 Greetings
The Gifts and Possibilities of Youth
As we move towards this co-creation of Cincinnati's new future, several people have mentioned youth have much to offer and much reason to be part of this.
The basic question is: What can we do to inspire more to join the upcoming summit?
The larger question is: What could happen if we opened ourselves up more to their worlds, listened to their stories and contributed to their leadership?
Read more in this e-news about an organization that's already doing this, a young man who's excited to be leading change in the city and our invitation to be involved too.
As always, we welcome your feedback, story leads as well as any other media that can help bring this story line to life and build this community. Please contact the newsroom at 705-741-4421, ext. 27, or e-mail michelle@axiomnews.ca.
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What's Happening Event Showcases the Gifts of Cincinnati's Inner City Youth
Attendees challenged to think about new, non-intuitive ways to have conversations
An event last we
ek featured the gifts of Cincinnati's inner city youth in the various forms of hip-hop art, such as music, rap, dance and graffiti.
The name of the event was Embracing the Unknown, and that was meant literally, says Tom Kent, executive director of Elementz, the non-profit youthcentre that organized the event.
"We wanted thepeople in Cincinnati who came to this event last week, we wanted to introduce them to the unknown kids, and understand that they have gifts too, and their gifts are considerable."
Tom adds he was moved most to see that by far the majority who attended did have their eyes opened, and did begin the process of building connections with the youth.
The messages presented by Dr. Victor Garcia, pediatric surgeon at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and renowned author and consultant Peter Block, aligned with Elementz' core focus.
Peter laid out a way of thinking about people that starts with a series of positive questions inviting people to share their stories and what they see as their gifts.
Victor's emphasis on building community by looking within at a community's assets, and connecting those assets, also strikes very close to home for Elementz.
While Victor has been moved to do something as a surgeon at the other end of a chain of events that leads to young men being shot and laying in his hospital, Elementz is at the front of this chain.
"We see these young men every day, and it has occurred to us, as quickly as it's occurred to him, that we need an alternate way of talking about community and appreciating how we build community," says Tom.
Click here to read the full story.
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What's Working
Photo courtesy of Elementz.
Young man thrilled to be part of changing Cincinnati for the better
Nitty Morris says youth need opportunities to join something more
It's not just a responsibility. Frank "Nitty" Morris says he's excited to be part of changing Cincinnati for the better.
"I love doing things like that, being able to help out and wanting to change my city," Nitty tells Axiom News, noting the thought that his son growing up could have a better environment than he also drives him forward.
His change-making ranges from simple conversations with a peer to sharing his story in the press to continuing with the struggle of his own transformation journey.
In addition to direct confrontation, Nitty says he aims to mentor youth in a way that takes into account where they're at, offering them the skills and knowledge he can and then leaving them to use what he offers as they see fit.
He's also seeing how his changed life has potential to motivate others.
He tells of his peers coming up and saying, "Oh yeah Nitty, you've stepped up, you done changed, you done good, we're proud." He notes many of these are people who've been to jail multiple times.
"And they're like, 'You know what, I'm sick of that. I'm not doing that. If my man can change, I can change too," says Nitty.
Asked what else could help in engaging youth to play a role the city's future and how to get to a new and better reality, Nitty suggests it's a matter of giving them the opportunity to be part of something more.
"If we can give them something to do, put some type of responsibility in their lives, besides their schooling, besides their sports, I feel we can make change . . . We'll be heading a step in the right direction."
Click here to read the full story.
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Newsroom Notes
What Can You Offer Cincinnati Youth?
Last week, people attending an Elementz event were able to recognize and appreciate the many gifts youth in Cincinnati are offering.
Through hip-hop, the young adults animated hope and vision for a new Cincinnati, built on strengths like solid family and community ties.
These youth are moving in the right direction, creating art to envision a new reality, and it seems clear to us that we should do everything we can to understand and support their actions. To move from the abstract to the concrete, youth will need tools, models and assets to guide them, and this is where we can all play a role. Ask yourself what gifts and talents do you have to offer Cincinnati youth? What community assets do you know of that could support their work?
Share with us so we can story out pathways to new connections. Drop us a line at michelle@axiomnews.ca, or via our Twitter account @cincysummit.
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Get Involved
Be at the Hub of the Movement
1. Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
2. Be a key player in the Appreciative Inquiry activities underway in Cincinnati, most notably the preparations for and upcoming summit. Call 513-360-8640 for more information.
3. Bring Appreciative Inquiry to life in your own organization through stories. Contact Peter at Axiom News to learn more about how stories anchored in the Appreciative Inquiry approach create results.
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our favourite tweets of the week
@yunus_centre
#Change does happen, it is shaped by us. People are waiting, the world is waiting, so are you ready to step up to the challenge? M #Yunus
@Cincysummit
One young man loves being part of changing Cincinnati for the better. What could spark the same experience for others?
@@PeggyHolman
We can listen not just with our ears, but with all of our senses, including our heart and our intuition.
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recommended
watch
A recent interview with Nitty Morris on his and other youth's experiences with Elementz.
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elevate your good
Dr. Victor Garcia will present on the Core Change mission, and new art from Matt Eckerle will be showcased at a Moksha Yoga Cincinnati event Sept. 24, 7-10 p.m. Contact 513-321-9644 for more information, or e-mail info@mokshayoganky.com
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Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up, or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
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about
Axiom News
We are called to build a life-giving news network to co-create a renewed and thriving world.
We do this through the practice of generative journalism. It's founded on the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based, capacity-building approach for driving human systems towards their highest potential.
Learn more and read daily stories at www.axiomnews.ca
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We're looking for stories about the impact of the strengths-based, Appreciative Inquiry approach on individuals, organizations and whole systems. Contact the newsroom at 705-741-4421, to share your news leads. We'd love to hear from you! |
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