The
two-hour agenda included:
…
Susan Savellís remarks
…
Questions and answers
…
Discussion
In closing, the meeting organizers agreed to add attendees' contact information to the MDI TOMORROW e-mail list, and to send minutes out via this list. A follow-up meeting will be set and announced to convene those interested in forming a local Communities For Children "kitchen cabinet"/ steering group.
Communities for Children
An Initiative of the
Governorís Childrenís Cabinet, 1197-2002
Communities for Children
Goals
…
To measurably improve
the well-being of children in every Maine community
…
To increase educational
attainment and achievement levels of all Maine children
Communities for Children
Process
…
Stage One:Ý Create a Childrenís Leadership Council
o
Pull together key
leaders*
o
Create a vision
o
Do the assessments
o
Develop action plans
o
Track indicators and
results
*Could be a
sub-committee of an already existing coalition or organization like the Healthy
Maine Partnership.
…
Stage
Two: Assess the Realities
o
Analyze
risk and protective factor data (Communities That Care model)
o Use the Search Institute
Survey:Ý assess the 40 Development
Assets of youth
o Conduct local focus groups or
community-wide conversations
o Pull together existing health
assessments
…
Stage
Three:Ý Implement Action Plans
o
Respond
to the data
o Utilize best practices:
-
Early
care and education strategies
-
40 Development
Asset campaigns
-
Americaís
Promise:Ý five fundamental resources
¸ Relationship with a caring adult
(mentoring)
¸
Healthy
start
¸
Safe
places and structured activities
¸
Marketable
skills
¸
Opportunities
for youth to serve
-
Science-based
substance abuse and youth violence prevention programs (including environmental
strategies)
o
Utilize
the resources of all five Childrenís Cabinet agencies and the national/federal
connections
…
Stage
Four:Ý Track Results
o
Using
Program Logic model
o Working with Maine Marks
Communities for Children
…
69
Partner Communities, representing 230 municipalities and over 70% of the
stateís population
…
21
ìCommunities of Promiseî registered with Americaís Promise
…
Many
C4C connected in local collaborations with Healthy Maine Partnerships, Healthy
Communities Coalitions, Underage Drinking Task Forces, etc.
Communities for Children Portland Asset Builders
…
Administered
the Search Institute Survey to over 3,000 students in Portland Public Schools,
including Maine Youth Center residents and homeless youth
…
Report
results to City Council, School Board, Chamber of Commerce, Portland Press
Herald, CBS/WGME TV
…
Conducted
32 Community Conversations for three sessions each, reaching over 350 youth and
adults entitled ìPortland Kids Today:Ý
How are we Doing?î
…
Succeeds
in School:Ý [This was a graph in Susanís
presentation; an approximation of the data are listed below.]
o
<
10% of youth with 0-10 assets
o < 20% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 33 % of youth with 21-30 assets
o 50+ % of youth with 31-40 assets
…
Values
Diversity
o
<
40% of youth with 0-10 assets
o ~ 60% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 80 % of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~ 90 % of youth with 31-40 assets
…
Maintains
Health
o
~ 33%
of youth with 0-10 assets
o ~ 50% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 75 % of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~ 90 % of youth with 31-40 assets
…
Delays
Gratification
o
~ 25%
of youth with 0-10 assets
o ~ 40% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 52 % of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~ 65 % of youth with 31-40 assets
…
Problem
Alcohol Use
o
<
5% of youth with 31-40 assets
o ~ 11% of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~ 30 % of youth with 11-20 assets
o > 50% of youth with 0-10 assets
…
Illicit
Drug Use
o
~ 0%
of youth with 31-40 assets
o < 10% of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~Ý
28% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 50% of youth with 0-10 assets
…
Sexual
Intercourse
o
~ 2%
of youth with 31-40 assets
o ~ 11% of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~Ý
22% of youth with 11-20 assets
o 30+ % of youth with 0-10 assets
…
Violence
o
~ 5%
of youth with 31-40 assets
o ~ 15% of youth with 21-30 assets
o ~ 32% of youth with 11-20 assets
o ~ 60% of youth with 0-10 assets
Activities of Portland Asset Builders Project
…
Elected
Youth Advisory Council to Portland City Council ñ resulting in focus on
homeless youth
…
Teen
Job Bank
…
Asset
Speakers Bureau
…
Asset
Awareness Media Campaign
…
ìThe
Builderî newsletter to neighborhoods
Other Examples
…
Waterville:Ý Colby Cares About Kids Mentoring Program
leads to focus on serving 565 kids in poorest neighborhood with all 5 Promises
and 40 Assets
…
Rangeley:Ý Asset survey leads to creation of the outer
Limits Teen Center (with a focus on tobacco prevention)
…
Old
Orchard and Oxford:Ý Substance abuse
data leads to Safe Homes Project for parents of middle school youth
…
Ellsworth:Ý Asset survey leads to youth support of
Ellsworth Area Community Center
Results from 47 C4Cs
…
500
community organizations actively collaborating to address the needs of children
…
A
total of $1,982,800 was obtained through grants and fundraising activities by
17 C4Cs
…
24
C4Csreport that youth now serve on their governing boards
…
137
new programs were created to prevent substance abuse and youth violence
…
8 new
teen/community centers were created as safe places with structured activities
after school
…
12 new
mentoring programs were launched
…
C4C
Americorps*VISTAÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ members
generated a total of $588,000 in grants and donations and $194,000 in in-kind
support
…
Outcomes
for youth include:
o
235
children received a Healthy Start
o 1,485 youth were provided with Safe
Places
o 1,050 youth were provided with a
Caring Adult
o 695 youth were given a Marketable
Skill
o 780 youth receive Opportunities of
engage in community Service
o 620 youth were provided with all
Five Promises
Benefits of Joining the Initiative
…
Participation
in a statewide network of communities committed to positive child and youth
development:
o
List
serve
o Information about grant opportunities
o Annual cluster conversations
…
Access
to resources:
o
The
C4C Americorps*VISTA Project
o
Annual
Prevention Training Institutes
o
Program
templates from the experience of other Communities for Children
Question & Answer/Discussion
Q:Ý
Driving and auto accidents are an issue on MDI.Ý Are they reflected in the correlations with
