Youth
We Make The Change For a Better Tomorrow
Our community coalition supports positive youth development and provides youth with opportunities to be involved, connected, and to learn skills to be successful.
We work together to come up with solutions that improve young people's ability to reach their full potential.
We Make The Change has their own Insta! Check us out @ wemakethechange_co or just scan the QR code.
Positive Youth Development
Positive Youth Development or PYD, is a strengths-based practiced approach and way to view of adolescence. PYD guides communities and organizations in how they organize services, opportunities and support to engage youth in reaching their full potential. It incorporates the development of skills, opportunities and authentic relationships into programs, practices and policies. More information about PYD in Colorado can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/pydinaction/home https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/positive-youth-development
Sheridan Community Mural Photovoice Project
We Make The Change youth leader board is teaming up with the coalition’s environment workgroup and Sheridan community !
What is a Photovoice you might be wondering?
A Photovoice is most simply a photo with a caption. We know the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. With a Photovoice a person can submit a photo along with a short write-up (maybe a paragraph at most) that addresses a question posed. The pictures can then be collected and shared along with the comments to demonstrate how a group may answer a question and discover themes. For our project, the Photovoice is looking to find areas of improvement in the community where we can then place a youth-led mural come the spring of 2021.
Sheridan Mural Photovoice project timeline
Phase 1: Photovoice project (month of November)
Phase 2: Sheridan Virtual Community Fall Form ( December 2nd being offered at 11-noon and 5-6pm via Zoom)
Phase 3: Youth workshops and painting the mural (February – May)
Goals, Strategies, and Activities
Strategies:
Positive Youth Development, a strengths-based view on adolescence. This approach focuses on helping youth acquire the knowledge and skills they need to become healthy and productive adults.
Social Development Strategy promotes youth development and fosters the success and health of young people from birth through every stage of development.
Goal/Objective: Equipping youth to make a positive change in their communities for a healthy tomorrow.
Activities:
Sheridan and Englewood community PhotoVoice. Currently seeking volunteers April 6 - May 9!
More information: Flyer / Spanish Flyer
Youth painted community mural in Englewood
Get involved with the Youth Leadership Board
More information: Flyer
Thoughts on COVID-19 and our environment
Staying at home during Covid-19 has brought up a lot of challenging feelings for me from general anxiety to worry about my family and friends to a sense of loss. And, I’ve also felt a strong sense of community in virtual spaces, in actions taken by workers and community alike to flatten the curve, in families and friends and community organizations taking care of each other even when physically apart. And so in this time, I’m thinking about the seeds I want to plant (both literally and metaphorically). I want to plant seeds now and in the future to ensure that the environments we build are more equitable and keep everyone (especially the most vulnerable) healthy.
Hard times call for Unity and Compassion. This photo was taken before the state-wide lockdowns were enforced. I have never experienced going through something like this and I knew that a lot of the people I knew and cared about would be affected. Focusing on how I could help others has helped me to cope with the anxiety of not knowing when many families will be able to go back to work to make their “bread”. This photo was full of food bank deliveries to elders and folks who didn’t have the means to transport their groceries. This was a community Food bank effort put together by residents of the Sheridan community.
Get Involved
Contact:
Bobby Harr, Youth Advisor
720-365-2698
Meetings: Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 4 - 6 p.m. at Colorado's Finest High School of Choice, 300 W. Chenango Ave, Englewood, CO 80110
Zoom Link: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/94738733221