Bringing out the Assets in Darien Teens
NEIRAD enilno edition
A lot of students think their opinion means nothing to the school: the surveys they fill out are not considered. Youth Asset Team, a new organization of DHS students, is an example of how kids can get more involved in the life of Darien.
It began with Community Fund volunteers Martha Rhein and Kiki Karpen who approached seniors Abigail Sickinger and Katie Duker in January about creating a better community for high school students.
“We took a survey in homeroom last year and some of the results of the survey were astonishing, for example kids felt they had trouble planning and decision-making or that adults didn't value them in the community,” Sickinger said. Sickinger is serving as co-president of the Youth Asset Team.
The group seeks to bridge the gap between the teens in Darien and the community. Since there are so many issues available for the group to tackle, they are using a step-by-step method. They started with a session educating parents about student motivation. They visited Hindley School in April. The students shared their personal experiences how parents might motivate their kids and handle stress and difficult situations.
“The Hindley event went fantastic,” Sickinger said. Certain topics were covered, and were administered by Youth Asset Team members. Co-President Katie Duker discussed creative activities; Sickinger headed up social competence, sophomore Jay Alter had open communication, while junior Sarah Smith took on self esteem.
In addition to the students, swim coach and physical education teacher Marj Trifone, and social worker Maura Rizzo participated. “They spoke honestly about the results of the survey and their own experiences growing up and they offered tips to parents regarding how to build developmental assets for their elementary school children,” Karpen said.
The Youth Asset Team event pulled in about 70 Hindley mothers who were extremely impressed by the student’s responses during the Question and Answer session. So impressed, that the next event has already been scheduled at Royle School to occur before the end of the school year.
Although Youth Asset Team is not a school-sponsored club, Sickinger and co-president Katie Duker contacted English teacher Eric Woelker to serve as faculty advisor. “We felt that we needed a connection to the school in order to get our ideas approved,” Duker said.
Mr. Woelker provides the students with an adult point of view when he feels it’s necessary. “I try to chime in only when the students need me, which isn't often, because, for the most part, the members of the YAT are very self-sufficient and very productive,” Mr Woelker said.
Although the team is open to new members, they ask that a member of the Youth Asset Team be fully committed and passionate about the work. If you are interesting in getting involved in the community, please contact Abigail Sickinger or Katie Duker.
For more about Youth Asset Team check out Dan Pidgeon's story on Top 5 Advice for Parents from Students
