Connections Count

1. Who inspired you to succeed? Connections Count 2011 Youth Summit

2. Making a difference -family My mother is a teacher… “…educational achievement was always an expectation. I was told from the beginning that I was smart and could apply myself.”

3. Developmental Asset # 1 Support Family support: Family life provides high levels of love and support

4. Making a difference - educators It was a nun - “…she taught journalism and made it a point to get us into the community or where a story was happening. That inspiration lead to my career.”

5. Developmental Asset # 3 Support Other adult relationships: Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults.

6. Making a difference - educators My first grade teacher… “…arranged an overnight camping trip for all of the students and their parents. We slept in cabins, roasted marshmallows, fished and sang songs. It was called Camp Oh-No.”

7. Mr. Jenkins… “ …was one of my high school English teachers. He was notoriously strict about his writing standards. I hated him for it. When I got to college and saw how much my peers struggled, I realized how lucky I was for the opportunity to be his student.” Making a difference - educators

8. Developmental Asset # 16 Boundaries and expectations High expectations Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

9. Making a difference -family My mom “I didn’t understand outlining until my mom sat down with me at the kitchen table to teach me. It was 30 years ago, but I remember it clearly.”

10. Making a difference - coaches My coach taught me… • How to prepare – pack my bag the night before school • School comes 1st – can’t play sports without it • You have to get along as a whole team to achieve • Attitude makes all the difference

11. Making a difference - family My dad… “…insisted on family dinners where we always talked about what happened during our days at school. He continues to be present for me…and my son. He is going to take him to ‘kite day’ at his school.”

12. Developmental Asset # 12 Boundaries and expectations School boundaries School provides clear rules and consequences.

13. Making a difference - librarians The town librarian “Saturday story hour at our public library was something we always looked forward to. The small town librarian acted the characters, used puppets, etc., to make the stories come alive.”

14. Developmental Asset # 18 Constructive use of time Youth programs Young person spends three or more hours per week In sports, clubs or organizations at school and/or in the community.

15. Making a difference - educators Mr. Taylor “…was my school principal. One year my family coincidentally ran into he and his wife on our way to Florida over a holiday break. He told us that he just missed us so much that he decided to check up on us to be sure we were behaving. I remember him as a hugely invested person in my school experience.”

16. Making a difference - educators Mrs. Boston “My first grade teacher, Mrs. Boston, had an old barber chair in her class. We pretended it was a space ship and played “Star Wars.”

17. Making a difference - educators My 9th grade English teacher “After my first essay test in high school he wrote on my exam ‘This is the best exam of the class. Have you ever thought about being a journalist?’ And guess what – I majored in journalism in college and worked in the media for 3 years because of him.”

18. Making a difference – educators High school band director “My high school band director always asked our best in music and behavior. He really taught us the importance of carrying yourself well and representing the school and ourselves in the best light possible.”

19. Developmental Asset # 14 Boundaries and expectations Adult role models Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.

20. Making a difference – parents My mom “My mom had a shelf in the living room that displayed a sundry assortment of fourth grade ceramics including a snake, horse head and misshapen vase.”

21. Making a difference – places The library “No matter where I moved, there was always a library filled with books and a Pizza Hut where I could go to redeem my ‘Book It’ coupon for pizza.”

22. Developmental Asset # 7 Empowerment Community values youth Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.

23. Making a difference – church family People in my church “Without ‘any’ parent involvement the people in my church became a critical part of my feelings of worth and ability to learn. Without first gaining positive interactions with adults it was not a priority to learn. When this occurred, I soared in school and loved to learn.”

24. Developmental Asset # 19 Constructive use of time Religious community Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.

25. Making a difference – coaches My coach taught me…Part II • Family commitments should come before sports • Hard work pays off • Leave the gym better than you found it – pick up your trash and other’s trash And somewhere in between all those life lessons we learned how to play volleyball….

26. Making a difference – educators My high school choir teacher… “…spent many, many hours outside of the classroom working with students on musical performances, school plays, etc. – it provided a place where I felt like I belonged.”

27. Making a difference – family My parents… “…gave me access to other adults who proved to be wonderful life role models. The librarian at story hour, the Girl Scout leader, the piano teacher, the Sunday school teachers, the athletic coaches and their friends in social settings.”

28. Making a difference – educators English teacher “I never considered making a career of the English language until an English teacher in college told me that I am a good writer. So I became and English teacher!”

29. Making a difference – family My grandma “She loved to read and her home was filled with books. She taught me to love reading…and gave me the confidence to believe that I could actually be the first person in our family to graduate college – and I was!”

30. Making a difference – educators Mrs. Campbell… “…used to stay after school to allow us to work on class projects. The school would be empty and it felt like a special thing for a teacher to do just for me!”

31. Making a difference – community member Somebody… “…donated a bunch of circular sequins in different colors to our art teacher. We made a giant, 8 foot Pete’s Dragon for the school art fair in 5th grade. I still have a picture of my 11 year old self in front of a shiny, green dragon.”

32. Making a difference – educators Mrs. Morgan “At the end of third grade Mrs. Morgan invited the whole class to her home, a REAL teacher’s home. She had horses and I got smart weed rash.”

33. Making a difference – educators The teachers that cared about me “That’s who I remember – that made me excited about learning. We went to a teacher’s house to bake cookies. I still have a birthday card from my second grade teacher. I remember these kinds of interactions above everything else that happened in school.”

34. Making a difference – family My parents’ and aunt’s… “…expectation that I could excel, would excel and that I belonged in college.”

35. Making a difference – family My mom “I remember going to the library with my mom to do research for school projects. We were on our hands and knees pulling out books, getting excited about learning new information.”

36. Developmental Asset # 6 Support Parent involvement in schooling Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.

37. Making a difference – family My parents “On parent-teacher night my parents divvied up three different schools and times so they could be involved with all of their kids’ education and have teacher contact.”