Youth are an Integral Part of Our Community

Last month I committed to blogging about each "Asset of the Month" as a way to keep the community in the loop, and I take my commitments seriously! 

November's Asset is: Youth As Resources. I am sure that at one time or another these words "Kids think they know everything" have come from your mouth. As adults we sometimes forget to see the kids in our lives as resources, rather than our responsibility. Yes, of course we do have a responsibility to our youth, but they have so much more to offer back than we often allow. Kids accomplish amazing things, and when a kid feels that he or she has a useful role in their community, it helps them to build character and self-esteem.

The truth is that sometimes kids know a great deal more about some things than adults do. They can offer a unique and often a more accurate perspective when addressing certain community issues and problems, especially related to youth. While we are busy listening to the "experts" talk about the "whats" and "whys" of youth related issues...we tend to omit the true experts from the discussion:Kids! Empowering our youth to partcipate in and assume leadership roles in community action initiatives is crucial to achieving success.

Take a look around Montvilleas of late...kids are doing all kinds of amazing things: The Stand-up Against Bullying Campaign at Montville High School, Raising awareness (& funds) for and about Breast Cancer ( yes.... real men & boys wear PINK!), Collecting pennies for Tornado victims, helping to organize canned food drives for the needy,........ I could go on and on!

Here is the bottom line: The "sooner the better" philosophy applies here. The earlier you recognize  young people as a true and invaluable resource in the community, and offer them the chance, or an opportunity to take on an active leadership role in the community is the moment you will begin to help build a stronger, self-confident, and compassionate kid, who given these tools will hopefully grow into an adult that will pay it forward to the youth in their community...and it could be Montville, so this is simply a guaranteed return on your investment!

Enjoy the November Holiday season, and be safe! Chat again in December!