Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Value of Grit


Delay of Gratification Testing

As a child development research AND public radio junkie, I was thrilled this past weekend when NPR’s This American Life aired an hour-long segment highlighting the factors that allow students to succeed in school and in life. Spoiler alert: intelligence isn’t at the top of that list. 

The segment explored emerging theories on what to teach kids from Paul Tough’s new book, How Children Succeed . The radio show and book explain that “soft” or “non-cognitive” or “executive” skill sets are actually much more important than was previously thought to a child’s future success. These are sometimes describes as character traits such as self-control, conscientiousness, delayed gratification, curiosity, perseverance/grit, and optimism. 

Have you ever heard of the Marshmallow test? This is a cognitive test administered to young children where they are given one marshmallow. The adult instructs the child that they will leave the room and if the child hasn’t eaten the marshmallow before the time that the adult returns, the child will receive two marshmallows. You need only search the somewhat hilarious YouTube video archives to get a sense for the internal dilemma that these children are faced with. But these researchers have found that children who are able to delay their gratification—who are able to bear the wait for that second, larger reward—do better on their SAT's, make more money in adulthood, and continue on a life trajectory of achievement.
Unfortunately, not all children ace their marshmallow tests. Children who have adverse childhood experiences (violence, poverty, hunger, and trauma) experience considerable stress in their environment which actually stymies the brain’s development of these essential, non-cognitive skills. As a result, these children are much more likely to have behavioral problems and difficulty in school and experience higher rates of chronic disease later in life. 

Thankfully, these essential skills can be learned even in spite of adverse childhood experiences if children have strong, supportive connections to adult role models like parents and other community members.
In Marion County these resources are vast. Indianapolis is a home to mentoring organizations like 100 Black Men, the Boys and Girls Club, the Center for Leadership Development, United Way’s Youth Leadership Initiative, Girls Inc., and so many more.

For a comprehensive list of mentoring services, academic and non-academic support services, college and career prep organizations and other resources, visit the Own Yours Campaign Student Resources page on MCCOY’s website. 

This research only confirms what we already know: that success in life is determined by resourcefulness, determination and conscientiousness, that it takes a strong, caring community to raise a child, and that we can all take up the charge of investing in the growth and success of children. 
Visit ownyours.org

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Join the Table: Improving our Youth



Written by:  Kenneth Lacy Jr, MCCOY Board Member 
Greetings all!  As an emphatic advocate for education, I find it important for us adults to support our children and their school systems.  Your contribution can be big or small, but the most important concept is to get involved.  Have your VOICE heard.  One way to be heard is to participate at www.whatspossibleindy.com.  Vocalize your sentiments about the necessities and desires that you would wish to see within our children’s’ schools.  Making your opinion known can make a difference. 

Another approach is to VOLUNTEER, in which I am very passionate.  I feel that volunteering is the best way to give back to your community.  There are many ways that you can serve your time toward school education.  I chose to volunteer as a team mentor with the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Inc.  I and a few other good men shared our time and experiences with 5th and 6th grade boys at IPS school 51.  It was one of the most rewarding experiences that I encountered as a volunteer.  The students showed dedication and aspirations of achieving at a higher level after each session that we all had.  It is interesting to see how the young boys thought processes evolved and how they handle issues with their peers from the information that we taught them during our after-school sessions.  I can truly say that I learned just as much from them as they learned from me. 

                So how will you serve our youth today? 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Organizational Spotlight: AYS, Inc.


Mission: AYS enriches the learning and well-being of children in a safe, caring and fun environment outside of the school day.

Website: http://www.ayskids.org/

AYS, Inc. was established in 1980, then called At-Your-School Child Services.  The agency began as one after-school program at IPS #70, as the number of “latch-key” children (children who went home alone after school) in the community rose.  While there were community centers at the time, the AYS program at IPS #70 was the first after-school program in Indianapolis available at the school building.  AYS has grown to offer before- and after-school, early childhood, and summer programs in four Central Indiana counties.  We also offer training for our own staff and other youth development workers in the community. 

AYS takes a holistic approach to programming, in an effort to benefit the children that we serve academically, socially and emotionally.  Our curriculum components focus on arts, health, STEM and multi-cultural appreciation.  When the resources are available, we also bring in outside organizations and individuals to deliver special enrichment activities that align with these areas.  We strive to meet the standards established by the National Afterschool Association (NAA), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Council on Accreditation (Council on Accreditation), and the American Camp Association (ACA).  Our staff members were among some of the first to begin to attain Indiana Youth Development Credentials (IYD), and we as an agency put a strong emphasis on staff training.

AYS’ services are fee-based, but we make every effort to keep our fees low and to ensure that as much of our budget as possible goes into direct service programming.   We pursue grants for special enrichment projects and fundraise in  order to offer scholarships to our programs.  AYS is continuously looking for ways to partner and collaborate with other organizations in order to improve our services, whether it be for enrichment activities, training, or other opportunities.  Many of AYS’ administrative staff also work with other coalitions and groups to promote and raise awareness for the importance of high-quality, out-of-school time opportunities for children in Central Indiana.

September - Everyday Champion - Deborah Asante

Congratulations to our September 2012 Everyday Champion: Deborah Asante - Founding Artistic Director of Asante Children's Theater!

