Hartford Juvenile Justice Forum

I've recently started to #livetweet (or take notes via twitter) certain community events we've attended in order to help inform others of really important conversations that our taking place in or about our community using our @mtownysb twitter page. Last Friday there was a terrific forum around the juvenile justice reforms in Connecticut featuring state and federal legislators, state officials, advocates, and others who have all contributed to these changes. The following are my thoughts throughout the event (and verification that I wasn't playing on my phone the entire time!)...

A Lesson in Asset Building...

Yesterday I had the honor of speaking briefly at the Macdonough Elementary School "SURFS UP Rally". I was joined by my co-chair of the Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council, Felecia Goodwine-Vaughters, to talk about our funding of their school's Running Club. For those that might now know, SURFS is the school's way of communicating expectations, and the assembly was their way of celebrating positive SURFS behavior and successes within the school.

The assembly included the entire student body and staff plus well over 75 guests including parents and members of the community. For the entire 60 minutes, it was also a model of how a school can work with developmental assets to build school climate and student achievement. Here were some of the highlights for me:

• As students and guests entered they played music ("Taking Care of Business" was the song - which was also the theme of the event because they "took care of business" by having a successful school year). This helped provide a really welcoming and positive entrance for all. (related assets: Caring School Climate, Bonding to School)

• They used one of the 5th graders to be the M.C. for the event (who just so happened to be the same kid that stole the show in "Bigger Than You Think"). (related assets: Youth as Resources)
• They took time to welcome any new member of the school community since the last assembly and gave them a gift. They also welcomed new partnerships and people who have contributed to the school community, like Coach Jeff McDonald from the Wesleyan Football Team who's been bringing athletes to the school to help with recess and serve as mentors and role models. (related assets: Caring School Climate, Other Adult Relationships)

• Two kids from each classroom where selected as "SURFS Winners". When each kid was recognized they joined their teacher on stage and for those who were able to have a parent or love one(s) in the crowd they were asked to come up too because as Principal Romeo noted "their good decisions in school started from good decisions at home and the parents and guardians deserve some credit for that." (related assets: Family Support, Parent Involvement in School)
• Time was take to recognize a group of school staff that volunteered on a neighborhood Habitat for Humanities project. (related assets: Caring Neighborhood, Service to Others)
• The kindergarten class performed a teacher appreciation rap thanking all the staff of the school (related assets: Creative Activities, Caring)

• In bringing us in to recognize the grant we got to remind them that people in the community care about what they do at the school and want to support it, as well as giving us the opportunity communicate how drugs and alcohol can damage their developing brains and bodies. (related assets: Community Values Youth, Youth Programs, Restraint)

The assembly also featured a number of other student conducted presentations, pictures of the school community, rewards to classes for modeling the best SURFS behavior in a number of specials (i.e. gym, art, lunch...), and staff wearing surfing related garb to celebrate.

We're really proud of our relationship with Macdonough and happy to be part of the amazing asset building efforts!

Connect the Dots 2013

Connect the Dots 2013, a set on Flickr.

MSAPC Scholarship

The Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council is offering a scholarship for the first time to a Middletown Public School senior who has exhibited leadership in a number of ways that related to teen substance use and abuse. 

Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council Scholarship

Upcoming Event

Community Conversation between the Men of Middletown and the Invisible Men of Wesleyan

Youth @ Work Program Application

For those looking for summer work opportunities, here is the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce's Youth @ Work application. The program receives funding through the Workforce Alliance and has specific income requirements that decide eligibility. Please be sure to check them out before you begin to fill out the application.

2013 Youth @ Work Application

Supplement to "Trends in Social Media" Presentation

As we get ready for our presentation to the Middletown Mentor program in a couple minutes, we're posting the information below as a supplement for this discussion. It was compiled by Krista Prince our Special Projects Intern here at Middletown Youth Services. The focus on the conversation is on trends in social media and we geared it toward elementary aged kids. We hope you find it helpful...

