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Throughout
the evening, an immense amount of ideas were generated around suggestions
and strategies for how we all can help children and teens who need extra
support in our communities. The
following is a summarized list of strategies groups by themes as they
emerged from the dialogue.
WHERE DO WE START?
![Text Box: What kids want doesn’t always match behavior –they may ask [for what they want] with negative behavior and then are misunderstood.
What turns teens off are textbook answers – starting off with rules – start with conversation!
Ask them what they like to do;
Find out what they’re going through and ask, “How can I help?”](dialoguefindings_files/image002.gif) THEME 1: MENTORING:
Be IN
RELATIONSHIP with children and youth in their communities:
Concern…
•
Children are lost and need mentors in addition to their
parents, to support them along the way/
Ideas….
•
Each of us needs to consider taking up the opportunity to
be a mentor – Big Brother/Big Sister
•
Look to young adults to be mentors to teens and children
(e.g. tutoring mentors)
•
Long term neighborhood mentors could be helpful – could
guide and support
THEME 2: BUILDING
STRONG/CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS:
Concern..
•
We need to all make a personal effort to meet with
neighbors and improve trust and communication
Ideas….
Creating a close knit
community
•
Community pet walk
•
Have great talks with children living a few doors down –
show you’re open and as relationships develop, more meaningful interactions
can take place
•
Get out on your porches, backyards
•
Use neighborhood carpools to bring kids in the neighborhood
to school – take turns – can have good conversations they develop
relationships
•
Create opportunities for parents to interact with each
other
Create a Welcome
Committee that plans Block parties, Community Dinners or Welcome Clubs
(weekly pot-luck where neighbors get to know each other and look out for
each other’s best interest)
•
At block parties reach out to someone new
•
Block parties; or use community centers which have Open
House nights where everyone can come to do activities
•
Neighbors open their houses up for kids
Neighborhood job bank –
a good way to get kids involved and help the neighborhood… Everyone wins!!!
•
People in our neighborhoods who need odds and ends
completed around the house could hire teens to do the work (e.g. help with delivering groceries, hire kids
to shovel your snow or rake your leaves, provide odds and end jobs to keep
them busy.)
Making a special
attempt to support the children and teens in your neighborhood:
•
Sleepovers with neighborhood kids once a month; rent or go
to a movie and talk about it afterwards, - adult and kids; later on leave
kids alone to do what they want
•
TEEN’S NIGHT OUT!!!! Get noise out!!!
THEME 3: CREATE
COMMUNITY-WIDE CONNECTIONS THAT SUPPORT CHILDREN AND YOUTH AND PREVENT
CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF RISK
Concern…
•
Participants identified a need for a Suburban Wide effort
to unify around supporting children, youth and families in at risk
circumstances.
Ideas…
INFORM:
•
Educate about the needs
in Suburban Ramsey County: Hold town meetings to get out information and
have it televised on Cable TV; Explain why
people fall through the cracks; Create a community wide effort that shares in
the education and gives the same message across all sectors; Get right
people presenting the needs to the civic groups and tell the story of how
these issue affect children and youth’s lives;
•
Offer information and resource
training for people: Connect teachers and social workers who know about
resources to share this knowledge with children, youth and families and the
community. Discuss the access to violence and how it connects with negative
behavior and chemical use; educate about the link between nutrition and
behavior (ex: soda machines) [Cite National Studies]; Test or screen police
officers for racism
•
Parent education is
key!
Help parents and other adults learn how to talk to kids – don’t lead with a
rule
ENGAGE:
•
Help folks make
connections:
Help folks identify opportunities for adults to connect with individuals;
Work with/through churches in their groups; Connecting with people and
their animals; Connection with Social Services agencies; Connect together
with music, arts, crafts through rap – positive music;
•
Invite parents and youth
to meetings and provide incentives for attending (gift cards, food,
child care, transportation, etc…); Invite through churches, other groups;
Get together with teens who respect authority and are willing to talk; invite parents who are open to
conversations
•
As community members,
we need to commit to getting involved: Meet where kids hang out and work
together; Do fun things together; talk to each other
•
Encourage volunteerism; ask all sectors to
help out (e.g. churches, companies
we work for to make matching donations; Call – set up appointments; work at
keeping volunteers from reaching burn out stage
•
Create Leadership
groups who become involved in decision making – they own it; Identify
interest of adults to connect with children finding a way to connect with
children; Ask as organizers – How do we do this without new resources?
