only 22 percent of young people, ages 11-18, perceive that adults in the community value their opinions and input, according to Search Institute surveys. Set a goal to create an environment in which you and other adults take time to listen to young people, spend time with them, and give credit to their opinions.
Tips for building this asset
Young people’s perceptions can tell you a lot about our community and what needs to happen so they feel the community values them. Ask young people what they think. Acknowledge their opinions, even if you don’t agree. Work together to turn our community into a place that values its young people.
Also try this
In your home and family: Ask your child’s opinion about something in the news. Listen carefully, without interrupting. Discuss the topic (agreeing to disagree, if necessary).
In your neighborhood and community: Serve on a committee and seek out young people’s feedback about specific issues. Let them know you greatly appreciate their presence and participation. Encourage civic groups to include young people in critical conversations.
In your school or youth program: Engage the young people in your school or program as leaders and decision makers. Get their input on school board or program directors’ decisions. Invite them to discuss their experiences with the school board or program directors.
Local statistics
The national average of young people 11-18 years of age who perceive that adults in the community value youth 22%. Our local survey indicates that youth of that age group who have this perception is right on with the national average – 22%.
The goal of KEYS is to do just this – involve our young people in the things that shape their lives. We have involved high school students in our Steering Committee, and continually seek input through DCP/SAFE. Look within your heart to see what you can do, too, to show our young people that we value them as individuals!
Share your Asset stories with us!
How are you letting our young people know that they are Valued by the Community? Does your club or organization seek input in areas that will impact the youth of DeKalb County? If you have seen or been a part of a story that shows Assets in use, please email us so we can share your story with our readers. Reach us at info@dekalbcountykeys.org.
See the Assets in Action section below for a story about how one group of people made a difference in the lives of many local youth.
Assets in Action
Hope Haven Playground Project Cindy Capek, Executive Director of the DeKalb Park District realized that something needed to be done to the Hope Haven Playground while on a tour with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy. The playground surface was full of weeds, there were exposed cement footings, and there was little mulch left on the ground. In order for a playground to be safe, a minimum of 8-10 inches of mulch is required to protect a child in the event that he or she would fall from the play apparatus. Cindy was able to secure a donation of 80 cubic yards of certified playground mulch from Homer Industries, worth over $1,000. The only cost was to cover the shipping and Cindy and several other donors contributed to this effort.
Prior to the mulch being delivered a lot of work needed to be done. Several cement footings had to be removed and replaced, the entire playground weeded and then tilled. On a cold wet November 8th, members of the DeKalb Rotary Club spent nearly 8 hours getting the playground ready for the mulch. On December 5th the mulch was delivered and on the 6th over 25 volunteers spent half a day spreading the mulch throughout the playground. The nearly 10 foot high mulch pile looked intimidating, but within a half a day the project was complete. Volunteers included the DeKalb Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club of DeKalb, Roteract students, volunteers from the youth groups of Simba and Samsa, DeKalb Leadership participants including Shelly Johnson and son and Dan McMillan, and lastly the Volk family. Finally, Ed Harvey, Cindy’s husband helped to coordinate the work project that day, along with the set up and delivery of materials.
An “IDEAL” Partnership It started out as a simple idea; partner youth with a local corporation to create a symbol of local pride. It became an incredible experience that resulted in a “Best of Show” float in Sycamore’s Pumpkin Fest Parade. In late September 2008, representatives from IDEAL INDUSTRIES contacted Dan Templin, Program Director, at the DeKalb County Community Foundation, to identify a group that could bring youth into IDEAL to assist in creating the company’s annual Pumpkin Fest float. Pumpkin Fest is the premiere festival celebrating the Sycamore community. Dan connected IDEAL with the DeKalb County KEYS Initiative and members of KEYS suggested the Youth Service Bureau as a contact point for recruiting youth. IDEAL was partnered with the Sycamore School District SpartanREACH program, a group of middle school students with an interest in service learning and career exploration, as facilitated by the Youth Service Bureau. In the beginning, neither the students nor the IDEAL employees new what to expect from the partnership but once everyone got to work it was a great experience! The students met and exceeded the expectations of IDEAL employees and the creation of the Pumpkin Fest Float was a true partnership that embodied the assets of: Community Values Youth, Youth as Resources, Adult Role Models, Creative Activities, Planning and Decision Making and Sense of Purpose. The students who worked on the float were invited to participate in the Pumpkin Fest Parade with the IDEAL float. This year’s parade theme was “Pumpkintopia” and the float represented a carnival with a working small scale Ferris wheel and merry-go-round as highlights. Students dressed up as clowns and entertained the audience along the parade route. IDEAL honored the students with plaques inscribed with their names acknowledging their participation. The success of this partnership will result in continued opportunities for students and IDEAL INDUSTRIES to work together.
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