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April 5, 2019April 5, 2019

A Livable Future: Encouraging Youth to Embrace Environmentalism

With Earth Day, Arbor Day, and other similar celebrations coming up, April is all about “going green.” With appropriate support and training, youth can be leaders in the movement to help our environment. In fact, many concerned young people in our community are already finding ways to actively preserve our planet.

“Honestly, we adults should be doing everything possible to listen to young people and to ensure, as best as we can, a livable future for them,” said Jim Poyser, executive director of Earth Charter Indiana. He added that “adults can be models for young people to live a less wasteful life.”

The Earth Charter, according to Poyser, was created to “find the intersections between poverty, racism, and democratic transparency (or lack thereof) – all within the context of the climate crisis.” Earth Charter Indiana focuses on climate issues by offering education in schools, working with young people on sustainability projects, hosting climate camps, and teaching leaders about climate issues.

Poyser said that much of Earth Charter Indiana’s programming for young people is designed to teach them about systems thinking, problem-based learning tactics, and leadership skills. From projects such as zero-waste cafeterias, no-idling programs, and youth-led Climate Recovery Resolution initiatives, Poyser has seen quite a bit of success.

“Thus far, three Indiana cities have passed Climate Recovery Resolutions, led by young people: Carmel, Lawrence, and Indianapolis,” said Poyser. “This project is in various stages in a handful of other Indiana cities. The outcome we hope for is an engaged, intergenerational, grassroots population working through municipal government channels to, together, bring climate change out of the closet and into the scary light. We can address our twin crises of environment and civics, simultaneously.”

Youth should care about the environment around them for a number of reasons, according to The Nature Conservancy’s Melissa Moran, director of community programs, and Emily Davidson, AmeriCorps member for education and outreach.

“Our natural world not only provides the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soils in which we grow our food,” said Moran and Davidson. “It also provides a place for the mind and spirit to rest and habitats for countless other species of plants, animals, fungi, and more with whom we share space. Being disconnected from our natural world means that we are not directly observing the effects that humans have on the environment that sustains us. By spending time in parks or on nature adventures, learning about environmental topics, and participating in ‘going green’ projects, youth can grow in their knowledge about the natural world, learn how life depends on it, and be inspired to care for nature. Spending time in nature has also been scientifically proven to be better for kids’ health, their ability to pay attention in school, and their overall well-being.”

Safe and Responsible: How Digital Activity Can Affect Youth Employment

A few months ago, we wrote a blog about cyber safety and cyber bullying prevention. This month, we want to discuss a different aspect of cyber safety, specifically as it relates to employment and educational prospects.

EmployIndy has an initiative called Job Ready Indy, which focuses on cyber safety as it relates to employability. Participants, who range in age from 16-24, learn about professional communication through various platforms while also discovering how to network and job search online.

“No matter your age, being safe online is a high priority,” said Ashley Downey, manager of the Job Ready initiative. “Understanding what type of information, whether it is in written posts or images, to share is critical. Without realizing it, we reveal quite a bit about ourselves through our posts. Take a picture in your favorite sweatshirt and you have just shown everyone where you go to school. Post a picture of your kids on the first day of school in front of your house, and now your followers know your house number. We use social media to connect and share our lives, but it is important to realize that once posted, your information is out of your control. You are able to set your privacy settings to minimize who can look at your profile and posts, as well as who can post on your profile, but this safeguard can only go so far due to the nature of social media. It is better to ensure that you screen each post in order to identify any unintentional sharing of information. As youth utilize social media, they need to be aware of these pitfalls.”

Downey continued by acknowledging that, in addition to our own safety, we also need “to talk about protecting the privacy of others. Posts about co-workers, clients, company policies, attitudes towards work, etc. need to be considered as well. What teens post, organizations they become involved in, and conversations they have now are forming their online reputation. Their online reputation is their brand. It is how many organizations first know a teen, especially when they are starting out in the workforce.”

