Winter 2015 Volume 5, Issue 1
Inside This Issue A New Year Looking Back, Moving Forward Asset Trainings Upcoming Assets Trainings Applying the Assets Asset #18: Youth Programs Community Spotlight Union City: Healthy Youth Club What’s Happening at SVHS? You Make A Difference Assembly SVHS PYD Advisory Board “Tie One On” Event Shop Simply Scarves to Support Positive Youth Development Task Force Meetings Join a PYD Task Force Meet PYD Kevin Buczynski
Our Mission Positive Youth Development of Erie County activates communities to create healthy, caring, and responsible individuals.
A New Year
Looking back, moving forward
A new year is upon us, this brings new opportunities for growth and change; to raise awareness of Positive Youth Development’s efforts to promote “making a difference in the lives of youth” throughout Erie County.
PYD Staff Members- Jonathan Kinnear (Research Assistant), Karrah Kurpiewski (Comm Coordinator) and Kevin Buczynski (Strong Vincent PYD Associate Coordinator)
Looking Ahead to 2015... Looking Back on 2014… Celebrated Dr. Carl Kallgren’s contributions as long-standing Founder and Director of CORE and PYD up his retirement. Continued Growth in Intensive Sites Union City Area School District Strong Vincent High School Held several 40 Asset Trainings at which individuals, organizations, and other community services were given the knowledge and resources necessary to become asset builders for youth within their Erie County community.
What if all the youth in your community had caring values and all the schools had caring school climates? What would it look like if your neighborhood taught the youth peaceful conflict resolution? Our vision: All Erie County children, youth, and adults are thriving and productive, creating diverse and successful communities.
PYD will hold true to the vision of a brighter future for Erie County as we move forward into the new year. PYD staff, advisory board, task forces, and partners will continue to work together to empower youth, encourage adults, Successful 11th Annual PYD Week— “Making and community groups to become intentional Connections”— Focused on encouraging adults asset-builders for youth, and increase assets for and organizations to become asset builders for all youth. youth in the community, to create positive and healthy relationships with youth.
With your continued involvement and support we can help make Erie County a great place for youth to grow up!
Fundraising Initiatives– Raised funds through Erie Gives and #GivingTuesday. Welcomed New Personnel Penn State PARC Faculty– Dr. Charisse Nixon, Dr. Melanie Hetzel- Riggin, and Dr. Nicole Shoenberger
Asset Trainings
Upcoming Training Events:
Join us for an Asset Training and gain the knowledge and resources to help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
Saturday, March 7th Friday, March 27th Contact PYD for more details at (814)898-6297
Explore our Annual Review, click here. 4909 Jordan Road
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Erie PA 16563
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(814) 898-6297
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www.youtherie.com
Applying the Assets
Asset #18: Youth spend three or more hours a week in youth programs
After-school activities: Extra, but also essential It’s appropriate that the word is extracurricular,” but the word should really be essential-curricular. In fact, youth programs are so important that many schools are now calling them co-curricular activities. For many young people, youth programs at school and in the community are the highlight of their day. Youth meet new people who share their interests, introduce them to new pursuits, while spending time with adults who also enjoy the activity. Here are the facts Research shows that young people who regularly spend time in sports, clubs, or other youth programs have higher self-esteem and better leadership skills, and are less likely to feel lonely. About 57 percent of young people, ages 11– 18, spend three or more hours a week in youth programs or extracurricular activities.
In your home and family: With your child, make a list of activities he or she wants to learn about. Rank the ideas according to her or his level of interest. Together, research ways to try out the top two choices. In your neighborhood and community: Check your local newspaper for upcoming community activities such as charity lunches, art openings, or athletic events. How many are youth-centered or allow youth participation? If you don’t see many, consider starting an activity. In your school or youth program: Discuss the following with the young people in your class or program: If you could start a club of your own, what would it be? How would you get it started? What materials would you need? Encourage young people to join a school or community activity!
Developmental Assets® are positive factors within young people, families, communities, schools, and other settings that research has found to be important in promoting the healthy development of young people. From Instant Assets: 52 Short and Simple E-Mails for Sharing the Asset Message. Copyright © 2007 by Search Institute®, 877-240-7251; www.search-institute.org. This message may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only (with this copyright line). All rights reserved.
Community Spotlight
Union City: The Healthy Youth Club
After seeing many students practicing unhealthy eating habits, Jeanette Boyd, Union City kindergarten teacher, was encouraged to start a club to teach the students about healthy eating and to encourage physical activity. In 2006, she started The Healthy Youth Club. The club meets twice a week after school throughout January and February. All 1st – 5th grade students are invited to join, as well as kindergarteners who have an older sibling in the club. The students begin by preparing a healthy snack. They then break into four groups and rotate around four stations where they learn about the benefits of nutrition and exercise, run/walk, exercise, and play a game.
