Raising youth is everyone's responsibility

In recent weeks, teachers and students in area kindergartens and elementary schools have witnessed chicks hatching through our Chick-Embryo project. It's an amazing experience for teacher and student and used to introduce applied-science. Witnessing this event can also begin an educational process in the social sciences, if one asks the question: What makes a healthy community for our own children and adolescents? Here's the situation: chicks are huddled together to stay warm, dispersed somewhat if under a heat lamp, or flocking toward the food and water once they associate it with the provider. Using this scenario, however, helps students understand the concept of Acommunity." It does, nevertheless, have the possibility of the audience reminding the community, it's families and older adults to remember a segment it is so easy to think we don't ever forget: our kids. There is a tendency it seems to do things for kids and to kids rather than with kids. Even the younger ones have a way of pointing this out.

Communities seem somewhat polarized, in our country, about whose "job" it is to grow our youth. On one side are those who say, "I raised mine, and it's time for others to do their job." On the flip side are those who understand that in a complex world of change, it may take a certain kind of community for youth to thrive. It is said that" it takes a whole village to raise a child," let me bump the concept up a notch to submit that it takes a Acommunity to nurture the family."

Your youth and children are everyone's responsibility. Yes, it is critical that families take primary responsibility to care for young people. For most of our children, it is their family who shapes and forms understanding of life and living. Nevertheless, we as other citizens can and should play a significant role in providing a community who supports healthy development for our most vulnerable, that is, children and youth. Almost everywhere we go in most communities, there are young people. How we interact with them either builds a bridge or a wall.

If you don't like "kids" that's your choice, then support our parents and foster parents so that they might do a good job. All responsible adults, from time to time, feel inadequate to face the challenges of rearing children and youth. The sense of inadequacy may be what is under the cries of some who dismiss the responsibility of anyone beyond the family to care for young people. Times seem especially difficult.

So what's the answer? I don't think there is one answer, instead it takes a foundation of many answers to provide a healthy community for our youth. We need to have a community which values and is sensitive to all ages. Communities unquestionably need to address problems such as poverty, environmental risks, family problems, and racism, which create deficits in people's lives. Focusing only on these types of problems is not even a total answer. We must have a community that encourages our young to dream dreams, develop their talents and gifts, and give back to others. Making these values visible happens one child at a time, one relationship after another. It takes everyone from teachers, police, ministers, retired folks, business and health care providers.

Take time to reflect upon what person you have encouraged, helped or shared time and energy with in the past month. A healthy community starts with each of us. If people pull together and demonstrate, that their community really values the development of its children and youth they can do more than just learn a little social science from baby chickens, who knows, maybe they'll start a national trend!

For ideas on being a trend setter contact University of Missouri Extension Centers.

I'm Community Resource Specialist, David Hill. Make a Great Day!