Mentors and Understanding Youth Development

How many of us remember what it was like to be a teen?

Probably many of us do. It sometimes felt that we thought and acted very differently than adults. And of course, we did. Researchers have found that human beings go through many developmental stages during our lives.

In cognitive development we change the way we think dramatically from infancy through our toddlerhood to the teen years and beyond. In other words children don't think like an adult does (or at least most adults!)

When working with youth as a mentor it's important to understand these stages and to work with them so that young people can develop and thrive.

The Teen Institute, a state-wide, nationally celebrated organization that works with youth, will be hosted by the North Country Coalitions to provide a FREE workshop on September 17th at the Mt. View Grand Hotel and Spa in Whitefield, NH to present on how we can "Celebrate Youth and Their Powere to Create Change!" While here the Teen Institute will review these stages of development as well as how to engage youth in activiites.

By the way, the youth in the photot above are in a team of Whitefield students called the "Wilderness Explorers" who climb Mt. Washington to the very top of the mountain and carried a banner on smoking prevention. Way to go kids! Not only can you create change but so can those adults who work with you as mentors.

For more information on the FREE workshop contact me, Valerie Herres at vherres@nchcnh.org or give me a call at 837-2519.

Coos County Coalition Strategic Plan Integrates Juvenile Justice Mentoring Initiative

The Coos County Coalition held its strategic planning day retreat on Thusday, August 13th in Lancaster with 20 members present. Coalition members prioritized projects, included the Juvenile Justice Mentoring Project into the plan and developed some exciting intiatives for the next year. Stay tuned!Photo above from left to right, Dave Graham from Northern Human Services, Donna Cummings from RESPONSE to Sexual and Domestic Violence, Cam Brown, Investigator with the NH Liquor Commission and Jan Millis, Director of the Berlin-Gorham After School Program working together to shape their ideas to share with others at the strategic planning day.

Environment Has an Impact on Youth Behavior

You can see by the photo in this posting that what is in our environment sends a message to young people. This photo shows the kind of messages we send to them around alcohol use - it's fun - it's ok to drink and race or bike - and everyone's doing this! In fact it's a big business. These are not very helpful messages.

One of the important aspects of a stragegic plan that is hoping to change youth behaviors must begin to look at these messages and figure out how communities, shcools and providers can sell healthier imges to our youth both around alcohol use and high risk, law breaking behaviors. Many times substance abuse and law breaking go together.

As the Juvenile Justice Project moves forward towards a goal of reducing court petitions for youth working to change the environment and messages youth receive are important.

Here are some helpful messages that reduce risk taking:

• Adult(s) care about you and your well being and you are special to at least one adult in your life. (Mentoring)
• There are people who are working together to make your life and the life in your community better. (Coalition Building)
• It's better not to break the law but rather to live a healthy lifestyle. (Community Support Programs)
• Abusing substances can lead to breaking the law by causing you to act in harmful ways and/or not consider the consequences of what you do. (Education)
• There will be consequences to everything you do so learn about consequences and avoid those choices that lead to negative consequences. (Strong enforcement of the law)
• People in your community care enough about you to get together and work with you and your parents on helping you make amends for what wrong doing occured. (Court Diversion)

These are some of the "good' messages the JJP wants to send.