Matt dishman community center: Teen Force
The Intention of My Mission
Some things you can only learn from experience.
Books and research, or study as an observer definitely has a place but experience makes the connections. These youth need to see a reflection of themselves in order to feel like they have the opportunities that are out there.
Knowledge is not power, the application is.
I want to apply what I know. I look forward to the casual talks and the tough ones that information exchange will happen in. I want to learn from the youth the same way I want to lead. Every great leader places him/herself in the shoes of those they lead and never forget when they were unaware of the knowledge they hold at the moment. We are in alignment with knowing that we can always learn more and develop further. All of this excites me and I look forward to continuing on this path for these very reasons.
Some things you can only learn from experience.
Books and research, or study as an observer definitely has a place but experience makes the connections. These youth need to see a reflection of themselves in order to feel like they have the opportunities that are out there.
Knowledge is not power, the application is.
I want to apply what I know. I look forward to the casual talks and the tough ones that information exchange will happen in. I want to learn from the youth the same way I want to lead. Every great leader places him/herself in the shoes of those they lead and never forget when they were unaware of the knowledge they hold at the moment. We are in alignment with knowing that we can always learn more and develop further. All of this excites me and I look forward to continuing on this path for these very reasons.
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TEEN FORCE HISTORY
The teen force has been in place since 2004 but in 2015 Mayor Charlie Hales put forth an initiative for a 2 million dollar on going funding for Portland Parks Teen Force Program. The initiative was set in place to end disparities for free access to recreation programs for youth ages 10-20 years of age with a focus on minimization of gang violence in the surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative also has 300,000 a year set in place for culturally specific non-profit organizations to add to the programming in the facilities. Some of those organizations are Boys and Girls Club, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Latino Network, Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Office of Youth Violence Prevention, Portland Opportunities Industrial Center (POIC), and Self Enhancement Inc (SEI) to name a few. Activities range from teen nights to field trips, and other various registered programs. Since its launch the initiative has helped to facilitate the mentioned programs thus creating a safe and interactive place for the youth in the community to seek opportunity outside of the ones presented prior. A look below shows some of the stats on the success of the initiative.
The teen force has been in place since 2004 but in 2015 Mayor Charlie Hales put forth an initiative for a 2 million dollar on going funding for Portland Parks Teen Force Program. The initiative was set in place to end disparities for free access to recreation programs for youth ages 10-20 years of age with a focus on minimization of gang violence in the surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative also has 300,000 a year set in place for culturally specific non-profit organizations to add to the programming in the facilities. Some of those organizations are Boys and Girls Club, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Latino Network, Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Office of Youth Violence Prevention, Portland Opportunities Industrial Center (POIC), and Self Enhancement Inc (SEI) to name a few. Activities range from teen nights to field trips, and other various registered programs. Since its launch the initiative has helped to facilitate the mentioned programs thus creating a safe and interactive place for the youth in the community to seek opportunity outside of the ones presented prior. A look below shows some of the stats on the success of the initiative.
Community
Involvement |
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outlined duties to meet objectives
- Gym/ game-room attendant - supervise and engage with kids & teens from ages 10-20 yrs
- Plan and lead structure games & activities weekly
- Provide administrative support to the Teen Coordinator and Recreation Leader.
- Check in weekly with community partners on facility accommodations for programming needs.
- Check emergency contact forms, registration forms, and field trip forms
- Greet and engage community members throughout the facility.
- Help setting up and cleaning up rooms for activities.
- Provide feedback on teen council curriculum and structure.
- Collect evaluations and feedback as needed.
- Help keep the facility safe & clean by picking up litter, empty trash cans, removing unsafe equipment, reporting issues and emergencies to Parks personnel as needed.
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A team building/ice breaker activity I presented to the program to help the youth recognize that we all have implicit biases and their own biases can sometimes hinder relationship building.
