The Youth Initiative of Windham County strives to mobilize and enhance the efforts of individuals and groups within Windham County communities to ensure the health, well being and long-term success of all young people, thus realizing our vision:
thriving youth - strong communities.

Positive communication builds trust and competence in youth
By Violet Dixon, student at Brattleboro Union High School and member of the Brattleboro Area Community Team

   Giggling, we prance through the grocery store, selecting items on whim and practicality. We notice a specialized container for Twinkies, which inspires a fresh round of laughter. She tousles my hair and calls me her little girl. This is how I interact with my mom - as if she were my best friend. We keep no secrets from one another, and we always support each other in everything. I wouldn't trade that feeling of mutual understanding for the world.
   I am seventeen and a student at BUHS and I experience positive family communication every day of my life. I am supported in my activities, my integrity, and my life choices. This positive relationship has shaped the person I have become in significant ways.
   Growing up with positive family communication means several things. It means that you are instilled with qualities such as motivation, trust, self-confidence and honestly. It means that instead of having to sneak out, you are trusted to make good choices. It means that you are given healthy boundaries and learn vital life skills about interacting with those around you.
   In today's society, the general assumption is that teenagers simply do not communicate with their parents once they hit puberty. They automatically shut their family out of their lives and their affairs in order to become their own person and develop their own ideals. The truth is that teenagers still need their family to support and encourage them and its important for the lines of communicate to remain open.
I have maintained an amazing relationship with my mother through all these years and we can discuss anything. Every morning before I go to school, my mother kisses me and tells me to have a fabulous day. After school I come home and give her a recap, sometimes we drink tea and chat. I'm not saying that we never fight, or that our relationship is perfect, but the connection of love and trust gives me a sense of support and grounding.
   Communication in families also means setting and enforcing healthy boundaries. I have always had rules, most of which I thought were unfair, but in the end I benefited from them. For example, I am always expected to tell my mother exactly when I will be returning home, she insists on meeting the parents of all my friends, and until recently, I was not allowed to ride in cars with boys. I know that her job is not necessarily to torment me with rules, but to make sure I am equipped with the right skills to live my life effectively and to protect me. I have honestly never been afraid to confide in her about anything because I know that whether she consoles me, chastises me, or encourages me, it is all done out of utmost understanding and support.
   So where has this brought me? I am an honor student, I participate in a variety of community related activities, I am confident in myself, I dance, I have never done drugs or gotten drunk. You know what? I'm proud of everything I accomplish, and I'm proud to learn from my mistakes. Without the constant communication, and knowledge that I had someone safe and reliable to talk to, I would never be the person that I am today.
All teenagers need to feel secure by being trusted and accepted by their own families as I do. They should feel heard and should never be afraid to confide in their parents, even if they risk being grounded, or yelled at.
   Teenagers who are not trusted and respected are more likely to be involved in drugs and alcohol, and receive lower grades in school because they do not feel motivated or empowered. Clearly it is essential to give our youth the chance they need to prosper and develop healthily. So parents give them a chance, don't simply assume they don't want to hear you. Every moment of positive communication can do them a lifetime of good.

This article is part of a series devoted to giving you information about what young people need and how you can take action to help young people grow up healthy and successful. Each column will be written by a member of the Brattleboro Area Community Team, a group committed to the positive development of young people. For more information contact Julia Hampton, Youth Initiative and H.E.Y.! Help Empower Youth Coordinator for Windham County 802-257-4011 ext.111 or julia@helpempoweryouth.com.

Resources to Help Empower Youth
Here are some great resources to help empower youth to take an active role in their community.

The Giraffe Heroes Project
Giraffe Heroes are people that stick their neck out for the common good. This nonprofit organization provides stories of Giraffe Heroes that can be used to improve literacy and work with students to create service learning projects. Check it out - http://www.giraffe.org/

Our Voices - Our Community
This flexible curriculum provides leadership skills to Vermont youth so they can take action on issues that are important to them. Find out what it is all about - http://www.childrensforum.org/sub.php/sid/7/aid/18

Parents. The anti-drug
This web site provides great tips and facts for parents to keep their teens drug free for the summer.
http://theantidrug.com/SchoolsOut/index.asp?from=home

Youth crafters, farmers, cooks wanted
The Brattleboro Farmer's Market is hosting Kid's Days June 10th, July 30th and August 20th from 10 am to 1 pm. Young people who cook, farm or create crafts are encouraged to arrive at 9:30 and set up their wares to sell at the Farmers Market.

For more information call Linda Dierks at (802) 254-8885 or lindadierks@earthlink.net.

Community Awareness Fair - hold the date
BRATTLEBORO COMMUNITY AWARENESS FAIR

September 14, 2005
5:00 to 7:30 pm
River Garden, Brattleboro

To reserve a space for a table/literature/information, please call
Carol McManus 380-0157


Web resource for families and professionals about adolescent issues
This web resource provides useful information about a variety of issues that adolescents face such as bullying, ADD and ADHD, teen drinking, depression, and more. Check it out at http://www.focusas.com/

Teens: Speak Out! Let Your Voice Be Heard
What would you like President George W. Bush to understand about your life, or the lives of people your age, when making decisions or taking actions that affect you? That's the essay question for Connect for Kids' new contest for 14- to 18-year-olds. Four winning essays, chosen by youth judges with the DC WritersCorps literacy organization, will be featured on ConnectforKids.org during the month of August, and each winner will receive a $100 cash prize. The deadline is July 6, 2005. Submission materials and contest rules can be found at http://www.connectforkids.org.