Within only a few years, social networking has become a staple in our day to day lives. Facebook for example, once designed to only be used by college students, is now used by Grandma and Little Johnny alike. According to the Pew Research Institute 67% of all internet users are on Facebook. Yet, among middle school and high school aged kids there seems to be a decline in Facebook use. Even Facebook has acknowledged this decline in its annual report stating that it may be losing younger users. While the cause of this decline may be up for debate, the prevailing theme is that the climate of social networking is constantly changing. Programs and apps are in and then out, and then replaced by the new. Facebook seems to be slowly being replaced by Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat which will likely be replaced by other more exciting programs in the future.

With all of this new social media it can be extremely challenging to stay on top of it all and frankly, that effort may prove to be futile. It's more important to teach young people how to use these sites in safe ways so that the skills they've learned can transfer to all of their internet use in general. At Middletown Youth Services we like to focus on “privacy” and “digital identity” with teens as a means of promoting safe usage. For younger students the same notions of “stranger danger” are as equally important on-line. It’s important to note that its not always about “if” a student is presented with a inappropriate encounter online (let’s say a predator or cyberbully) but what resources they are equipped with to deal with the incident to both resolve it quickly and minimize impact.

Websites such as the BBC, Forbes, and Mashable have great guides to web use and internet safety that can be found at :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/children-and-social-networks

http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/09/26/9-tips-for-managing-your-childs-social-media-presence/2/

http://mashable.com/category/digital-dilemma/

Other articles that you may find interesting:

Social Media Demographics:

http://mashable.com/2012/03/09/social-media-demographics/

Facebook becoming less popular with teens:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/teens-think-facebook-is-so-yesterday/

Pew Study on Teens and Technology: 

http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2013/Teens-and-Technology-2013.aspx

100 Facts about Social Media in 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-honigman/100-fascinating-social-me_b_2185281.html

7th Annual White Out Night Tomorrow

BETTINA HANSEN / HARTFORD COURANT / December 30, 2009

Each day in the United States, just under 30 people die as a result of alcohol related car accidents. The Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) will be holding its 7th annual White Out Night on Friday, December 28th to encourage people to be mindful of the dangers of drinking and driving while celebrating on New Year’s Eve. When the group first started this event seven years ago the number of deaths per day was averaging 48 per day nationally.  

This is a youth led event during which participants will be walking down Main Street, wearing self-made white t-shirts with safe driving messages on them. They will also be handing out flyers to shoppers and diners, promoting a safe New Year’s holiday without drinking and driving.  Rushford's school-based youth leadership programs at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Keigwin Middle School helped to make posters with safe driving messages for the event, and members of Middletown High School’s youth leadership group, Dragons In Action, decorated the t-shirts. The students feel passionate around the mission to convey how important it is for everyone to use good judgment and remain safe this New Year’s.

The group will meet between 5:30pm and 6:00pm in the board room on the basement level of the Chamber of Commerce at 393 Main St.  From approximately 6:10-7pm, the group will be walking Main St., promoting the message.  Come join these Middletown Youth in raising awareness of a very important issue!

 Participating members of the White Out Night event represent the following organizations:

Rushford Center, Middletown Youth Services Bureau, Middletown Police Department, Middletown Fire Department, Middletown Board of Education, North End Action Team, Woodrow Wilson Middle School’s Rams In Action, Middletown High School's Dragons In Action, Middletown Emblem Club

Asset Message of the Week: What is the lesson from Newtown?

This blog comes with a request and that is 15 minutes of your time. Below is the video of President Obama's remarks from Sunday's Newtown memorial. After honoring the lives of the adults in the building and offering words of condolence to the Newtown community, he begins to talk about what its like to be a parent. This is where your 15 minutes comes in. As President Obama states, "we are left with some hard questions" and hard questions require your full attention. This means you may need to set this aside and watch it later. But give it your best 15 minutes and with not just the people of Newtown in mind, but with us all...

