CHNA 6

Join us for the first “Find Yourself Friday” Youth event of the New Year!!! The JAG Youth Council and Milford Youth Center will be hosting their sixth Find Yourself Friday event, on Friday January 27, 2012 from 6:00-9:00pm at the Milford Youth Center. The event will include, a DJ, music, dancing games, snacks and a New Year's ball drop at the end of the night!

This month, the youth decided on a New Years theme, to have youth be able to celebrate the New Year with their friends! The price of admission will be $3.00 per person. All proceeds will benefit the Milford Play Initiative, to purchase a piece of playground equipment for a new playground to be built at Fino Field. There will be a dedication on the equipment to the Milford Youth Center and JAG Youth Council!

We are also looking for volunteers for the event. If you are able to help out, please contact Youth Council Coordinator, Jen Ward at jenward24@gmail.com

Find Yourself Fridays are funded by the Juvenile Advocacy Group, the Milford Youth Center, the United Way of Tri-County, and CHNA 6. 

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What are Developmental Assess?
Youth development research indicates youth need opportunities to contribute to their communities in safe, meaningful, and healthy ways. Research also tells us that if youth have an underlying background of family and community support they will be more likely to make good choices about unsafe behavior.

The Search Institute -a nonprofit organization that conducts practical research benefiting children and youth - has identified the building blocks of young people’s successful growth and development. These 40 “developmental assets” provide a common framework by which parents, caregivers, schools and the community can support youth. The Search Institute bases their work on the fact that all children and youth need support, opportunities, boundaries, expectations, and structure.

Research by the Search Institute confirms that strengthening developmental assets promotes academic achievement and reduces high risk behaviors. Community leaders and youth serving providers in Milford have embraced this framework as a way to nurture and mold the commitments, values, skills, and positive identity children need in order to grow up healthy and responsible.

The Attitudes and Behaviors Survey
Over 2 million youth ages 12-18 in urban, suburban and rural communities have answered questions about their thoughts on school climate, parent and school expectations, their use of structured and unstructured time and their behaviors in general, to help adults better understand the youth experience in their communities. The Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (A&B) assesses risks and “assets” to help kids succeed in school and in life. The more of these 40 developmental assets young people possess the less likely they are to get involved in problem behaviors such as substance use, early sexual activity and violence. Along the same lines, young people with many assets are much more likely to make positive choices, exhibit leadership qualities, maintain good health, value diversity, and succeed in school.

Community Support
The leading supporter of the Developmental Assets Framework in Milford is The Juvenile Advocacy Group (JAG) comprised of most youth serving organizations in the community. JAG was instrumental in conducting training in September 2011 through CHNA 6 on Developmental Assets Across the Age Spectrum. JAG has piloted the Attitudes and Behaviors Survey to 100 youth at the Milford Youth Center’s Find Yourself Friday Program. Find Yourself Fridays is an example of Developmental Assets in action. JAG has also invited the Director of Youth Ambassadors Program from South Boston Community Health Center to speak on Engaging Youth through Promoting Developmental Assets this December.

Taking Action
Parents and schools play a key role in building assets in a young person’s life. Whatever the age of the child, it is never too early or too late to start building the foundation a young person needs to succeed. All of us are engaged in many of the asset-building activities already. One goal is to match the areas where youth require more support with activities and evidence- based programs that promote these assets. For example, engaging kids in collecting emergency supplies for storm victims, collecting food for the local food pantry, participating in community clean- ups or creating art installation are some of the ways to promote assets. Schools can engage students in ways to promote achievement and connection through strong linkages with caring adults at school, promoting school pride and club participation to name a few. Parents can promote homework time with their children and participate themselves on civic and school projects. A full list of examples is on the Search Institute website http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolesce...

We welcome your participation! For further information or to become involved with Milford’s efforts please contact Amy Leone at Community Impact communityimpactinc@gmail.com

Over 100 youth attended the third "Find Yourself Friday" youth event of the new school year! This event was held at the Milford Youth Center on Friday, November 18th from 6:30 – 9:30 PM and included music, dancing, games and a special Thanksgiving Dinner!

The JAG Youth Council decided to host this event to show their support for their community during the Holiday season by having a small Family Thanksgiving Dinner and a collection for the Milford Daily Bread Food Pantry. The JAG Youth Council, with their parent organization, the Juvenile Advocacy Group, also worked together to promote the importance of building Developmental Assets to help improve the lives of our children and the community as a whole. Developmental Assets represent the relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive.

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event including The Juvenile Advocacy Group, JAG Youth Council, the Milford Youth Center, CHNA-6, United Way of Tri-County, Hannafords of Milford, 495 Rental, Bugaboo Creek of Milford, Subway of Milford, Gene’s Variety, Sams Club of Worcester, Milford High School Art Honor Society and National Honor Society and to the many volunteers!

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer at the next event, scheduled for Friday, January 27th , please contact Youth Council Coordinator Jen Ward at jenward24@gmail.com or 508-473-1756.

Funding for "Find Yourself Fridays" is supported by the United Way of Tri-County Youth Venture Program and CHNA-6.

Check out YourTeen.org for advice on key teen issues! The website also links to Mass 211, a 24-hour hotline and website that connects families with services such as counseling, after-school programs, and other health and human services. Dial 211 to speak to a specialist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Services are free, confidential, and multilingual.

