The Power of Youth and Young Adults

The Power of Youth and Young Adults

"This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease."  

- Robert F. Kennedy

A hiatus is sometimes a necessity...it's been quite a while since I've posted! This post summarizes the last two months. I cannot believe that I have almost completed 7 months of service! It has been flying by! 

January was a whirlwind! Preparing for the I Have a Dream Community Service Day was time-consuming but very worthwhile! This day was the first community service day in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. held at the Bennington Armory on January 21st! It was a joy to work with our fellow VISTAs Kevin and Ali! 

To the over 50 volunteers who dedicated their day to give back, thank you! 
To the over 50 volunteers who participated in "service-to-go" (service activities designed for those who could only volunteer for a short period) over the last 4 weeks, thank you! 
To the four non-profit organizations who partnered with us to host volunteers, thank you! 
To the ten community businesses or organizations who sponsored our event, thank you! 

The event was a wonderful success that could not have been possible without the community partnerships we had the privilege to make! 
The service opportunities included: 

• preparing the cafe for the noon meal at the Meals on Wheels cafe
• painting and cleaning at the Bennington Coalition for the Homeless (BCH)
• sorting donations at a BCH emergency shelter
• painting stairs and radiator covers at the First Baptist Church.

Service-to-go activities included: 

• making activity sheets for young hospital patients
• thank you cards for National Guard members
• Valentine's Day cards for nursing facility residents.

The majority of the 50 volunteers who were engaged in the I Have a Dream Community Service Day were young adults from Southern Vermont College (SVC), and youth from Teens 4 Change, an outreach program through United Counseling Services, and the Alliance for Community Transformations Youth Ambassador Program. 

These volunteers inspire me! They gave up their day off from school to give back to their community and make a difference for a local non-profit, and they did a fantastic job! In the future, we are planning a Global Youth Service Day service event! I believe in the power of young people working together to accomplish great things and the capacity of young people to give back compassionately and to make a difference. 

Updates

My belief in the power of youth has been a driving force throughout my year of service. Throughout the process of building the Youth Ambassador Program and coordinating the Photovoice Project with Nicole, the power of youth inspired us to create programs that will amplify their voice in the community of Bennington.

Both of these projects are ramping up! The Youth Ambassadors are planning some excellent projects for National Nutrition Month (March), National Stress Awareness Month (April), and Better Sleep Month (May)! The Photovoice Project has expanded to include new partners: The Collaborative (a youth-focused coalition in the northern part of Bennington County), and Teens 4 Change.   

"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." - Mary McLeod Bethune

Young Adults' Impact on Economic Development

Another project I worked on in February that inspired me was focused on amplifying the young adult voice in the economic development plan for the town of Bennington. This project was accomplished through the Bennington Economic Development Steering Committee which is a committee of community members and leaders from different businesses, the education sector, and health care who are creating a plan to be adopted by the town. 

I worked with students at Southern Vermont College and members of the steering committee to generate strategies for the town's economic plan that are centered on enhancements or opportunities that young adults value. The two workshops that we facilitated for a group of students from a business class and a philanthropy class were full of excellent ideas and were quite energizing! There is a plan to have a similar workshop to gain insight from Bennington College students as well.

Because the two colleges in Bennington bring a multitude of students and visitors to the town each year, there are opportunities for economic improvement that can be unlocked by incorporating the student voice into the fabric of the culture of the town. I believe that acknowledging the value of the student voice and including strategies created by students into the plan for economic development are important first steps. 

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies."