[Community-service] Building community by empowering youth in ten ways

[Darian Smith]

 http://nationalserviceresources.org/node/17499€

Building community by empowering youth in ten ways
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Abstract

According to the Innovation Center for Community and Youth
Development, two core principles of partnering adults and youth in
serving communities are the
equality of the relationship and utilizing an asset-based approach.
This effective practice shares ten techniques for involving youth in
community building
based on these principles and found in the Innovation Center's 2001
Building Community
 toolkit. These practices come from the article, "Community Includes
Youth" from Wingspread Journal (Volume 17, issue 3, 1995) by John P.
Kretzmann.

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Issue

Effectively involving youth in building community takes partnerships
with adults and an awareness of place and history. This model can
unleash positive
and sustainable results.

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Action

According to the Innovation Center for Community and Youth
Development, two core principles of partnering adults and youth in
serving communities are the
equality of the relationship and using an asset-based approach.
Effective practices that build on this foundation include:

list of 10 items
list of 10 items nesting level 1
1. Always start with the gifts, talents, knowledge, and skills of
young people — never with their needs and problems.
2. Always lift up the unique individual, never the category to which
the young person belongs (e.g., "Maria, the great soccer player," not
"Maria, the 'at-risk-youth'").
3. Share the convictions that (a) every community is filled with
useful opportunities for young people to contribute and (b) there is
no community institution
or association that can't find a useful role for young people.
4. Try to distinguish between real community-building work and games
or fakes — because young people know the difference.
5. Fight age segregation in every way you can. Work to overcome the
isolation of young people.
6. Start to get away from the principle of aggregation of people by
their sameness. Don't put everyone who can't read in the same room. It
makes no sense.
7. Move as quickly as possible beyond youth "advisory boards" or
councils, especially those boards with only one young person on them.
8. Cultivate many opportunities for young people to teach and lead.
9. Reward and celebrate every creative effort, every contribution made
by young people. Young people can help take the lead here.
10. In every way possible, amplify this message to young people: "We
need you! Our community cannot be strong and complete without you."
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-- 
Darian Smith
Skype: The_Blind_Truth
Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
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