Strongsville Youth Commission

WHO:

The Strongsville Youth Commission (SYC) is a group high school youth and adult mentors living in Strongsville. The youth must have completed their freshman year in high school and not yet graduated.

WHAT:

The SYC endeavors to serve the young people of the community while furthering the goals of the greater Strongsville community. SYC strives to achieve the following goals.

• Listen, clarify, and prioritize the needs of young people in Strongsville and make plans to respond to those needs in a comprehensive and effective manner.    

• Plan, prepare, implement, and evaluate programs and activities that respond to the commonly stated priorities.    

• Integrate and connect young people into the existing programs, opportunities and resources within the Strongsville community (networking).    

• Develop an exceptional skills based leadership program for SYC members (year one) to prepare them for direct involvement in civic life and service to the Strongsville community.    

WHY:

SYC is based on the belief that young people are a valued part of our community and civic life. We therefore endeavor to give them what they need to succeed. We will integrate the research and framework from the Search Institute, which has identified 40 developmental assets that "help young people make wise decisions, choose positive paths, and grow up competent, caring and responsible" (Asset Resource, enclosed). The assets are organized into eight categories that will inform our efforts to respond to the local needs of the young people and families of Strongsville. These categories are as follows.

• Support from families, institutions, and organizations.    

• Empowerment. Young people are valued by the community and able to contribute in meaningful ways.    

• Boundaries and Expectations. Young people need to know what is expected of them and what activities and behaviors are in-bounds or out of bounds.    

• Constructive Use of Time. Young people need constructive opportunities for growth through creative activities, service experiences, and positive involvement in institutional and organizational activities.    

• Commitment to Learning. Young people need to develop a life long commitment to education and learning.    

• Positive Values. Young people need to develop strong values that guide their choices and behaviors.    

• Social Competencies. Young people need skills and competencies to help them build relationships and make positive choices.    

• Positive Identity. Young people need a strong sense of their own power, purpose, worth, and promise.    

• SYC is a proactive program and strategy that affords young people the chance to be active and trained leaders now while preparing them to be active leaders in civic and community life in the future.    

HOW:

The leadership cycle will run from July to June. The application process will take place from May through June of each year. Those selected are required to participate in an initial 3 day training (in July) to be held at a selected site. This training will cover these topics and skill areas.

• Team Communication. Skills include effective listening and speaking skills, and the importance of trust and sharing ideas when working as a team.    

• Brainstorming and Prioritizing Skills. Skills include how to facilitate group dialog and consensus building skills around set priorities.    

• Public Speaking Skills. Skills to prepare, deliver, and constructively critique your own public speaking skills as well as others.    

• Project Design & Management. Skills include planning skills for SYC projects and programs as well as connecting with existing programs. This will include budget and evaluation components.    

• Meeting Facilitation & Management. Skills include preparing, implementing, and following through with meetings and building effective meeting dynamics.