(Please start at the 10:21 mark or skip directly there by accessing the video HERE)



Why was this not the sound byte on the news?

"This job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors...with the help of a community and the help of a nation. And in that way we come to realize we bear a responsibility for  every child, because we're counting on everyone else to help look after ours. That we're all parents. That they're all our children. This is our first task...caring for our children. It's our first job. And if we don't get that right, then we don't get anything right. That is how as a society, we will be judged."

This should be our outcome that is lifted from this tragedy. Our emotion (and the media) drives us to find the "how?" and to bring forth a scapegoat that can help explain something that we all know really has no true explanation.  But what if it can be used to bring us together, in unity, around our young people. As Newtown grieves and we all look for ways to help, this could be our greatest tribute to the lives lost. 

We all have something to offer and all young people need those offerings. The Search Institute has outlined 150 Ways to Show You Care. Start with 1 or 2 or 20. And not just with your kids, or the ones in your family, but the kids in your neighborhood (and the ones not in your neighborhood). With the kids who look different than you and the kids who might be hard to approach.

We often like to use the borrowed term "all kids are our kids" and the President reminded us so eloquently that this is the mark, the standard, that we should be judging ourselves on. If what took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School has given us anything, is an opportunity to reflect and an opportunity to reform, particularly around how important young people are to a community (and vice versa).

These words from the President, have given me renewed energy to build a community "that is worthy of their memory".

I'm here to help and grateful that I can help alongside you.

Youth In Government Program

Beginning in 2007, the City of Middletown introduced an exciting opportunity for youth in their community. The Youth in Government initiative, along with being an extremely unique program, relates to the key developmental need for youth to be valued and provided with meaningful roles in their community. Empowering youth in government reinforces this need and provides opportunities that will promote a life-long commitment to civic engagement. It also addresses a key Developmental Asset that is lacking in our community. In a recent survey of Middletown youth, it was brought to the community’s attention that only 17% of Middletown youth feel valued by the community (down from 19% in 2006). The Youth in Government program was put into place in order to purposefully and intentionally address the above issue.

Applications for the program can be found at the bottom of the page HERE. Any questions can be directed to Justin Carbonella (860-854-6030).

The Mayor is authorized to appoint youth representatives who are both Middletown residents in grades 10-12 on boards, committees, and commissions, for one-year terms, beginning on July 1 of each year. All youth members shall be able to and are encouraged to participate in discussion of the issues, however, because of their age they are not permitted to vote.

The Middletown Youth Services Bureau assists the Mayor in recruitment as well as training and support of students throughout their term. The Boards and Commissions which are involved with this program are:

· Board of Health

· Cable Advisory Committee

· Citizens Advisory Committee

· Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

· Design Review and Preservation

· Human Rights Commission

· Long Hill Estate Authority

· Middletown Commission on the Arts

· Middletown School Readiness Council

· Parks and Recreation Commission

· Redevelopment Agency

· Youth Services Advisory Board

Bigger Than You Think is Coming Sooner Than You Think!

Bigger Than You Think, our short play with a big purpose, is coming up next Wednesday, October 17th at Middletown High School from 7pm-9:30pm. Our one act play was written and directed by Community Performance International who have partnered with Youth Services and the Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, and Community Development to create an opportunity for statistics and story to intersect and help kick off the second phase to our Developmental Assets initiative here in Middletown.

All of the characters and scenes from the play were taken from a story gathering session back in June that brought together nearly 100 youth and adults in Middletown. The play itself will be followed by a community conversation using the World Cafe conversation model and dedicated to organizing a community to support its youth. In addition, we will also begin the process of releasing our newest data set on Middletown youth which details their attitudes and behaviors and is the first follow up to our 2006 survey. Both surveys now represent the voices of over 3,000 youth.

So join us for the conversation or come out to support your local school principal, police lieutenant, BOE member, city treasurer, 3rd grader, teacher, community organizer, junior class president, mayor and superintendent and other members of our great community as they all brave the stage to help remind us that your contribution to our kids is..."Bigger Than You Think".

