Children are the future... Cliché and True

It's not just my role at a YMCA that focuses me on youth.  Since way before Lionel Richie brought so many rock stars together for "We are The World", I have believed that "the children are our future."  And this month I feel that even more strongly. 

A young woman from Troy Howard Middle School emailed me to ask about the sanitary product dispensers in the women's bathrooms.  She was thinking about the common good.  She wrote, "I love the Belfast YMCA. I swim and work out there. This is why I am all the more concerned that some women and girls won’t have the same wonderful experience as I do at the Y. The issue is that in the women's locker room and bathrooms tampons and pads are not free, and the coin operated dispensers are often empty." 

As you might guess, I rarely go into the Women's rooms... only when I am cleaning.  I have seen the dispensers, but assumed (yes, I know what I am doing when I assume... and I still do it sometimes!) that they were stocked and working because no one told me otherwise.  And then this young woman, in the most respectful way possible, opened my eyes.  And now, new dispensers are on order and we will fill them regularly. 

The Board agrees about the importance of the youth experience.  This month, we will welcome our first youth board members ever!  As an organization focused on promoting the physical, mental, social and spiritual development of Waldo County children and families, we are excited to have younger people sharing their perspectives on the Board. 

One of the facets of the WCY that I most appreciate is that we mix generations together.  From the preschoolers singing to our AOA luncheon group to the middle school swimmers who have started swimming with our Masters, the opportunity for different generations to work together is critical.  At the WCY, youth share their energy and ideas and learn how to do it respectfully.  And us older folk learn how to listen and share our wisdom and experience in ways that can be heard. 

The opportunities for young and old to mix that happen at the Y make a difference for both ages. A Stanford Center on Longevity publication called "Hidden in Plain Sight: how Intergenerational Relationships can Transform our Future" focused on research that " a key ingredient for success in life is the commitment of a non-parental adult to a youth’s well-being." It noted that the benefits go both ways: "In promoting the well-being of the next generation, older adults experience fulfillment and purpose in their own lives."

While we don't have a structured mentor program at the WCY, we approach intergenerational relationships intentionally. They happen between coaches and players, children and caregivers. Occasionally, they happen in my, or another office, when a child has gone beyond the acceptable boundaries. We meet them where they are. In all cases we try to make a connection and help them recognize how important they are to this community.

There are so many more things to do, I know. I have talked to a couple of people about launching a formal mentoring program, but have not moved forward because everyone is stretched so thinly right now. Our Youth Board members are a step forward.

It's a cliché to say that children are our future... but they are.  We have to help them grow.  That's what we do with our childcare programs and what we will do in mentoring our new board members.  And we have to listen to them, because they have important things to say.