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WOW! I am bowled over - yet again!
You see, today I attended a meeting of local activists and those that have an impact on the community from a public service perspective. And one thing really stood out in this 90 minute meeting. Actually, I should say one PERSON really stood out.
This young man is some kind of awesome. He's thoughtful, well mannered, articulate, comfortable, pure, innovative, determined, interested, interesting, dedicated, and full of hope. He's also bright, intelligent, savvy, socially acceptable, politically correct. He's a handsome young man, eyes bright with hope, exudes self confidence, holds education near and dear, and is on track to be one of Toledo's 'movers and shakers' in the youth movement.
Ladies and gents - meet Tye Alexander. He's 15 years old and a truly wondrous human being.
Tye is a leader of youth in North Toledo. And he's just what the doctor ordered in order to dissolve the stones of apathy that many of us are plagued with. Tye is the leader of his group and promotes civic involvement, participation in shaping the future, and promotes and perpetuates a peer group that just makes you smile all the way down inside.
Tye's energy is contagious. His smile is what hope is built on. And his sincerity and faith in his own abilities, as well as the impact he has in his community, are traits that I am envious of. I only hope his energy and commitment to improving his future and the future of other youth becomes an epidemic that infects us all.
Tye - you are a shining star. Thank you for being a leader, and for caring enough about your city and your future to step up to the plate.
I applaud you - more than you know!
If you would like to meet Tye then stop by the little park located at Huron and Locust on Sunday, April 22nd, for the Youth Rally. Tye will be there and you really should meet him. He's one incredible human being!
After talking with a few young folks yesterday I experienced a serious revelation...
I had become one of those 'old farts' that I had always sworn I would not become!
After having a few discussions on what could be better here in T-town, I heard comments like:
"We always get questioned just because we're hanging out."
"When I tried to ask for directions the guy turned and walked away!"
"I'm so tired of people saying I look like a freak!" (This from a young man with multiple piercings)
"They think because we're skateboarding that we're thugs!"
"This old woman yelled at us just for sitting on the curb!"
And the comments went on and on.
Where did I encounter these youngsters? They were in the outreaches of a parking lot I was going through and I stopped and asked them if I could ask their opinions about a few things. They were truly unprepared for one of us 'old farts' to stop and ASK them anything. They, obviously, are more used to one of us stopping and TELLING them something.
A few of the things I ASKED them about were:
What kind of response/comments do you get when you're just hanging out?
Do you think that people from MY generation (that would be grandparent age for these kids) are reasonable and fair when talking with you?
What do they anticipate as being the future of all the piercings and tats?
What were their opinions on what's taking place in Toledo?
What are they afraid of? (This took them by surprise)
Do they think that school is a waste of time?
The conversation lasted almost 30 minutes. And I have to tell ya - I learned ALOT. I learned that as I have gotten older, my mind had gotten narrower. I learned that while these kids looked different, they WERE NOT different. They are creative, inventive, intuitive, anxious, concerned, scared, insecure, and feeling lost.
In retrospect, they are feeling what I felt some 40+ years ago. Amazing! The looked different than we did back then, they had a language that was SO different than the slang we used way back then, and they were all carrying these weird boards with wheels. BUT - they were the same kids I had hung out with 'way back then' and will grow to be one of us 'old farts' that will question another generation's youth.
I related the theory of the Positrain to these youngsters and they were enthused! They lit up in hope that somewhere, somehow, someone will TRY to understand that while their emotions are no different than those experienced by US in our youth, that we can get past the superficial stuff and really make a difference when it comes to approaching, coaching, supporting and encouraging our kids.
Allllllllll Aboard!!!!! The Positrain is boarding on Track 1! Destination: Groundz 4 Change
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After surfing around some of the local blogs it seems as though the general consensus is that Toledo is in a (yet another) quagmire. We are forced to downsize, blend departments, restructure programs, and do away with services.
Some may say that this is just another bad year for Toledo. I say BUNK! Toledo has had many bad years, and in the end of the budget crunch the programs that seem to be expendable are the ones that were put in place to support the youth of our community. This is not a good thing.
So now we have a situation where we (those all knowing adults) who are frustrated with the kids roaming the streets, hanging on the corner, etc. are saying, "fine, sacrifice those programs, just don't raise my taxes!" Then we call Gov. Ctr. and fuss that the kids are breaking curfew, skipping school, hanging in the park, hanging on the corner.... It's a vicious circle - and a vicious cycle.
Now your question might be.....OK, so how do we keep the kids busy and still manage to balance our budget? Kind of a catch 22 thing. BUT - if we (you know - the village that's supposed to raise a child) take some initiative, and some responsibility, and encourage our neighbors to support community based programs we just might find that there are many out there with like concerns that are confused as to how to go about participating in a program that is 'outside the box' of government control.
I was always told there are three types of people:
1. Dreamers - the ones who will always have an idea, but don't ever follow through. They are content with having an idea. That's all it takes.
2. Doers - those that are willing to try something new, but sometimes when that idea doesn't produce instant results they grow weary and move on to something else.
3. True Believers - These are the Dreamers and Doers with a smattering of "not gonna give up" thrown in. They keep plodding along, ever hopeful that our world will change for the better, and aware that they will walk into brick walls on occasion. But they keep going. Focused. Intent. Devoted. Believing.
If you have ever thought about taking on a challenge, about helping to encourage change, about being part of a progressive thought process, seeing a project through to completion, basking in the warmth of success, or just taking an interest in the world around you.............then it's time. Time for you to realize that there are Groundz 4 Change and that you can be a part of it.
Get on the Positrain. The True Believers car is in the front. This is gonna be one helluva ride, folks!
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