Volunteer Needs for Bigger Than You Think

And for those that may want to contribut in ways outside of performing here is a list of way people can contribute to the performance/event without being in it. If you have any questions please call me (Justin Carbonella) at 860-854-6030 or email me at carbonellaj@mpsct.org.

Communication

Organize phone tree, call cast members before rehearsals


Child Care

Help supervise children of cast members during rehearsals and at time of play, or audience members on night of play


Food

We need a team of people to either solicite donations of food from local business or providing parts of a pot luck dinner for our weekend (10/13 and 10/14 rehersals) and snacks for additional weeknight rehersal times.

Backstage Crew Leader

Lead and organize backstage crew and setup/ strike teams


Backstage Crew

Set up for the production

Potential to build props/set

Take down set, clean up after production

Move props, displays

Organize/cue actors backstage


Ushers

Hand out programs

Seat people, manage seating if theatre fills

Candy/ Baked Goods Sellers

Sell candy, baked goods etc. on the night of production


Information

Provide information (maybe a booth?)

Describe Developmental Assets initiative, purpose of the play, etc.

Answer questions

Accept donations at the time of the production


P.R. Team

Advertise/ Publicize the show

Distribute flyers, hang up posters

Taking a lead with a group or organization to promote volunteer needs and/or attendance at the event


Visual Display/ Mural

Schools, Youth Serving Organizations - create a visual display, art project around developmental assets and community. Items are as simple as youth drawing pictures of what a community means to them.

Bigger Than You Think Roles

So as we continue to recruit for actors for our play dedicated to growing up in Middletown, we thought it would be helpful to give people a sense of what we're recruiting for. Parts are broken up between "adult" and "youth" and then among the level of involvement in the play. Many roles are small and some have only 1-2 lines. Additionally, while some roles are built specifically by the stories of community members other roles are more general and can be played by either gender or any race (there are roles for everyone and anyone!).

Rehersals will start October 8th and will vary through the week depending on which scene is being rehersed. There will also be rehersals that weekend (10/13 & 10/14) and Monday (10/15) with the entire cast and the dress rehersal and performance will be October 16th and 17th. All rehersals will take place at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Middletown High School.  If you have any interest or questions around getting involved please call Justin Carbonella at 860-854-6030 or email Mark Laucella at mlaucella@comcast.net.


ADULT


Large Role (10+ lines)
Anne- Adult Woman, recurring role

Big Eddie- Adult Man, recurring role

Business Man- Adult Man

Felicia- Adult Woman

Frank- Adult Man, Chinese

Grady- Adult Man, recurring role

Mrs. Chandler- Adult Woman, recurring role

Q- Adult Man, African American

Sheila - Adult Woman, recurring role

Willard- Adult Man, recurring role


Medium Role (5-10 lines)
Barbara- Adult Woman, African American

Chris- Teacher - male or female

Director- Adult Man

Mayor- Adult Man

Mom- Adult Woman

Mr. Phillips- Adult Man, recurring role

Mrs. Papandria - Adult Woman, teacher

Scott- Adult Man or Woman, recurring role

Superintendant- Adult Woman


Small Role (less than 5 lines)
Coach- Adult Man or Woman

Jasmine's Mom- Adult Woman

Francis- Cleaning Woman (adult)

Mama- Adult Woman

Mr. Crawford- Adult Man, very small

Mrs. Fletcher- Older Woman, African American



CHILD / TEEN

Large Role (10+ lines)


Amelia- Teen Girl, full of hope, energetic

Bob- Teen Boy

Brianna- Large teen girl, angry, giving up on hope, recurring role

Gina- Teen Girl 13-19 yrs, recurring role

Jasmine- Elementary-age girl, recurring role

Joanne- Teen Girl 13-19 yrs, recurring role

Linda- Teen Girl, confused, angry, looking for hope

Trevor- Teen Boy


Medium Role (5-10 lines)


