Supporting Youth

Supporting Youth:  How to Care, Communicate, and Connect in Meaningful Ways, by Nancy Tellett-Royce, has 6 chapters.  Chapter 5 is, "Caring School Climate," and chapter 6 is, "Parent Involvement in Schooling."  Each chapter has sections in it entitled In My Family, In My Professional Life, and In My Community, which give suggestions for how to make changes in each of these roles.  At the end of each chapter are a couple of activities to try.  The ones I have sticky notes on are, "Long Distance Support," "Neighbourly Advice," "Hall Talk," and "Parent/Guardian Involvement Reminders."   This resource is targeted specifically for teens and people who work or volunteer with teens.

I used "Long Distance Support," in a class when I had a lot of students from remote communities.  It helped to remind us that we have the support of our friends and families, even when they're not with us.  It had us think about how people show us their support even when they're not with us, and how we show others support when we're not with them.  The students brainstorm ideas for how to keep in touch with people and then they make a commitment to try at least one new idea to keep in touch during the next week.

P.S. Happy 40th Birthday to my husband, Barry (he doesn't look at my blog, but if you know him you could let him know what an old man he is)!