In order to achieve this we had a few staff write down 3 things of their proudest achievement and 3 things from their past that may be seen as deviant. The youth were unaware of who wrote any of the descriptions. We had the youth raise their hand if they thought a certain description of a label or event fit a certain one of the staff members who we had step forward. We took a tally on the board of how many hands went up for each person and the descriptor. At the end of the exercise we had the staff reveal which card was their description. The youth were very surprised at their own assumptions just based on visual ques that lead them to believe they knew which staff member fit certain descriptions of achievement or deviance. |
GOALS OF MY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Continue building meaningful relationships with the community with a focus on the youth
Collection of evaluations and feedback for the Teen Force program
Making recommendations for future program cycles.
To achieve the goals set forth I had to think about the ways I would engage and create conversations which would gather feedback from the youth and other members of the team. This was done through focusing on the weekly journal topics and some of my own ideas. What I found is that like most interactions a form of trust and respect needs to be built before trying to engage in a manner that digs for information that people see as private. I do a lot of casual talking and sharing about myself in order to help facilitate this open dialogue.
I am a person who naturally speaks when I pass people on the street so talking to patrons visiting the center wasn’t a hard task. Taking some extra steps to start conversation with some people who seemed to shy away from conversation had some good payoffs. My community partner was a very valuable asset in that she has been a parks employee for over 17 years. She started in parks as a teen doing summer camp volunteering and worked her way up to a supervisor position overseeing the facility. Many of our conversations were centered around the challenges in working in public service. She gave me insight into the frustrations that employees often face when trying to navigate the directives of the top-level managers who have never worked in a community facility. She also pointed out the benefits of creating a rapport with the visitors no matter age, race, or disability. There were many people who came to the facility daily that were full of life and good stories when you took the time to listen with the intention of actually learning about them. A little patience and baiting can go a long way in conversation.
Continue building meaningful relationships with the community with a focus on the youth
Collection of evaluations and feedback for the Teen Force program
Making recommendations for future program cycles.
To achieve the goals set forth I had to think about the ways I would engage and create conversations which would gather feedback from the youth and other members of the team. This was done through focusing on the weekly journal topics and some of my own ideas. What I found is that like most interactions a form of trust and respect needs to be built before trying to engage in a manner that digs for information that people see as private. I do a lot of casual talking and sharing about myself in order to help facilitate this open dialogue.
I am a person who naturally speaks when I pass people on the street so talking to patrons visiting the center wasn’t a hard task. Taking some extra steps to start conversation with some people who seemed to shy away from conversation had some good payoffs. My community partner was a very valuable asset in that she has been a parks employee for over 17 years. She started in parks as a teen doing summer camp volunteering and worked her way up to a supervisor position overseeing the facility. Many of our conversations were centered around the challenges in working in public service. She gave me insight into the frustrations that employees often face when trying to navigate the directives of the top-level managers who have never worked in a community facility. She also pointed out the benefits of creating a rapport with the visitors no matter age, race, or disability. There were many people who came to the facility daily that were full of life and good stories when you took the time to listen with the intention of actually learning about them. A little patience and baiting can go a long way in conversation.
reflection of service
Overall this experience only added to my understanding of the need for proper influence and access to information especially for those under served sectors of our cities. In these communities our youth are having to deal with more responsibilities with less enjoyment of their youth due to the demands of growing up in single parent and low-income homes. The most rewarding part of this whole experience was the light in the eyes that would sparkle when a conversation resonated, or they were able to make a connection to a thought. I was able to learn about myself as I had discussions regarding the university study goals of communication, critical thinking, ethics, social responsibility, diversity, equity and social justice. This experience and type of engagement is everything to me. There is not much I would do different in regards of interaction but if there was a way to dedicate more time in my day to these kids I would. Going forward I will continue to volunteer and as of late I have been really toying with the idea of creating my own nonprofit so that I can guide the program and introduce the objectives I see as important without having to go through lengthy processes of getting clearance. My radio show Calculated Conversation will continue to build momentum and now that I am finished with my social science degree I will have time to push the show in the direction of more live sessions and possible school appearances. I have so much steam left in me at 33 years old and the need for people like me is HUGE. I want to build a legacy that outlives me and inspires the next generation to carry a similar torch.