Young Barbara- Child, female, African American
Young Grady- Child, male 8-13 yrs

Liz- Teen Girl, angry

Young Q- Child, male, African American

Young Willard- Child or Teen, male


Small Role (less than 5 lines)


Alicia- Middle School Girl, recurring role
Andy- Child or Teen

Erin- Teen Girl 13-18 yrs

Fatima- Child, female under 10 yrs

Jack- Child, male under 10 yrs

Jim- Teen, male

Marty- Child or Teen, male or female

Tony- Teen Boy 13-18 yrs

Young Frank- Child, male, Asian American

Support the Voices of Middletown Youth

BIGGER THAN YOU THINK is a short play with a huge purpose--helping Middletown’s children grow up well. This is a time for committed action. Be a part of the action in a community performance created by the Middletown Youth Services Bureau, The Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family and Community Services, and Community Performance International.  From the stories of Middletown youth and adults, our play uses the 40 Developmental Assets, or building blocks of healthy youth development, to tell the story of how Middletown is doing with the most important job a town can have--raising the children. Participate in shaping the next generation of Middletown's leaders. 

To sign up for any of these volunteer opportunities or for more information please contact us by phone at 860-854-6030 or via email at carbonellaj@mpsct.org (please include your name and contact information). You can also keep up to date on this project via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MtownYSB

Cast –Roles for everyone from elementary school age, middle school, high school, young adults and grandparents, from all walks of life. The play looks to include over 50+ actors/participants so there is room for everyone regardless of perceived skill and experience (WE NEED YOU!!!). Auditions will be held at the Middletown Youth Services Bureau (372 Hunting Hill Ave, Middletown – former MHS VOAG site) and are scheduled for:

Friday, September 7^th from 6-9pm

Saturday, September 8^th from 10-12pm and from 1-4pm

Sunday, September 9^th from 2-5pm

Program Book – This will feature program information and advertising.  We need the following help:

·        Someone to take the lead on producing this book, overseeing from start to finish, creative, ad sales & printing

·        Someone to do the layout (which may be the same lead person)

·        A large team of people to sell advertising space – this can be sold to businesses and individuals

What's next for the Rich Kids of Instagram? - CNN.com

What's next for the Rich Kids of Instagram? - CNN.com

Interesting article around a new Tumblr blog that searches for pictures of "rich kids" on instagram to draw attention to them and essentially make fun of their lifestyles and priveledge. Apparently one young girl is not happy (where have we heard this before???):

"We took a vacation to have a nice time to enjoy ourselves. Not to make us splash on an Internet page," Schwartz said. "These pictures are meant for our friends and a joke and for us to keep a memory and not for the world to watch."

As we always like to remind folks, you can use social media however you choose, but if you post anything and everything and you have open privacy settings, you shouldn't be surprised if your pictures fall into the wrong hands or are used in a way you did not intend.

Another interesting anecdote from the article was around "safety" which we've also brought up before...

Alexa Dell, daughter of Dell CEO Michael Dell, had her social media presence quickly scrubbed from the Internet after a photo of her brother on a private plane to Fiji, feasting on a spread of fruit 3-feet deep, made it to the RKOI blog. Bloomberg Businessweek dug into a Dell regulatory filing and reported that the Dell family pays approximately $2.7 million a year for personal security. Between her active Instagram and Twitter accounts, Alexa Dell was leaving a trail of information, including locations and timing of trips, that could have been used by kidnappers or burglars.

Malcolm X Book Discussion

One of the great by-products of bringing so many wonderful community folks together back in June was the side conversations and planning that begun to take place. Here's one of the first projects to get off the ground...

Teen Book Discussion Based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X


All teens are invited to join this discussion series to be held on Tuesday afternoons beginning September 11 from 4-5 pm in Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Malcolm X wrote “I had never been so truly free in my life.” These words describe what it meant to learn to read while in prison. Thanks to funding support by the Friends of the Russell Library, each teen participating in the program will receive a copy of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The life story of the remarkable, transformational leader was first published in 1964 and has had a major impact on America and around the world. The series is cosponsored by Middletown Youth Services.