“My hope is to get the kids excited about exercising and eating healthy, and hopefully they will establish lifelong healthy eating habits and continue to incorporate exercise into their lives,” states Jeanette. “Children that eat healthy, and exercise regularly miss less school, and are generally happier and have a better outlook on life.” Throughout the program, students keep a training log to measure personal progress, and at the end of two months they participate in a ‘half marathon’ in which they run or walk 13 miles, read 13 books, and do 13 good deeds. Students that complete the marathon earn an award, and a t-shirt. This year, 159 students are participating in The Healthy Youth Club. The Healthy Youth Club in Union City is an excellent example of a program designed to enhance the lives of young people!
One of the greatest gifts we can give young people is to help them discover their passions, skills, and talents, as well as engage them in programs and activities that give them meaning and pupose, and a greater sense of self. How can you help young people discover and explore their own skills? Do you have a passion that you could turn into a program and share with youth? Positive Youth Development
4909 Jordan Road
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Erie PA 16563
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(814) 898-6297
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Click here for a complete list of the 40 Developmental Assets!
www.youtherie.com
News, Updates & Events
Strong Vincent Update What’s Happening at SVHS? “You Make A Difference” Assembly PYD sponsored “You Make a Difference” Day at Strong Vincent High School. A school-wide assembly recognized students and teachers at SVHS who are working together to make a positive impact within the school. The event included the distribution of blue ribbons to staff and students who help to create an atmosphere of positive relationships. The assembly featured special guest speaker Erie County District Attorney, Jack Daneri. SVHS PYD Advisory Board Strong Vincent has implemented a Positive Youth Development Advisory Board in an effort to promote the 40 Developmental Assets into the school’s climate. The board’s action strategies include an emphasis on education, support, activities, outreach, parents, and community enviornment. *This meeting is open to all community members. Please contact PYD for future meeting dates.
To Support
Positive Youth Development of Erie County Come to shop for fashion scarves and accessories to show your support for PYD!
JOIN US...
PYD Board Member, Diane Wilson, has joined forces with “The Scarf Lady” of Simply Scarves to raise support for PYD of Erie County. The event will include scarf tying demonstrations, door prizes, and refreshments.
SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST OPEN HOUSE 11:00 AM– 5:00 PM WHOLE FOODS CO-OP COMMUNITY ROOM
Simply Scarves will donate 25% of sales from event and online at www.Simply-Scarves.com from 3/20-3/23.
1341 WEST 26TH STREET
RSVP to Positive Youth Development at 814-898-6297 or pyd@youtherie.com
Click here for more.
www.Simply-Scarves.com
ERIE, PA 16501
Task Force Meetings Looking for a way to be involved in our organization?... Join a PYD Task Force! Each Task Force is comprised of a group of individuals, including professionalss, parents, and community members working together to infuse the 40 Developmental Assets throughout Erie County. 2/24/15 Parent Task Force Meeting Community Care Behavioral Health, 9:30 am—10:30 am 2/24/15 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force Meeting Crime Victim’s Center, 2:30 pm— 4:00 pm 2/25/15 Media Task Foce Meeting Brew HaHa Café, 3:00 pm—4:00 pm Contact PYD for more details at (814)898-6297 Positive Youth Development
4909 Jordan Road
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Erie PA 16563
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(814) 898-6297
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www.youtherie.com
What’s your favorite developmental asset and why?
Meet PYD
My favorite Developmental asset is Asset #14 Adult role Models: Parents and other adults model positive, Kevin Buczynski, responsible behavior. Growing up I was always getting into PYD Associate Coordinator at trouble. My father was in the military and my mother was always working, so my grandfather was my “constant” Strong Vincent High School growing up. He taught me right and wrong, and he was always involved in my life whether it was school, giving me rides, cooking or an emergency. He would always say yes. He was a positive role model in my life. I want to take from Kevin Buczynski graduated Penn State Behrend with a my experience and try to be a positive role model for the bachelor’s degree in Communication. After graduation, Kevin joined the Air Force, and was deployed once to Iraq youth at Strong Vincent. and once to Qatar. He is currently in the Air Force What do you hope to achieve through your position at PYD? Reserves and is working to attain his master’s degree in I hope to develop the Asset Framework at Strong Vincent. Administraion of Justice at Mercyhurst College. Resiliency and prevention are critical to the positive Why do you want to work with CORE/PYD? development of young people. I want to engage youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer I want to work with CORE/PYD because I want to make a groups, and families in a manner that is productive and difference in the community and be a positive role model for the youth. It is exciting to launch and run programs that constructive. I hope to recognize, utilize, and enhance youths' strengths and promote positive outcomes by support the positive development of young people. It is providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, about creating the bond with people, programs, institutions, and systems who provide all youth, troubled or and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths. Also, I want to build support for all not, with the supports and opportunities they need to empower themselves. I want to form Youth Development young people by helping them to develop a sense of a strategies and focus on giving young people the chance to competence, usefulness, belonging and empowerment through research, programs, providing services,and form relationships with caring adults, build skills, exercise opportunities. leadership, and help their communities.
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Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Susan Hirt Hagen Center, CORE (Community•Outreach•Research•Evaluation) Phone: 814-898-6297 Address: 4909 Jordan Road Erie, PA 16563 Fax: 814-898-6270 Website: www.YouthErie.com
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Additional Links:
4909 Jordan Road
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Erie PA 16563
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(814) 898-6297
•
www.youtherie.com