The Carver County Health Partnership Community Youth Action Crew (CYAC) teams representing the county from Chaska, Chanhassen, Norwood Young America, Waconia and Watertown-Mayer Middle- and High-Schools have completed their data collection and data entry from the youth surveys, program surveys and community surveys. After meeting at the end of February, the teams have met to tie up loose ends and communicated regularly with the CCHP program coordinator to give map details and design feedback. The maps are scheduled to be completed in early April. Each team will meet to determine a plan to share the information with their communities (including peers, program partners and other community leaders). In these meetings, the topic of project sustainability will also be fleshed out. The next time the teams meet will be Wednesday April 13, when the maps will be distributed and a community based countywide information sharing plan will be set in motion. 

As our project is quickly coming to an end, the CYAC teams came together to discuss a final steps in the process: mapping and distribution. We gave the graphic designer many descriptive tips of what we wanted the map to look like and we are all very excited to see the finished product. While at the meeting, we discovered that our teams, Chanhassen and Chaska, had fallen behind in data entry and program staff interviews. This week our team has been working hard to collect and enter the data. By the next countywide meeting, we should be caught up and ready to distribute the maps to our community members (Entry by Kelley McKimens).

Here's an update from your Chan/Chaska Community Youth Action Crew! We have lots of data entry underway! We've got multiple types of surveys we are entering (youth, community/business and program and we are finally putting a dent in community business surveys. Our goal is to reach 40 community/business surveys. We are looking forward to our next big team meeting to see how all of the other groups are doing and start brainstorming how our map might look. We've got a lot of creative minds working together so we know the product is going to be something fantastic!

The Waconia group met on Monday, January 24 to discuss the next steps following the county-wide meeting.  Theresa joined us for the first part of the meeting to answer any questions the girls had since only 1 of the 4 girls was able to make it to the meeting.  The girls decided to meet after school on Monday, January 31 to enter surveys on SurveyMonkey and were able to enter quite a few surveys before heading home for the evening.  We are now in the data-entry phase completely and are working on getting all of our completed surveys entered.

Our group has been entering data in survey monkey along with getting more interviews in. We are excited for our next meeting as a team where, in addition to data entry, we will begin plan for the countywide training to come. We are excited with how it is all coming together.

There have been many different things going on within the Eastern Carver Youth Action Crew! A huge accomplishment for our team has been surveying over 2,000 students. Surveys were distributed throughout both Chanhassen High School and Chaska High School during "advisory" period and team members went around to classrooms at the end of the hour to pick up all completed surveys. The administration from both both schools were extremely helpful in completing this huge task and made it very easy. Now that our team has so many youth surveys
completed we are now focusing our efforts on community interviews and youth program leader interviews. We have also begun the process of entering survey information on Survey Monkey which, with so many surveys, is coming along but somewhat slowly! The team is planning on meeting for their next "check-in" on Friday, February 4th and looking forward to seeing all of the progress individuals have made so far.

This week in the NYA chapter of CYAC we have accomplished a lot. During our weekly " Lunch Bunch" we all discussed our plan of attack and how we were progressing as a team.  Payton, Bailey, and myself went around to 4 local businesses and arranged for the other businesses to be taken care of. Also,  Raymee and I conducted some interviews where we dispersed the forms to the class, read through it together, and talked about our responses and purpose of the interviews. In addition to this we all continued doing our personal one-on-one interviews with students. Though only three of us showed up to the Countywide meeting on January 11, we found it very purposeful and have planned to share and demonstrate using the computer to the absent ones by the end of the week.