40 Developmental Assets?
A:Ý Bureau of Health
statistics include injury, suicide, and accidents.Ý These would be in the ìmaintains healthî section.
Q:Ý
Will the governorís initiative and the Childrenís Cabinet continue to be
a priority in the new administration?
A:Ý The community
momentum is too strong to stop.Ý Also,
there is statutory authority for the Childrenís Cabinet.
Q:Ý
What adaptations did Ellsworth make in their survey?Ý Are these particular differences between
urban and rural areas?Ý How were the
surveys administered?
A:Ý Results from
urban and rural communities tend to be quite parallel.Ý We should get the specific changes Ellsworth
wanted directly from them.Ý The surveys
are typically administered as a written survey in a classroom setting.
Q:Ý
The Healthy Start program includes teen parents.
A:Ý
Q:Ý
Our program will span four communities.Ý
Who are the power players?
A:Ý People with a
passion for these issues; people with the capacity to get things done.Ý List out the sectors: city council member or
selectmen, law enforcement, school administration and educators, business
leaders, youth, parents, etc.Ý Recruit
planners & doers.
Q:Ý
[To the attendees] What do you think about what youíre hearing today?
A:Ý Tremendous value
of the survey and published results to focus action.
A:Ý Consider
conducting surveys in schools vs. other places where kids congregate.
A:Ý Use results to
congratulate, too
Q:Ý
Does C4C lobby or use data to influence the legislature?
A:Ý Not so much,
especially since itís part of a state agency ñ the Childrenís Cabinet.Ý Anyway, there tends to be more of a
programmatic focus at the state level.Ý
Communities, however, can and do lobby.
Q:Ý
Multiple generations in attendance tonight represent past success
without C4Cs.Ý Is this necessary?
A:Ý We can always do
more.Ý In the past, some were left
behind who might not have come tonight.Ý
Also, today sex, drugs and rock & roll are lethal.Ý Young people today may require new skills
and face new challenges.Ý This could be
an area for inter-generational conversation:Ý
how different and how connected are kidsí experiences today to those of
their elders?Ý This could also be an
opportunity:Ý positives donít always get
heard.
Q:Ý
Is there an age breakdown available in the data?
A:Ý Yes, and one can
see indicators losing ground from 6th to 12th grade.Ý There are also gender differences.
Q:Ý
A program, ìTurn Off TV,î was successfully stages in another community
in collaboration with competitive challenge events between community service
providers.
A:Ý Good idea.Ý And think too about universal activities to
draw in kids who might not already be involved in community programs.
Q:Ý
Kids doing risky behaviors are the ones who wouldnít be involved in the
usual programs.
A:Ý Get everyone in
the community, in neighborhoods to engage with kids in new ways.Ý Adults sometimes avoid or are afraid of
teens.Ý Also, just having a teen center
is not enough ñ itís what goes on there that counts ñ need the presence of
positive adult role models.Ý Adventure
activities draw more kids.Ý But also
need activities to attract intuitive, introspective types, loners, non-sports.Ý Find out what kids are good at (mentors) and
make the feel respected.Ý The Game Loft
in BelfastÝ . . .Ý
Q:Ý
Because weíre a rural community and transportation is an issue, we need
more after school activities.
A:Ý
Q:Ý
Then, too, kids are more and more away from home and never see their
parents.Ý Parents are working too
much.Ý Kids may be too active as a means
of daycare.Ý Maybe kids need more
downtime.
A:ÝÝ 70% family
support; 30% family communication.Ý
Launch a communication with parents about how to be more supportive and
how to create more supports at home.Ý
Design support programs to make a difference at a young age.Ý Design programs to reach all ages:Ý home visiting for new families; Parents are
Teachers, Too;Ý ____________;
mentoring.Ý In the neighborhood, think,
ìWhere are the kids?îÝ Go there and meet
kids, have a block party, make connections.
Q:Ý
What is the cost of administering the survey?
A:Ý $2/survey, plus
$700 for scoring and report preparation.Ý
Other communities have received grants from the Maine Community
Foundation
A:Ý Peggy Wood is
joining Healthy Acadia as a Vista volunteer.Ý
She can be an additional resource.
A:Ý Published survey
results are a tremendous opportunity to create awareness.
A:Ý And to reach
isolated families.
Q:Ý
Could the Search Institute survey be modified to include questions of
our own design?
A:Ý Not easily, but
we could add an additional sheet of questions of our own.
Q:Ý
Studies are easier to come by than one-to-one involvement.
A:Ý Itís important to
get youth involved early in the process, especially some who arenít involved
already.Ý Get all the cliques
represented.Ý Tap into existing groups,
formal (Rotary Interact Group) and informal.
Q:Ý
Key need is transportation.
A:Ý
Q:Ý
Articulate and communicate socio-cultural changes.
A:Ý