For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been helping the Youth Council at Project Create DC. Talking with them about their past experiences, what kind of environment they want Project Create to be for everyone else, stuff like that.
The Council members range in age from 17-24 and come from all over DC. I’m pretty clear with them that my role isn’t to tell them what to do (‘cause they grown, and know it) but to guide them in figuring out how their past and present lessons will help them in the future. I write stuff down; they draw some art-creative juices flow.
So, in this last session, we talked a lot about the ‘rules’ that this council wanted for the rest of the students at Project Create, which they use to govern themselves. I capped it off at 10.
Of course, the golden rule- that of respect- topped the list.
The others included:
1. Clean up after yourself
2. Judgmental behavior not allowed
3. No bullying
4. Spread love
5. Keep your language PG
6. Encourage creativity and self-expression
7. Be open and verbalize your thoughts and feelings, appropriately, depending where you are and who you’re with
8. Acknowledge people as you come and go in a room; and
9. Keep going.
Alongside rules, we talked about what success and its alter ego, failure, was to them. Besides getting better at something that you once was bad at, they defined it as an experience relative to themselves personally, as opposed to proving something to the outside world. It can sometimes mean destruction of something, which can allow for another, new, thing to take its place.
This group will meet with me for the next month or so. I’m excited to see what we talk about next. Stay tuned.
Photos courtesy of Shanelle.
The Council members range in age from 17-24 and come from all over DC. I’m pretty clear with them that my role isn’t to tell them what to do (‘cause they grown, and know it) but to guide them in figuring out how their past and present lessons will help them in the future. I write stuff down; they draw some art-creative juices flow.
So, in this last session, we talked a lot about the ‘rules’ that this council wanted for the rest of the students at Project Create, which they use to govern themselves. I capped it off at 10.
Of course, the golden rule- that of respect- topped the list.
The others included:
1. Clean up after yourself
2. Judgmental behavior not allowed
3. No bullying
4. Spread love
5. Keep your language PG
6. Encourage creativity and self-expression
7. Be open and verbalize your thoughts and feelings, appropriately, depending where you are and who you’re with
8. Acknowledge people as you come and go in a room; and
9. Keep going.
Alongside rules, we talked about what success and its alter ego, failure, was to them. Besides getting better at something that you once was bad at, they defined it as an experience relative to themselves personally, as opposed to proving something to the outside world. It can sometimes mean destruction of something, which can allow for another, new, thing to take its place.
This group will meet with me for the next month or so. I’m excited to see what we talk about next. Stay tuned.
Photos courtesy of Shanelle.
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