- Haley Sullivan

I have been asked to write a blog on what goes on at the meetings. Out of the two meetings we have organized, there have been two-three people that have shown up at the meetings we hold at Frost & Steam. Some of the things we talk about are how to present ourselves to the people we interview, and how to go about doing it. Also, we ask questions and fill each other in on what’s going on at meetings they may have missed, due to weather, or other complications they might have getting there.  Recently, we have been brainstorming some of the companies we can interview. We have a large list of places we can go. Some of those places are restaurants, and others are stores and actual businesses. We have improved on getting the interviews done and handed in. so far, we have a total of five and a classroom of twenty four. Kylie and Mady had come to their first meeting last night. So, all of us has come to a meeting at least once. I however have no problem going I have been there twice. Our head coach has offered transportation to all of the girls so they should not have any other problem getting to the meeting unless they have had other plans. We have only canceled one meeting due to weather. Other than that, everything is going great; all of our group members have what they need (Due to the fact we all got to the same school).

After a Happy Thanksgiving full of turkey, two members of the CYAC Watertown-Mayer team walked downtown Watertown and handed out surveys to local businesses. The pair was successful, ending up with 11 surveys. For those that did not complete the survey immediately will be picked up on Saturday, December 4. At that time, they will also collect survey's from businesses that were not open on the first outing. Also on Saturday, the two CYAC leaders will give surveys to our fellow 4H members. The 4H Holiday Shop is happening then, and it is the perfect opportunity to fill out more surveys for kids! The Watertown-Mayer team continues to work with the primetimes and the adult youth leaders, and hopes to have these done soon!

On Monday, November 22, the Waconia team met to figure out the next steps for the interviewing phase.  It was decided that peer interviews would be started in school during lunch and morning break and then once sporting events start up, we will look at going to some of them, this will give us a larger base to begin with and we can expand it from there based on what groups we need to have represented still.  We are also going to look into having the 8^th graders complete the surveys during their Cat’s Council time (a special “homeroom” time held 2 times a month).  At our next meeting we are going to create a list of businesses and programs to interview and split those up and determine who will go where to interview.  We will be meeting each Monday, so our next meeting will be November 29.

Last Tuesday, November 16th, we met to try and discuss our "plan of attack" on how and where to do the surveys. We concluded that we should conduct the interviews at sporting events, after school, or on the weekends. We also decided that we should interview in pairs, as suggested so one of us can write things down and the other will be able to ask the questions. We also came up with the idea that we should split up the grades to each team, for example a team of 3 people would interview the juniors, sophomores, and the 8th graders, and the other team of 2 would interview seniors, and freshman. The peers at Central High School that are involved the Carver County Youth Action Crew meet every tuesday to discuss new strategies. Our next meeting is Tuesday, November 23.

The next meting for the Eastern Carver County CYAC team will be December 8th from 3:30-4:30 at the Chanhassen Library.

Community based CYAC teams are now officially meeting and starting to do interivews with other young people and their communities. Each team has established community specific interview plans that are unique to the needs of their area. While the community teams may approach their data collection differently, they all will be investigating what is happening in our county in terms of youth engagement. Each team will share their data with each other so that we have a countywide map of the places and opportunities that exist for young people to be involved. In the next few weeks, keep your eyes open for CYAC leaders wearing their yellow shirts. And if approached, take a minute to answer their questions about what opportunities exist and what is still needed to help them grow as individuals and valued community members. Together, we can make Carver County a great place to live, work and grow. For more information about the Community Youth Action Crew call 612-226-6527.

And we’re off! The first CYAC Youth Leader training was held on November 10, 2010 at the Waconia Middle School. Over 30 young people gathered together to be trained on the CYAC project. Specifically, the evenings training focused on the interviewing process and recommended next steps for the teams moving forward. Each youth leader left equipped with their yellow CYAC shirt, a clipboard and the knowledge they need to start their interviews. A special thanks to Fresh Seasons Market in Victoria, MN for providing snacks. Watch for updates to follow from CYAC Youth Leaders throughout the county. For more information, contact Theresa at tdapple@aol.com.

When we think about young people, too often we think in one-dimensional terms. Youth are involved or disengaged. Youth are at-risk or thriving. Youth are rural or urban. Youth are good students or poor students. Despite our need to classify and understand why young people behave as they do, we must remember that there is nothing one-dimensional about young people today (or at any point in history).