•
Continue to assess need and identify those who need support: Who are the ‘at
risk’ kids – have we identified them? Find out children, youth and families’ need –
what do they need? ASK!; Create programs for children where you note their
concerns; Identify single parents households; Send out kids interest group
test results so they can get involved in their interests; Talk to the kids
and ask them what they need.
ORGANIZE:
•
Create opportunities
for people of like-interests to connect and form groups to build
relationships: Create opportunities for parents to
interact with each other; find a way to connect with the children who need
the extra support and figure out how to connect these groups to kids; Create
a barter system structure between teens and adults; offer Children Gathering
Points (CGP’s) to put towards rewards such as YMCA membership – for supporting
youth involvement in the community; Create interest groups at community
centers for people to get involved; Need volunteer coordinator or someone
to organize to provide opportunities/linkages; Once a month, have dinner at
school where families of students are invited. (this happens in Cloquet, MN);
hold Teen talent nights; work education/service learning programs
•
Organize a community grass
roots effort to maintain a safety net for children, youth and families in Suburban Ramsey County:
On
foot organizing/door knocking; Letters to the editor; Meet and talk to a
lot of people; Use city newsletters, websites to get the word out
•
Offer places where
children and teens can feel safe to come together: Need low cost
opportunities for social interactions – should not cost $; access church
buildings, people’s homes, colleges,etc..; Offer teen-led group spaces
where the ideas come from the teens and created by teens with the support
of adults and adult supervision; Organize Pen Pals, Reading buddies – after
school/or before
MOBILIZE:
•
Form a Suburban Ramsey
Wide Community partnership: Create a “Gavel Club” to organize
organizations;
•
Communicate the
Message: Assign people from this
group to talk to other people (Speaker’s Bureau); (Tell people’s stories instead of the
numbers and money); Use a catalyst – a champion (well-known) like a mayor
to get it going; Coordinate efforts with the business community and Workforce
Center; Use a Calling Tree; Follow through on interest surveys; Use Flyers;
Get message out where people are – like @ voting polls, grocery stores; Post
signs, billboards, big signs, banners; Public – representatives, mayors, public
access tv shows; email updates; town meetings; Show them our kid’s smiles!;
Have Kids Ask!!!! Write letters,
show up at the meeting – bring the kids to the meeting
•
Create Community Owned
Programs: Community Service; Adopt-a-Family
campaign; Create a place, in a church or community center or school, etc..
where adults are present just to listen (not necessarily to give advice) –
a drop in type center, kids want to be listened to; Christmas Tree-Wish
Lists – do something similar throughout the year
•
Have kids do community
service activities, they will get incentives, like movie night or pizza party;
Junior achievements; Kids – school project
PROGRAM
IDEAS AND FUNDING PRIORITIES:
Ideas….
•
Activities for kids with behavior issues that can’t handle
regular after school activities.
There is nothing out there for kids like him (ADHD, Bipolar…)
•
More after school programs for children of all ages; Waive
the fees for after school programs and activities.
•
Funding for special education (legislative support for) tax
increase only means currently; Transportation is a big issue for sports and
after school activities.
•
Build off existing programs
•
Daycare for early teens
•
Donated Car Program
•
Encourage people to apply for grants and monetary resources
to start their own programs for children to get off the street
•
Find funding for youth programs and get adults involved
•
Housing complex – connect with community programs, if there
are some – or help to get some going
•
Improve transportation system in suburbs
•
Middle school kids seemed to be severely underserved (the 6th-8th
graders)
•
Nothing for kids to do in the summer.
•
Parenting support group; alternative learning center – GED;
diploma; Housing help, transportation
•
Programs for middle school kids. Homework help; computers; unique
programs.
•
Safe houses
•
Scholarships for more people – sports cost so much, make
too much money to get scholarships.
•
Smaller Big Brothers/Big Sister’s Program
•
Support groups for parents; the parents needs have got to
be met, to help the kids.
•
We really appreciate foundations that are established to
help social service organization and people who work with our children/teenage
hangout spots
Any other
ideas or suggestions for how we can help children and teens who need some
extra support from adults in our communities? What are some ways to get these groups of
people involved?
THE ROLE
OF MEDIA:
Ideas….