Visit YourTeen.org for information and advice on key teen issues such as:

• Behavioral problems
• Bullying
• Stresses facing teens
• Internet use
• Alcohol and drug use
• Sex and STDs
• Dealing with death/loss
• Dealing with divorce

Yourteen.org is funded by Milford Regional Medical Center's Center for Adolescent Health, Tri-County Medical Associates, and CHNA-6.

The JAG Youth Council and Milford Youth Center look to continue the success of their first Find Yourself Friday Youth Event, with over 200 youth in attendance, with their second event on Friday, October 28th. This free event for youth, ages 8-18, will take place at the Milford Youth Center from after school until 6 PM. The youth have chosen to host a Halloween Party themed event, with a special focus on anti-bullying, in support of National Anti-Bullying Month. The event will include music, dancing, raffles, special Halloween games, fun snacks, face and pumpkin painting and a movie! The JAG Youth Council encourages all guests to come dressed in your costume – We hope to create a fun and safe environment, where youth feel comfortable to express and be themselves and allow others to do the same! Raffle tickets will be given out to all guests who wear Halloween costumes and also choose to pledge to stop bullying or help victims of bullying by signing the JAG/MYC Youth Contract created by the members of the JAG Youth Council!

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer at the event, please contact Youth Council co-coordinator Jen Ward at jenward24@gmail.com or 508-473-1756.

Funding for "Find Yourself Fridays" is supported by the United Way of Tri-County Youth Venture Program and CHNA-6.

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What are Developmental Assets?

This year the Juvenile Advocacy Group and the JAG Youth Council will focus their community efforts on Developmental Assets. The Developmental Assets are 40 common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible, successful adults. Because of its basis in youth development, resiliency, and prevention research and its proven effectiveness, the Developmental Assets framework has become one of the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the United States.
Read the list of assets here.

Background on the Developmental Assets:

Since its creation in 1990, Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets has become the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the United States. The assets are grounded in extensive research in youth development, resiliency, and prevention. They represent the relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive.

The Power of Assets:
The 40 Developmental Assets represent everyday wisdom about positive experiences and characteristics for young people. Search Institute research has found that these assets are powerful influences on adolescent behavior—both protecting young people from many different risky behaviors, and promoting positive attitudes and actions.

Who needs them? Why are they important?

Over time, studies of more than 2.2 million young people consistently show that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to thrive. Research has proven that youth with the most assets are least likely to engage in four different patterns of high-risk behavior, including problem alcohol use, violence, illicit drug use, and sexual activity. The same kind of impact is evident with many other problem behaviors, including tobacco use, depression and attempted suicide, antisocial behavior, school problems, driving and alcohol, and gambling.

The positive power of assets is evident across all cultural and socioeconomic groups of youth, and there is also evidence that assets have the same kind of power for younger children. Furthermore, levels of assets are better predictors of high-risk involvement and thriving than poverty or being from a single-parent family. The average young person experiences fewer than half of the 40 assets, and boys experience an average of three fewer assets than girls.

How to get started building assets:

There are many ways you can start building assets for the children and youth around you, whether they’re in your family, school, or community. This year JAG will work with the search institute in promotion of our marketing campaign “Where do I get that asset?” as well as monthly articles regarding developmental assets including resources you can use to create a better world for the kids in Milford. These monthly asset will also be an aspect of the JAG youth council’s Find Yourself Friday events throughout the year.

If you are interested in getting involved please feel free to contact Amy Leone at communityimpactinc@gmail.com or go to www.jagnetwork.org

The JAG Youth Council and Milford Youth Center will host their fourth and final “Find Yourself Fridays" youth event for the school year Tonight from 7-10 pm. The event will include music, dancing, open gym, raffles, snacks and an area to watch the movie "Toy Story 3!"

This month, the youth decided to have the proceeds go Compassionate Care ALS in support of ALS, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease." Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS) is a nonprofit organization that offers individualized support to those currently living with ALS, their families and caregivers. CCALS stands alone in their approach to delivering support and services to their clients, tailoring to the individual needs of each patient and their support network.

Funding for "Find Yourself Fridays" is supported by the United Way of Tri-County Youth Venture Program and CHNA-6.

For more information or if you would like to volunteer at the event please contact SCI AmeriCorps member Jen Ward at jward@socialcapitalinc.org or 508-473-1756.

The JAG Youth Council and Milford Youth Center will host their fourth and final “Find Yourself Fridays" youth event for the school year on Friday, June 10th from 7-10 pm. The event will include music, dancing, open gym, raffles, snacks and an area to watch the movie "Toy Story 3!"

This month, the youth decided to have the proceeds go Compassionate Care ALS in support of ALS, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease." Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS) is a nonprofit organization that offers individualized support to those currently living with ALS, their families and caregivers. CCALS stands alone in their approach to delivering support and services to their clients, tailoring to the individual needs of each patient and their support network.

Funding for "Find Yourself Fridays" is supported by the United Way of Tri-County Youth Venture Program and CHNA-6.

For more information or if you would like to volunteer at the event please contact SCI AmeriCorps member Jen Ward at jward@socialcapitalinc.org or 508-473-1756.

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