August 2011
Community!Youth Concepts
 
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Greetings!


With yesterday's announcement by Governor Terry Branstad that for the second year in a row, Iowa has achieved the second-highest volunteer rate in the country with 37.9 percent of Iowans devoting time to help others in 2010 (Corporation for National and Community Service), service learning is critical to retaining this honor for Iowa.
 
This month's greeting comes from two service learners in the trenches at CYC, Eddye Vanderkwaak and Chelsey Thomsen, AmeriCorps summer VISTAs. See below for more insights they shared.

 

Chelsey shared:

Since June 15, I have been serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA at CYC...AND I LOVE IT! I love interacting with the youth and seeing what they come up with do to as a service project for the community. It amazes me each time how many great and thoughtful ideas they come up with. Besides working with the youth, I have enjoyed our ventures out to the different community gardens that CYC helps out with. I'm excited to see what the students and staff do with the garden once school starts up. 

 

At CYC, they really have an understanding of the needs of youth and the tools to get them involved. I love the fact that the youth get to decide what they want to do as a service project. CYC has created a positive environment for youth to let out their creative side to better the community. Everyone, no matter what your age, has something awesome to offer the community. It's so easy to make this place we live in better with all of our talents put together...and it's fun!

 

Eddye had this to say:

My time so far at CYC has definitely been meaningful. I am experiencing what it's like to be on both sides of community involvement and youth engagement. I learned that when giving back and serving others, the behind the scenes work is just as critical as the hands on time with actual people. I've learned how to plan a service project and then how to bring others in and follow through with the project. I am also learning how to make every opportunity count and to never forget how to learn from each moment.

 

What I think the community needs to know about CYC is that it's effective. Seriously. Everything CYC does is purpose driven and impacting every time. Community engagement and service learning are important because they are the links that connect people to each other. When individuals step up and come together with the same purpose in mind, how can it not create a sense of belonging and being a part of something bigger? I believe, deep down, these are things we all long for. I believe CYC has found the answer to effective community involvement and service learning, that not only provides results, but changes things.  

 

A special thank you to Eddye, Chelsey, and Tony Raymer, University of Iowa practicum student, who have increased our capacity this summer!
  
Sincerely,
Amy, Julie, Danny, Amelia, and Michelle

 

Come to the Sidewalk Chalk Flood August 20!

 

CYC will host its second annual Sidewalk Chalk Flood on Saturday, August 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines. Join us for a fun-filled morning of creating chalk art on the sidewalks, music, and activities! Community members of all ages are welcome to attend this free event!

Calling all tables, lawn chairs, coolers, and locked filing cabinets!

 

For CYC's Sidewalk Chalk Flood event on August 20, we are in need of spare tables, lawn chairs, and coolers. To loan us yours, email [email protected] or call 515-243-4292. Thank you!

 

CYC also has a need for a two-drawer filing cabinet that locks. To donate, email [email protected] or call 243-4292.

Thank you, HyVee, Walmart, O'Donnell Ace Hardware, Wellmark, and SCF Planning Committee!

 

HyVee donated bottled water for the Sidewalk Chalk Flood, and Walmart donated gift cards to use for chalk and other supplies. O'Donnell Ace Hardware donated chalk-making supplies, and Wellmark is donating use of their walk-in cooler to refrigerate the bottled water. Thank you, Walmart, HyVee, O'Donnell Ace Hardware, and Wellmark!

 

A special thank you to the members of our event planning committee, who donated time, ideas, volunteering hours, and supplies to making the event a success. Thank you!

Make a Difference... Be a Mentor!

 

What inspired you to find a career you love? Be that inspiration for youth! CYC's Youth Mentoring Program builds relationships between
youth ages 12-17 (with an emphasis on high school) and professionals to improve life skills, provide career awareness, and improve academics by connecting the classroom to real life. Mentors and mentees are matched based on personality and career interest. The intent is to introduce mentees to the mentor's career, exposing the mentee to a behind-the-scenes look at how educational concepts are applied in a real-world setting. Mentors must be 18, 5 years older than their mentee, and make a commitment of 4 hours a month for 9 months. For more information, or to be a mentor (or mentee!) contact Michelle at 243-4292 or by email at [email protected].
 
Help us name the program! If you have a name suggestion for CYC's Youth Mentoring Program, email it to Michelle!

What's the Big Idea? 

