Minnesota Youth Community Learning Initiative

"Let youth become strong in the knowledge that they can be part of shaping a better future." ¿ Gisela Konopka, 1910-2003

The Minnesota Youth Community Learning (MYCL) Initiative, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, partners Konopka Institute staff at the University of Minnesota and seven Minnesota community coalitions. Their collaboration re-engages students who are disconnected from learning and school through skill-based mentoring, parental support education and assistance, fostering school connectedness, and community capacity building.

In The News

In 2008,the University's Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health partnered with Kwanzaa Church and the Nia Imani Youth Development Center in north Minneapolis to bring students from the Kwanzaa Freedom School to the University of Minnesota campus. Read more!

MYCL Goals

The MYCL Initiative goal will be realized by partnering with seven Minnesota communities to:

• Link high school students who are disconnected from learning with a community teacher;
• Re-engage middle school students who are disconnected from learning;
• Assist schools to enhance a sense of connectedness for young people;
• Strengthen the capacity of each MYCL Initiative community coalition to address the needs of all youth in their community; and,
• Assist parents in providing positive parenting and educational support for their middle and high
  school students.

MYCL Communities at the U Day

145 students, parents and community members from the seven MYCL communities spent February 19 experiencing the U of M.

¿MYCL Communities at the U Day¿ was an opportunity for initiative partners to experience the vast education, research, and community outreach resources of the University of Minnesota. The event began with a "Price is Right" quiz show based on U of M facts. The event also included admissions information and lunch at Centennial and Pioneer residence halls. A panel discussion led by U staff included four University of Minnesota students sharing their personal and academic experiences. The day concluded with a scavenger hunt for youth and a guided tour of the campus for adults.

The MYCL Model

Healthy youth require the participation of and nurturing from the entire community. MYCL Initiative efforts in all seven communities are guided by advisory boards whose membership includes a diverse cross-section of community leaders and area youth. A guiding principal of the MYCL Initiative is collaborative and holistic involvement. It really takes a village to raise a child.

Healthy youth development is a cycle of caring and commitment between:

• Involved Youth
• School Connectedness
• Engaged Communities
• Positive Parenting

YOUTH RE-ENGAGED WITH LEARNING:
Teens who have high self-esteem are more likely to be protected from emotional distress, and having a good grade point average is also associated with less emotional stress. Being held back one or more grades increases the risk of emotional distress.(1)

A 1995 impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters shows mentored youth are:

• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• 53% less likely to skip school
• 33% less likely to get in fights

MENTORING EFFECT ON FOSTER YOUTH:

• Foster youth with mentors showed improvement in their peer support over time.
• Mentors provide youth with alternative models of relationships involving trust, support and care, and an opportunity for the development of basic social skills.(2)

SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS:

IN SCHOOL:

• The National Adolescent Health Survey (Add Health) examined many aspects of school environment, but found just one "a feeling of connectedness to school" to be consistently associated with better health and healthier behaviors among students.(3)

AFTERSCHOOL:

• Faced with fewer curricular demands than teachers, the staff who work in after-school programs have unique opportunities to engage in the sorts of informal conversations and activities that give rise to close bonds with youth. Caring youth-staff relationships may be a key determinant of both retention and success in after-school programming.

COMMUNIY CAPACITY:
Adults who work in after-school and mentoring programs bring a wealth of life experience and knowledge of community resources and are well positioned to connect with adolescents and to offer credible advice and guidance. Beyond offering emotional support, the adults who work in community programs are often prepared to provide tutoring, educational guidance, advice about the college application process, athletic coaching and instruction, as well as job search assistance.

• Both boys and girls are less likely to be involved in violent behavior when they report feeling connected to adults outside of their immediate family.
• Local leadership resources such as civic, religious and business organizations play a vital role in connecting youth to the larger community and can help develop life skills for youth as they grow toward adolescence and adulthood.(4)

POSITIVE PARENTING:

• Both boys and girls are less likely to be involved in violent behavior when they are able to discuss problems with parents, feel connected to their family, and participate in shared activities with parents.(5)

To learn more about positive parenting information and skills, visit the University of Minnesota Extension Service Positive Parenting website here (http://www.extension.umn.edu/positive parenting/)

(1)Blum, RW, Rinehart, PM. Reducing the risk: Connections that make a difference in the lives of youth. University of Minnesota, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

(2)Rhodes, J. E., Haight, W. L., & Briggs, E. (1999). The influence of mentoring on the peer relationships of foster youth in relative and non-relative care. Journal of Research on Adolescence 9:185-201.

(3)Connections that make a difference in the lives of youth. University of Minnesota, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

(4)The Power of Protective Factors in Reducing Youth Violence. University of Minnesota, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

(5)The Power of Protective Factors in Reducing Youth Violence. University of Minnesota, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

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