According to Downey, a 2018 CareerBuilder survey showed that 70 percent of employers used social media accounts to screen potential job candidates, and 34 percent of employers said they have “reprimanded or fired an employee based on content found online.”

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office provides a free program called “Project Cybersafe,” which focuses on highlighting the impact of cyberbullying and the potential dangers of social media.

“In our presentations, teens generally can articulate to us what is not acceptable or appropriate to post,” said Kristen Martin, juvenile community prosecutor for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. “However, when it comes to social media, it is hard to comprehend how far and fast your communication can go. Bad decisions can be made with a click of a button that could have lasting consequences. Many times, teens see their ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ or various celebrities making poor choices and never see a consequence for those posts. This can leave teens with an impression that there is no accountability for posting inappropriate content online.”

In an effort to develop safer digital habits, youth should follow a few helpful guidelines. Downey shared her “golden tips” for youth, especially those who are looking for jobs:

Stay positive. Employers will want to know how you will fit into their company culture. If it appears that you are always at the center of drama or conflict, they might have second thoughts.

Keep it PG. This goes for images, memes, videos, and written posts. Use the “Grandma Rule” if you are unsure. (Essentially, if teens are not comfortable with their grandma seeing their posts or images, they should probably not post it.) Chances are, if you question it, it is probably not a good idea to post.

If you “retweet,” “like,” and/or share someone else’s post, you are essentially endorsing the thoughts contained within it. It does not matter if it is technically yours or not.

Say Something: Prevention and Intervention Tips Regarding Teen Dating Violence

We all think we know what the word “violence” means – but do we? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define teen dating violence as the “physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional aggression within a dating relationship, including stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and might occur between a current or former dating partner.”

“Youth dating violence is a pattern of abusive behavior between two people who are romantically or sexually involved (no matter how briefly),” said Jennifer Reister, senior director of mission impact for The Julian Center. “Dating violence is not always physical; in fact, physical violence is often the last form of violence to occur. More common in youth relationships are controlling behaviors, emotional abuse, technological abuse, sexual violence, and social isolation. Focusing on the threshold of physical violence to define a relationship as dangerous ignores the significant damage and risks of other types of violence. In the end, all violent relationships are about control – the types of abuse are tools employed to maintain that control.”

According to Reister, one out of every three high school students in America faces teen dating violence. When ranking the percentage of high school students who have reported sexual dating violence in the past 12 months, Indiana ranks third out of 30 states.

In an effort to prevent violence and intervene when necessary, The Julian Center’s Project Avery brings together a variety of community partners to educate teens and young adults about dating violence. According to Reister, Project Avery advocates for youth survivors, brings healthy relationship curricula to schools, and promotes awareness to the public by providing resources to parents and teachers.

“The best thing to do is to talk with kids early and often about how people should treat each other and what is acceptable from the people in their lives,” said Reister. “There are opportunities all the time with media, friends, and family to talk about abusive behavior and how to address it. If you see your child behaving in an abusive manner (physical or otherwise), don’t ignore or deny it – address it immediately. If you see your child accepting abusive behaviors from others, address is directly, too.”

Like The Julian Center, the Domestic Violence Network visits classrooms to offer healthy relationship and teen dating violence prevention programming to middle and high school students. DVN’s Youth Network establishes anti-violence clubs in schools to help students learn more about teen dating violence while also teaching them to be advocates in their communities. Additionally, participants learn how to assist friends who are in unsafe relationships.

Lindsay Stawick, director of programs for the DVN, has a violence prevention suggestion for teachers: push for detailed teen dating violence policies in schools.

“The most effective way we can prevent violence is to create a culture where violence is not tolerated,” she said. “Policies help to create that framework, and when enforced properly, [they] can make a significant difference in the lives of young people. Indianapolis Public Schools amended their Title IX policy in September to include teen dating violence and added more robust guidelines on prevention and intervention efforts as it relates to sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking.”