•
Environment:
Violence not just in community but in videogames, TV, etc… need to
improve environment
•
Media, Police, Cable:
Get the word out through these tools – broadcast needs and opportunities
•
Positive media reporting is needed (e.g. Positive
references – examples of kids; Publicize positive event/kids, etc…)’Use the
MEDIA to help us get Good neighbor examples in the Community Newspaper
•
Use billboards to say “Mentor a Family”
•
Weekly column to List a Need
THE ROLE
OF LOCAL BUSINESSES:
Ideas….
•
Ask Businesses how/if they’d like to get involved
•
Back-to-School Giving Program through stores
(Target/Rainbow)
•
Business leaders/chamber of commerce supporting after school
programs, athletics, learning – improve community)
•
Businesses – open up to kids – give them a job and teach
them something…
•
Businesses, reading buddies program, mentors – having lunch
with middle school or high school students; connections with adults; (not
necessary donate $, but time… volunteer organizations; change philosophy of
company; food drives; back to school supply drives, clothing drives)
•
Diversity training and community service within the
business community
•
Family friendly businesses
•
Job shadowing
•
Jr. Achievement
•
Positive references – examples of kids
•
Post signs “if you’re skipping school, skip this place.”
•
Stores could train employees to be respectful of
teenagers: Now, some store employees
sort of stalk teens, black teens
THE ROLE
OF FAITH COMMUNITIES:
Ideas….
•
Live together, pray together, stay together: Hold church
activities which encourage community involvement
•
Church funding after school programs
•
Church involvement – churches rotate community picnics
•
Church teen nights – “Bring a friend” night for all ages,
too. Parents could car pool kids
•
Church with support group for kids with disabilities (this
is a unique church)
•
Churches (providing transportation, a place to talk)
•
Churches are good resources for special nights and events
•
Churches making facility available for programs
•
Liaison at church for those in need to go to or to offer
help
•
Offer places where children and teens can feel safe: church
buildings, homes, colleges
•
Positive references – examples of kids
THE ROLE
OF CITIES:
•
City Festivals
•
Clubhouses
•
Community gardens – not fenced
•
Free community center type thing that offers activities,
recreation centers in the neighborhood!
•
Games
•
Have cool teen centers at all the malls!
•
Have parks for older kids too (age appropriate, skate park,
basketball, etc..)
•
Lack of sidewalks!
Lose interactions.
•
New Law – every person in the community should be required
to volunteer in their community
•
Offer community events such as garage sales, block parties,
etc.
•
Positive references – examples of kids
•
Public Community Centers
•
Recreation centers are great resources – events that pull
people together: Such as teen nights, food festivals, safe place to hang
out
•
Teen centers; Teen centers at the malls
•
Town Hall meeting to assess needs
THE ROLE OF COLLEGES:
•
Offer places where children and teens can feel safe: church
buildings, homes, colleges
•
Positive references – examples of kids
THE ROLE
OF PARENTS:
•
Parent car pooling
•
Parents meet each other
•
Positive references – examples of kids
•
Provide an atmosphere for kids to hang out at your house
•
Registering to volunteer to help out at schools
•
Change the norms – “If kids are staying over at a friend’s
house – call them!” This small step
could change Ramsey
County!
USING
TECHNOLOGY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER:
•
Database of Needs and Database of people willing to help
•
Lists of Needs on Website that cities can look to, to let
people know about needs
THE ROLE
OF POLICE:
•
Police (greeting new move ins)
•
Positive references – examples of kids
•
Police Department and Community Service Officers and Police
Officers (kinder/gentler community policing)
THE ROLE
OF SCHOOLS:
•
School activities
•
School uniforms for boys and girls
•
PTA, PTO
•
Required volunteering in school
•
Schools have a mechanism so kids don’t fall through the
cracks – identify
THE ROLE
OF THE YMCA:
•
YMCA open gym – adults and kids interacting
•
YMCA’s should offer programs for after school middle school
programs.
THE ROLE
OF LIBRARIES:
•
Library – organize things for teens
•
Libraries!!! Literary programs and reading groups; poetry
THE ROLE
OF CIVIC GROUPS:
•
Serve and connect with kids: Lions Club, VFW, Rotary, Kiwanis, Legions,
Community Service Advisory Council, Eagles, Sports Clubs, etc…
THE ROLE
OF POLITICAL ADVOCACY:
•
Active in campaigns (political) – businesses, teachers, $
resources back to schools to keep social workers in place
•
MN is ranked 49th in ratio of counselors to
students nationally
•
Picketing!
•
Volunteers make phone calls/flyers
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How are the Children?