From a Positive Youth Development perspective, young people are complex and need exposure to different opinions as well as multiple opportunities to develop different parts of their own lives. The Youth Leaders who are part of the CYAC are assembling to help our communities understand the different dimensions youth have. In addition, their work demonstrates the amazing capacity young people have to step up to challenging projects and make a meaningful impact on our communities and our world.

On November 10, 2010, the CYAC will hold its first youth centered training at the Waconia Middle school media room. At this training, the CYAC Youth Leaders will learn interview techniques and develop their action plans for collecting the project data (interviews with peers and community members) Please contact Theresa Dolezal for more information at 612-226-6527 or tdapple@aol.com. We are looking forward to uncovering the multiple dimensions our young people carry. 

It is easy to talk about a connection between young people and problems in our society. Underage drinking, teen pregnancy, bullying and vandalism all paint a dysfunctional image of today’s youth. But what if we shift our gears and focus on the strengths, talents and resources young people bring our daily lives.

The focus of the CCHP countywide Community Youth Action Crew (CYAC) is to honor and develop assets and strengths among young people. We are attempting a program that will help find solutions and address the needs of young people in the county. This includes identifying existing resources as well as opportunities for our communities to improve our support for young people as they grow.

Ultimately we want teams of CYAC Youth Leaders from across the county to drive the project and become empowered as valuable sources of community health. This means that we need adults who work with youth and have an established sense of trust to engage youth to serve as the CAYC Youth Leaders.  We need parents, teachers, 4-H leaders, pastors, Scout leaders and any other youth workers to support the advancement of young people’s social, moral, emotional, physical and cognitive abilities through participation in the CYAC.   

Successful youth development requires community partnerships. To set the stage for CYAC success, we still need adults willing to advocate that youth are community resources, and we need CYAC Youth Leaders to collect interviews, record the data and share the project findings with community members. If you would like to know more about any of the information presented here, including how to get involved with the CYAC, please call Theresa Dolezal at 612-226-6527 or e-mail tdapple@aol.com.

What makes a community a community? By definition, a community is a group of people sharing common interests, identity or location. In practice, communities take on many shapes and forms. From schools to workplaces to faith based communities to a neighborhood encompassing specific geographic boundaries to football fans united by team devotion to a social media outlet – when people share something, they have the potential to form community.

Once formed, a community offers members a sense of belonging and purpose. Communities can offer support during challenging times and they can help celebrate the successes of its members. But does simply sharing interests, identity and location make communities a healthy and cohesive unit? Or do communities take intentional choices and active participation to stay together and be meaningful?

The Carver County Health Partnership exists to help Carver County build “Communities for a Lifetime.” While this extends across communities, we are currently focusing on how young people in Carver County belong to communities. Do youth feel engaged by adults? Are youth supported by opportunities to form “youth centered” communities? Are youth honored and accepted by larger communities in the county?

Please share your own experiences belonging to communities in Carver County by emailing tdapple@aol.com or posting your answers to the questions: What words come to mind when thinking about “Community?” And what communities do you belong to in Carver County?

Did you know that Carver County is home to approximately 30,000 people under age 18? And it is growing!

Recognizing that approximately one-third of the population in Carver County is under age 18, the CCHP believes it is important to find out what resources and opportunities exist for youth to be involved. We want to know about job opportunities for teens among the corporations and small businesses in the area? Where do young people like to hang out? Are there restaurants and shops that are geared toward youth? Do the county libraries offer activities for teens? What volunteer opportunities exist for young people to be part of? Do communities offer any special mentoring programs or peer leadership opportunities? What sort of faith-based activities offer spiritual development? Are there places for teens to access healthcare services? Are there opportunities for people who speak English as a second language? What drives young people to participate and what are the barriers to participation that can be addressed?

Ultimately, we want to ensure all young people feel safe, welcome and valued throughout Carver County. We are asking you to take a moment to think about and share your favorite youth friendly spots, activities, programs and work/volunteer opportunities throughout the county. Sharing a specific example would be quite useful for current and future work. Let me, Theresa Dolezal know if you have any comments, questions or concerns.