Passion for Service: Creating Habits of Youth Volunteerism

We all make the traditional New Year’s resolutions, but who sticks with them? With the start of 2019 upon us, MCCOY would like to encourage everyone, especially young people, to commit to service and volunteerism this year – and follow through!

“It is incredibly important for youth to learn about service so that they can begin the valuable work to develop 21st-century skills such as collaboration, empathy and understanding, self-efficacy, critical thinking, understanding bias and stereotype, public speaking, communication and marketing, and project management,” said Derrin Slack, CEO of ProAct Indy, a local organization dedicated to serving at-risk youth by teaching them to “become the givers and creators of service in their schools and neighborhoods.”

According to Slack, ProAct Indy “deliberately utilizes social justice platforms as the driving force to help marginalized urban youth experience a social change orientation, work to redistribute power, and build authentic relationships with their community.” He says that that this approach helps youth “learn how to address social issues at their root causes while simultaneously developing character, building relationships, and learning valuable skills.”

The Joseph Maley Foundation, an organization that serves children of all abilities through a variety of adaptive programs, emphasizes service learning through curriculum and activities. The foundation involves junior board members in much of their work. According to Courtney Basso, events and communications manager, these young volunteers have learned communication and leadership skills, built relationships, and learned about nonprofit work. She believes that these experiences that can serve the teens well in college and future employment.

“Service is a two-way street,” said Basso. “Volunteers are providing invaluable hours to a community in need and, in return, are elevating their own happiness and sense of accomplishment. When young people are engaging in service from an early age, they learn to incorporate volunteerism into their daily lives.”

Many youth have provided one-time service for organizations, but it can be more difficult for young people to find long-term volunteer positions that fit their school and activity schedules. Slack recommends that youth first identify issues that excite them.

Meeting Students’ Needs: Supporting Mental Health Professionals in Schools

As our society works to erase the stigma around mental health disorders, many students could benefit by having more access to counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.

Christy Gauss, a school mental health facilitator for the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative at Indiana University, said that there is currently no accurate data about the number of schools that have mental health professionals available for students.

“This information and data is something our state has needed and there have been advocacy efforts to collect this for some time now,” said Gauss. “It is part of why the Student Services Coalition was created and would add school psychologists and nurses to this. During the last legislative session, a bill was passed in the special session that called for DOE to conduct an assessment.”

Indiana Code outlines many of the rules regarding school counselors and other supportive faculty in school settings. It should be noted that there are significant differences between guidance counselors and mental health professionals. Gauss believes there is a need to “differentiate roles and explain expertise and the need for all [of these professionals]…. The term “counselor” in Indiana is used as a catch-all [for social workers, mental health counselors inside and outside of schools, and guidance counselors]. This has caused much confusion.”

According to the Indiana School Counselor Association, the ideal caseload is 250 students per school counselor. Unfortunately, Gauss says that many of these professionals are often bogged down by administrative work.

According to Allen Hill, Jr., a school counselor and the executive director of the Indiana School Counselor Association, counselors come highly trained to work with students on a variety of issues, including applying academic success strategies, managing emotions and interpersonal skills, and looking at postsecondary options. School counselors earn master’s degrees and licenses that allow them to with with students from kindergarten through 12^th grade, and they also meet “state-specific non-academic training requirements [such as suicide prevention], certification in CPR, the automated external defibrillator, and the Heimlich Maneuver,” said Hill.

Lori Desautels, an assistant professor at Butler University who prepares students to work with kids on a neuroscientific level, acknowledges that many traditional counselors and social workers in schools focus on career readiness and talk therapy. She would like to see a few changes in how adults counsel youth in general.

“We hope it will evolve into a more sensory approach, because we know that mental health or mental illness is not just about the brain; it’s held in the body,” said Desautels. “Any time you use breathing, movement, or sensory stimulation, all of those strategies that calm the nervous system, are beneficial.”