Deborah Asante with her Grand-daughters: Charlie and Tyla.
Learn what makes Deborah an Everyday Champion:

What is your profession or vocation?

I am an artist, storyteller and youth activist. I believe that art has the power to transform lives. As the Founding Artistic Director of the Asante Children's Theatre, I have been successful in connecting young people to art. Art is a powerful tool in youth development.
    
How are you an Everyday Champion for Youth?

I understand how hard most young people struggle to find their way in this world. My biggest contribution has been being able to communicate in ways that capture their attention and imagination.  Most days of my life are spent working on creative ways to better reach our youth.
         

What impact do you hope to make on youth? 

I want to facilitate their self discovery and encourage their confidence.
    
What's one thing that you wish an adult had told you when you were a young person?

I was told that I was worthy. I was told enough times that I started to believe it.
    
What do you want to do next to support youth?

I want to offer our program to the youth of our city free of charge. I worry that some families that need us won't seek out our services because they think they can't afford it. 
   
Do you work directly with youth? Yes

What percentage of your time is spent working directly with youth or families? 70%

Deborah was nominated by Keesha Dixon, Executive Director of Asante Children's Theatre:
  
"I met Ms. Asante in 1991 when my son joined the ACT Academy. Now at 33, my son's success as an IT Operations Manager, at a prominent Indiana law firm, has a direct correlation to Ms. Asante's wise use of African and African American performing arts, traditions and history.

As a unorthodox arts educator, Ms. Asante well deserves this recognition. Her work, creativity, and passion in developing and educating young minds through the arts has been deemed exemplary. As an artistic director since 1990 and as a storyteller on the roster of Arts for Learning the Indiana Affiliate of Young Audiences since 1997, she has irrefutably contributed to the advancement of youth development through the arts.


For that past 22 years, Ms. Asante has been building an institution, the Asante Children's Theatre (ACT) which primarily serves youth who are considered at-risk or underserved when it comes to arts programming. She uses ACT to cultivate an appreciation for African and African American performance art. Subliminally, young people are developing meaningful skills and confidence that will help them succeed at school, work, and home. Acting, dancing, singing and storytelling are used to guide youth ages 6 to 18 years on their road to self-discovery under her creative direction. Once they reach the age of 18 and graduate high school, they are qualified to continue their growth and development in the Touring Company. Through ACT, thousands and thousands of children have directly benefitted from her teachings either as participants or audience members. ACT alumni now serve as workshop facilitators, board members, and technicians for ACT. For these reasons and more, Deborah Asante stands out as a Champion for Youth.


Her story that best illustrates why she is a Champion for Youth goes like this. As an artistic director, to stimulate a love for storytelling by program participants, Ms. Asante has adapted several African folktales for the stage such as, "Abena, her Mother Warned Her About Snakes", "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters", and "Traveling to Tondo" just to name a few. In 1998, Deborah traveled to the NABS conference in Orlando, FL bringing with her an ensemble that performed a remarkable tribute to Zora Neale Hurston which was written and directed by Ms. Asante. One of those performers, Kila, is now a playwright continuing the tradition of storytelling on paper and in film. In 2006, a sub-committee of the Indiana Disproportionality Committee commissioned the Asante Children's Theatre to come up with a innovative approach to address child abuse and child neglect. In 2007, a short movie, "I Never Meant" was written by ACT alumnus Kila Adams and Ms. Asante. The film creation was the work of yet another ACT alumnus, Ryan Bennett with Ms. Asante's direction. It featured actors from the ACT Academy and Touring Company and later debuted during the Indiana Black Expo's short film series. Today, the film, on DVD, is used by Prevent Child Abuse of Indiana in its state-wide Train the Trainer tool-kit. â€Å“I Never Meant” is an interactive presentation depicting a day in the life of a family, and the stress and frustration that can lead to an incident of physical violence. In 2008, she challenged four African American young adult men to come up with spoken word pieces supported by original music beats to draw attention to the philosophies of Martin Luther King, Jr. The result, was the creation of ACT's Hip Hop Progressive Movement. Out of that movement came two productions. "MLK in a Hip Hop World", performed at a variety of venues including college campuses in Indiana and Kansas, and during the 2009 Smithsonian Giving Voice Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. Next, "A Sword and a Kiss" performed during the 2011 Indy Fringe Festival related these young men's perspective on love. Empowering the next generation through enlightenment is at the core of Ms. Asante being. Constructing "teachable moments", as she calls them is why she took her craft, as a storyteller and playwright, to the next level by authoring and co-authoring plays to draw attention to sensitive social issues. Under her belt is "Who's Yo Daddy?", a hip hopera that dealt with teen fatherhood, "Who's Loving You Now?" focused on teen sexuality, and "Caught Up" explored a variety of abuses. "Who's Yo Daddy?", still used by Planned Parenthood of Indiana, is being shown to youth at the Pendleton Juvenile Correction facility, Pendleton, IN and as a part of the "Let's Talk" initiative - http://www.ppin.org/education/letstalk.html . There are so many ACT success stories of which Jeffrey Page, an Emmy nominated choreographer and cast member of the astonishing on-Broadway play, "FELA" is one of the highlights. Jeffrey comes back each year to speak to ACT youth
."