As a community based project, the CYAC is aware that organizing is a dynamic process. Taking into account the feedback provided by the people currently involved with the Adult Support Team, we have decided to adjust the projected CYAC project timeline to fit with community needs. Please note, the basic elements of the project timeline will remain: Training CYAC Youth Leaders to interview peers regarding the resources and opportunities available to them à Conducting interviews à Recording data and creating a map of youth friendly or youth oriented places in the county à Sharing the CYAC maps with youth and the community at large while generating a plan for on-going updates to the CYAC maps.

What will change is the time frame which we will accomplish these outcomes. Instead of the project being condensed into 12-15 weeks, we will stretch the project activities out for the remainder of the school year. This will hopefully make the project fit better with existing youth development efforts in each of the community areas. Please stay tuned for details, but expect the first youth training to take place toward the end of October.

If you are an adult or youth interested in becoming involved in the CYAC, please contact me, Theresa Dolezal at 612-226-6527. Thanks for everyone’s ideas and contributions to help make the CYAC a sustainable project.

On Thursday September 9^th, the CYAC held an orientation meeting for adults from Carver County who are interested in being part of the Adult Support Team. It was an exciting meeting and in the next couple of weeks these adults will identify and engage the Youth Leaders who will drive the CYAC efforts. While the Adult Support Teams organize themselves, it is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of what it means to have a project grounded in positive youth development.

Essentially, Positive Youth Development (PYD) suggests that engaging young people in meaningful activities helps them achieve their full potential and prevents them from engaging in risky behaviors. Research shows that successful PYD efforts build leadership, boost youth’s self-awareness and connect youth with caring adults. PYD can take place in organizations, schools, families, places of employment and communities – anywhere that gives youth the chance to exercise leadership, build skills, and get involved with activities in which they are invested.

It is our intention to carry the CYAC project through using the principles of PYD. Adults involved in the project will serve support roles, while the youth involved in the project will have the opportunity to lead, shape and carry out the project. The youth from throughout the county will be asked to contribute their skills and insight into what opportunities youth have in the county and what resources are still needed. We are excited by all the possibility…

According to research by the Search Institute, there are certain developmental assets young people need as building blocks for healthy development. These assets help them to grow up as healthy, caring and responsible individuals. The Community Youth Action Crew (CYAC) is happy to note that our project builds assets in each of the four External Assets categories: 1) Support, 2) Empowerment, 3)Boundaries and Expectations, and 4) Constructive Use of Time.

For example, from the Support category, the CYAC offers youth the opportunity to spend time building adult relationships with nonparents. From the Empowerment category the project gives youth a leadership role and seeks to identify areas in which the community values youth. From the Boundaries and Expectations category the CYAC offers young people the opportunity to model responsible behavior and high expectations with their peers. And from the Constructive Use of Time category, the project offers young people the opportunity to participate in a youth program where they will have the opportunity to build strong, supportive relationships.

Click on the link to learn more about the Search Institute’s External Assets, including information on Internal Assets. We are happy to see this project taking flight and look forward to hearing from the voices of the CYAC Youth Leaders in a few weeks.

The feelings of fall and back to school excitement are all around. Stores have marked the end of summer with back-to-school sales, new friends are meeting at welcome events, old friends are reconnecting to share summer stories and school staff are preparing for classrooms full of young people. This is an exciting time of fresh possibilities and new opportunities to see students excel. We are happy that the CYAC is one of those opportunities for young leaders to gain skills and community connections. The CYAC is kicking things off with a meeting on September 9^th for the Adult Support Teams. After this meeting, adults from across the county will be ready to help locate and support the work of the community based CYAC Youth Leaders. It is our hope that adults and youth will see the CYAC as part of the back-to-school excitement and an awesome opportunity to help develop strong community leaders.

"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." –Mary McLeod Bethune

“Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.”–Harold Geneen

The Carver County Health Partnership is pioneering ways to help make Carver County a great place to live and work. Knowing that part of what makes any community great is helping support youth as they grow, the CYAC is getting ready to map the county with what youth resources and opportunities exist.

