Context
Why was the youth-led program initially created? A small group of young students wanted to make an impact on their school.
How was the group initially formed? A few incoming freshmen attended the Youth to Youth conference at Capital University the summer prior to the 2015-2016 school year. They looked for an opportunity to continue the momentum from the conference and connected with Bryan Stork, high school counselor, to create a local Youth to Youth group.
What issues does your group seek to address? Because of the relationship with Youth to Youth International, the group aims to develop positive, healthy alternatives to drug use within the school and community. This year, the group aims to take a more broader look at mental health challenges within schools.
Youth Characteristics and Recruitment
What types of young people are recruited to the youth group? High school students grades 9-12 from Grandview Heights High School.
What requirements or criteria do you have in order for youth to be involved in the group? Commitment to their community and to a drug-free lifestyle.
How are young people recruited to your group? General information meetings are open to any student interested. Y2Y leaders also personally invite other students to join/participate. Some events are open to anyone outside the group and serve as an opportunity to recruit.
What motivates young people to become involved in the group? Food, Fun activities (ie Movie Night), an opportunity to serve others (ie canned food drive), middle school mentoring, place to hangout during lunch when meetings occur, service hours, Food (yes, this is listed twice).
Collective Participation
There are 4-core student leaders. There are about 10 other students who participate from the high school level. Planning meetings are approximately once per month and activities/events are about once per month, which has currently shifted to at least 2 times per month. Meetings are Approximately 45-minutes to an hour. 4 students at the planning, up to 14 for a general meeting attend. Our GH Y2Y President is now in her 4th year and was one of the founding members. The other three are now in their third year. Attendance is tracked via sign in sheets
Adult Involvement
Who is the adult leader(s) for this group? Bryan Stork and Abby Keller
What experience does the adult leader have working with youth-led programs? Bryan Stork - Y2Y at GHHS for 4 years. Dublin Teen Institute (similar structure as Y2Y) - 7 years.
What are the adult leader’s primary responsibilities? Adults provide meeting spaces, food for meetings and events, track attendance, help guide the meetings (ie help students stay focused).
What role or responsibilities do parents of participating youth have? At this point, parents have little to no role.
What resources or support does the school or community-based agency provide? School provides meeting space, allotted time/schedule for meetings and specific events, communication-announcements, some office supplies
Group Structures
What incentives are offered to encourage the ongoing participation of youth (e.g. course credits, monetary rewards, food, etc)? Food, Service Hours for NHS, Resume, College Application
How are group decisions made? Please be specific about who facilitates the conversation and and processes that are in place in order to reach consensus. Group decisions are made by majority vote, typically preceded by a conversation of the group regarding goals and logistics. Items to be voted upon are brought to the table by both the youth and adult leaders.
What relationship does the youth group have with adult groups? Please describe how these relationships were established and in what ways members of the adult groups interact with the youth. Bryan Stork - serves as the school counselor for each high school student grades 9-12. In addition to supporting the group efforts, Bryan helps all students navigate academic planning, social emotional support and college/career planning. Abby Keller - serves as a k-3 school psychologist and assistant student services coordinator. Her role with the students on a daily basis is behind the scenes. She also helps facilitate group leader meetings.
What role do young people have in the group? Please be specific about any leadership responsibilities youth may have. President - Shea McHugh (Sets agenda, communicates to group leaders and the larger Y2Y group), Vice President - Addi Holcomb (Helps facilitate meetings and provides additional communication), Treasurer - Jenna Richards (In charge if idendtifying costs for events), Secretary - Luke Berlin (Takes meeting notes, helps facilitate overall planning)
What resources and support are available to the group? Meeting and event spaces are available. Since the focus of the group is student mental health the group has access to school support staff and other mental health specialists. Youth to Youth international is a located just a few minutes from our school and can serve as a resource. We also have district-wide wellness committee and a local chapter of Start Talking Grandview.
What other structures are in place that guide or support the work of the youth group? Meeting space available in counseling office or classrooms can be used. Media centers at both the high school and the middle school (where the mentorship program takes place) are available. Could access additional resources within the community and with in the neighboring schools.
Group Climate
Two of our biggest challenges are: 1. Our student leaders are involved in many other groups and sports while maintaining rigorous coursework, so time becomes somewhat of a challenge. 2. Because the foundation of the group is in a drug-free lifestyle, sometimes kids don’t want to be seen as “rocking the boat” amongst their peers even if they are making healthy choices. Encouragement and food seem to be the best ways to bring the youth leaders together and work through the challenges that arise. Fortunately, this group was initially created by a group of friends. So the cohesion and emotional closeness was built into the framework. Adult leaders encourage the Y2Y student leaders to approach each general member or mentee in the middle school membership with the same respect and inclusion that they have towards each other. In the 45-60 minutes during a meeting, they are asked to set their personal agendas (and phones) aside so that they can attend to each other and the other members. Adult leaders work to bring the group back to a common goal and focus. That can occur within the group meetings or one-on-one conversations with group leaders. The group specifically choose to address student mental health. Just like in the counseling profession, it is easy to get discouraged if you’re looking for an “end” or a “cure”, but identifying small victories and understanding that the work now may lead to greater change down the road helps the group to keep moving. Adult leaders intentionally foster kindness and respect for each other even with our differences. We also adopt Fish Philosophy as derived from the Seattle’s famous Pike Place Fish
Market business model:
1. Be There
2. Play
3. Make Their Day
4. Choose Your Attitude