The discussions will be led by Quentin “Q” Phipps, a graduate of Middletown High School and Bryant University. He was previously in banking and business and is now Executive Director, Downtown Business District, and Middletown City Treasurer. If you need accommodations for a disability, please call 860/347-2528, ext. 135. Teens who would like to join the book discussion series are asked to email Arthur Meyers, Library Director, at ameyers@russell.lioninc.org.

Creating a Shared Vision for our Youth: One Story at a Time

"My mother passed away when she was 27, and I was sent to my grandmother and grandfather in Middletown. This was about 1959. Now, I came from Florida, and the schools there were different. Integration hadn’t come everywhere yet, and it sure wasn’t there in Florida, but up in Middletown, everything was integrated. I just knew my first day of school was going to be my last. I was in a classroom full of white and Italian and German kids, and I flipped out. I didn’t want to go back. I pretended to go to school for two weeks, but I was really going and sitting with an old neighbor lady. She kept telling me, “Baby, you got to go to school. Those children arent’ going to hurt you. They’re kids, just like you”. I’d never been to school with white folks before, so I didn’t know what was going to happen. But she finally talked me into going back and she was right. Nobody hurt me. I found my best friends there. When we got older, our own kids went to school together in Middletown, and what I used to be afraid of is the thing I now love most. Our diversity."

This is your story, Middletown.  Would you like to hear the rest, and to help us shape the voice of our community's youth?  If you believe, as we do, that ALL CHILDREN ARE OUR CHILDREN and that we need to take ACTION NOW to save lives and envision positive futures for our youth, then be a part of the solution:  come to one of two public readings below.  Middletown Youth Services Bureau and  Community Performance International are engaging youth, parents, educators and community leaders in a crucial community conversation that will develop a first of its kind community performance focusing on supporting our youth.  By spending a week in June listening to the stories of and about growing up in Middletown, from all sectors of the community (see examples from two of our ten sessions above), we are poised to present your shared story -- of, by and for the community of Middletown.  We need your input and participation to get it right. What's at stake?  Our children, our future as a community.  Come and be a part of it.

WHEN: August 9 at 6pm or August 10 at 11am
WHERE: Middletown Youth Services Bureau, 372 Hunting Hill Ave
DURATION:  100 MINUTES

Please RSVP with Justin Carbonella at 860-854-6030 / carbonellaj@mpsct.org for either session.

ps Don't forget to like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MtownYSB

Youth Development Grants Available

For the sixth year in a row, the Common Council has approved monies ($49,500) in the City’s budget to help support out of school youth programming. This opportunity allows the City and its Youth Services Bureau (MYSB) to work with the community to keep kids safe and productive during their out of school time.

The Request For Proposals (RFP) is to solicit program activities from community agencies and organizations that support the goals of the Educational Incentives Challenge Grant.

Specifically, this grant is looking to fund program activities for children in Grades K-12 that help support at-risk, under-represented students who traditionally are not involved in afterschool programming. These activities may be of academic, recreational, cultural, physical, psychological, and/or emotional benefit to the child.

Click here find the YSB site page where the RFP can be found. The document includes all guidelines, timelines, and directions for the narrative that will assist you in the development of a proposal. Be advised that the deadline for this year's grant is August 14th at 4pm.

Any and all questions may be directed towards Justin Carbonella at 860-854-6030 or via email at carbonellaj@mpsct.org. You can also follow MYSB on twitter @mtownysb or on Facebook through facebook.com/mtownysb.

HS Students Build Sports Car Hybrid

"Hello!"

Understanding it's been a long time since our last post, I just wanted to say HI. As its been when it's quiet here on-line, it means we're super busy in "real life". So keep an eye out for a number of updates coming down the pike...