 

If you've been to Grounds for Celebration, Village Bean, or Smokey Row coffee shops recently, you may have seen CYC's What's the Big Idea? boxes. These are meant to collect ideas and some spare change from the community.  One idea shared recently was to create an after school program for refugee children to help them adapt to life in the U.S. Thanks for the ideas shared so far, and stop by a coffee shop near you to share yours!

Thank you, Staples Volunteers!

 

On a hot, brutally humid day in July, four Staples volunteers braved the elements to weed, water, and harvest produce from the Scavo Urban Garden. Thank you, Staples volunteers, for your energy, sweat, and time!

ID Action Youth Present Ideas, Experiences with Bullying and Disabilities

 

This summer, the ID Action Youth Advisory Board developed and presented a series of activities and discussions around bullying and disabilities. They gave the presentation to the KWAKers (Kids with a Kause), who served as allies during their second presentation to the First Christian Church Boys and Girls Club. Youth shared their experience with bullying and disabilities, ways they've overcome bullying, and advice they have for others.

 

The ID Action Youth Advisory Board is coordinated by CYC and funded by the Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council. Special funding for this project was provided by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service. For more information, email Amelia at [email protected].

Give 5 Wrap Up  

 

As Give 5, CYC's summer program focused on service, wraps up next week, we wanted to share the things youth have done to better their community. In the last two months, 25 Give 5 youth:

*Baked dog treats to sell at area dog parks and stores to ultimately donate $35 to Animal Lifeline to supplement supplies stolen from them earlier this summer.

*Made tie blanket beds for kittens sheltered at Animal Lifeline.

*Pulled weeds, harvested produce, and watered community gardens.

*Picked up trash at local parks.

 *Painted a mural in the CYC training room.

 

"Starting a new program at CYC this summer was a new adventure each week," said Youth Venture Coordinator Danny Heggen. "It was always something new and different. We reached out to new neighborhoods, and the success we found in having flexibility in our programming provides a promising direction for the future." 

 

A special thanks to the HyVee Drugtown on 42nd Street for allowing Give 5 youth to sell dog treats, and to the Scavo teachers and Urban Ambassadors for hosting youth at Scavo's Urban Garden.

Thank you, Deck the Walls!

 

Thank you to Deck the Walls, a local business in Merle Hay Mall that is sponsoring CYC's Constant Contact membership. Thanks for helping us communicate with our supporters, volunteers, and friends!

Alzheimer's Association Volunteer Opportunity

 

The Alzheimer's Association of Greater Iowa is looking for volunteers to help with data entry and other projects.  Also, the organization will be looking for volunteers to help put on their Des Moines Walk on September 24th. If you're interested, contact Lana Rold at 515-440-2722 or by email at [email protected].  

More Thoughts from Chelsey and Eddye...

 

Eddye said:

My favorite moment at CYC this summer has definitely been working with the KWAKer kids and watching them take charge and grow. We did a Give 5 service project that involved cleaning up the park, playing a few games of basketball, and building friendships among youth who live in the same neighborhood. With only a little encouragement, I watched youth take the time to encourage and cheer on their friends, give back to their community, and at the end of the day, feel a sense of pride about themselves, their friends, and work they had done. That's what it's all about.

  

I am pursuing a career as a Paramedic, and through some of my time at CYC, I was given the opportunity to work with and meet other health and medical professionals who care about the community and its youth. The medical field is hands-on, so any positive interaction with individuals within the community is more than I could ask for. I have learned and am still learning a number of different skills I probably never would have picked up, had I not worked here at CYC. These skills include grant writing, marketing strategies, youth engagement, leadership skills, and working as a team.

 

Chelsey shared:

My biggest challenge so far has been getting along with the other CYC staff...JUST KIDDING! They are all wonderful and enjoyable to work with! The Des Moines area is all very new to me. Since I'm not from this area, becoming familiar with the Des Moines area and the services it has to offer has been the biggest challenge. I am still learning, but definitely feel more comfortable with the area.

 

As a new graduate, CYC was my first post-graduate "job". My time here at CYC has created a desire to continue working in the community-based field. I have seen the excitement of the youth before, during, and after a project and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I have had an impact on their lives.

 

CYC can help your groups of youth ages 12-24 create their idea and implement it, either through service-learning opportunities or through a Youth Venture.  Contact us for more information. 


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