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Health & Fitness

The Importance of Youth as Resources

Youth as Resource: People of all ages want to play meaningful roles in their community. When youth are given opportunities to contribute, both they and the community benefit.

People of all ages want to feel that that they make a contribution and play a meaningful role in their community, whether at home, at school, or in the neighborhood. Research shows that youth who feel valued and useful have higher self-esteem, a greater sense of personal control, reduced delinquency, greater social and personal responsibility, reduced substance abuse, and better social skills.

Youth in Palo Alto would benefit from having more opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways to our whole community, particularly when they become teenagers.  In Project Cornerstone’s 2011 survey, only 61% of 4th - 6th graders, 47% of 7th graders and 40% of 9th-12th graders reported that they have the opportunity to contribute as a resource to the community. To help address this problem, February is Youth as Resources month. This asset focuses on including youth in decisions that affect them and creating participation and leadership opportunities where their contribution makes a difference.

There are many ways for our youth to get involved in their community.  One is through the Palo Alto Youth Collaborative.  The Youth Collaborative is a collective of youth leaders from schools and organizations working together to collaborate and communicate with one another to better serve youth in our schools and community.  The group is committed to supporting young people by bringing greater awareness of youth issues and youth contributions to our community. The Youth Collaborative serves to actively listen and respond to our youth voices and to make positive connections between youth and adults.

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If you are interested in joining or helping our group please contact Linda Lenoir:  llenoir@pausd.org or Adam Howard:  adam.howard@cityofpaloalto.org

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In addition, there are three leadership boards sponsored by the Community Services Department for the City of Palo Alto.  These include:

The Palo Alto Youth Council (PYAC) (contact Adam Howard, adam.howard@cityofpaloalto.org)

Teen Advisory Board (TAB) (contact Jessica Lewis, Jessica.lewis@cityofpaloalto.org

Palo Alto Teen Arts Council (TAC) (contact Michael Miranda, michael.miranda@cityofpaloalto.org

The following are activities that YOU can do with your children.

Activities

  • Hold family meetings. For example, one meeting can focus on discussing which kinds of tasks each household member is best at and enjoys the most. Then, review everyone’s current chores and make changes based on each other’s skills and interests.
  • Involve children in planning events such as holiday celebrations or trips. For family events, young people can help plan menus and cook, or plan games and activities for younger children; for vacations, they can research destinations and activities.
  • Ask children what they do or don’t like about their daily routines, and find ways to improve them.

 

For all adults:

  • Ask a young person to teach you something new—a game, a hobby, a computer skill, etc.—or to share their favorite music or YouTube videos with you. It’s empowering to be able to introduce adults something that they don’t already know.
  • Ask a young person for advice on solving a challenge or completing a task. You’d be surprised at the quality of suggestions you receive.
  • Be sure to notice young people’s contributions and talents in every aspect of their lives.

This article was adapted from Project Cornerstones Asset of the Month newsletter.

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