The Carver County CYAC model is based on work developed by the University of Minnesota Youth Work Institute. In the past few years, the Youth Work Institute has developed the Community Youth Action Crew model in a variety of neighborhoods and cities, primarily in the metro area of Minneapolis.

What is exciting about our project in Carver County is that we are leading the very first countywide Community Youth Action Crew. This has required us to adapt and expand some of the previous materials while still following the general model. In the future, the Youth Work Institute plans to use our work as part of their model in an effort to map every county in Minnesota with youth resources and opportunities. It is a great opportunity for Carver County to literally “be on the map.”

Click here to learn more about what the Youth Work Institute does.

With approximately 1/3 of the total population in Carver County under age 18, we want to help raise awareness for the many gifts and contributions young people have to offer our communities. The CYAC is asking - where do the youth of Carver County spend their time and how can we as a community better harness their creative energy, knowledge and gifts. To help us gain a better picture of Carver County youth engagement, here is some general information about youth development, as well as some information that is specific to the county.

First, it is widely recognized that when youth participate in quality enrichment programs outside of school they do better in school, choose healthy lifestyles and acheive greater longterm life satisfaction. There are some great resource out there for anyone to learn more about the benefits of after-school enrichment programs, as well as strategies for program design and implementation. Check out The Minnesota Youth Work Institute, Youth Community Connections and The Search Institute. Each of these sites  demonstrate that young people involved in high-quality enrichment programs acheive higher levels of personal and community health.

Knowing this, let’s look at some of the research we have related specifically to Carver County youth engagement from the 2007 Minnesota School Student Survey. This is an anonymous survey given every three years to 6^th, 9^th and 12^th graders and asks questions covering topics like school culture, feelings of safety, family structure, sexual activity and beyond. In the context of the CYAC, it seems most appropriate to focus in on the survey category of “Enrichment Opportunities.”

According to the study, between 70-80% of 9^th and 12^th grade students in Carver County never participate in a hobby or academic club (debate, math club or mock-trial), a mentoring program or a community based program (4-H, Community Education or Parks and Recreation). The survey does share that  between 40-50% of Carver County 9^th and 12^th graders are involved in afterschool sports (school and community based), fine arts activities (band, theater, dance and choir) and religious activities (services, youth groups and education) on a weekly basis. 

But even in activities that report higher participation, there is a large number of youth who are simply not involved. Over the next few months, the CYAC will work to explore youth engagement in Carver County. Once the CYAC Youth Leadership teams are assembled, they will be conducting interviews that address topics related to harnessing and honoring youth involvement. 

We are excited to explore the topic of youth enrichment opportunities in Carver County through the CYAC. Please let us know what you think by responding to information posted here!

Welcome to the first CCHP Community Youth Action Crew (CYAC) blog entry. We are excited to start sharing information with you on what is happening with the CYAC. So we are all on the same page, let's start with some of the nuts and bolts information.

Basically, the CYAC project is a result of the momentum and recommendations from the 2009 LIVE IT Youth Summit. Following a research model that was developed by the U of M Youth Work Institute, in the next few months we will literally map the county with the existing opportunities for young people to be involved in the communities they are part of. These may include recreation, learning, civic participation, faith based, personal growth and employment opportunities. As we map what exists, we will also be identifying what is needed.

Our goals for doing the CYAC project are to: 

1) Identify existing opportunities for young people in the county

2) Identify areas in which there are limited opportunities or gaps

3) Generate a tangible youth-designed map that indicates where and what opportunities exist

4) Provide data to be used in advocating for additional opportunities

Right now, we are assembling a team of young leaders who will be responsible for conducting interviews with peers and other community members. These interviews will result in the county map. We are also looking for adult leaders (youth workers, teachers, parents) who will help recruit and support the young people leading this project. If you want to learn more about the CYAC, contact Theresa Dolezal at 612-226-6527 or e-mail tdapple@aol.com.

We are excited to be a catalyst for youth development in Carver County. Stay tuned as we help create healthy places to live, work and grow!