A City Fit for Kids, part six:
Scaling Up the Positives
Is "kid-friendliness" something a community can nurture? A growing consensus among researchers and grassroots activists indicates
it is. Several national efforts are underway to scale up the positives in the lives of youth.
America’s Promise, founded by General Colin Powell, aims to bring schools and communities together to promote five foundations for positive development: an ongoing relationship with a caring adult; a safe place with structured activities during nonschool hours; a healthy start; a marketable skill through effective education;
an opportunity to give back through community service. (Web site: www.americaspromise.org/)
Communities That Care, launched by Drs. J. David Hawkins and Richard F. Catalano, professors of social work at the University of Washington and directors of the Social Development Research Group, is intended to engage entire communities in addressing youth problem behaviors and promoting positive development. Several states, including Oregon and Washington, use the Communities That Care Youth Survey to measure both risk and protective factors among adolescents. (Web site: www.drp.org/)
Healthy Communities — Healthy Youth, launched by the Search Institute in 1996, now includes 400 communities in local efforts to promote positive development and build assets in the lives of young people. (Web site: www.search-institute.org/communities/hchy.htm)
Youth Hall of Fame, a project that started in the Seattle area to recognize the contributions of young people, has spread to several communities, including Spokane, Tacoma, and Boise. Youth who have overcome challenges or who have helped others are nominated by friends, family members, teachers, or others in the community. Then, honorees help to create a public art project, such as the colorful mural hanging at the entrance to Boise City Hall. To carry on the positive energy, honorees are enlisted to be mentors to other youth in a community service effort. (Web site: www.youthhall.org/)
