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YAR's impact on youth, and on
adults, is evidenced in every community where there is a YAR program. Rasheed Newson
began his involvement with Indianapolis YAR in 1992, at age 12. Today, even while
a university student, Rasheed is a national spokesperson for the program. Similarly,
Jennifer Cheslock became a member of the YAR board in Baltimore, MD, in 1995, at
the age of 13. She has been on the national board of the Center for Youth as Resources
since January of 1998 and was recently elected its youth co-chair.
Rasheed Newson
My initial involvement with Youth as Resources was somewhat accidental. I was
a member of a youth service organization that had a standing position on the board
for Indianapolis (IN) Youth as Resources. When that position opened up, several of
my friends asked me to fill the post. Now, I did not know the first thing about Youth
as Resources' mission, vision, or programs, but it really did not matter to me at
age 12. My friends said Youth as Resources (YAR) was cool. And, I wanted to do something
fun to kill slow-motion time in Indianapolis. So, I joined. I have never made a better
decision with such pitiful reasoning.
Seven years later, I am amazed when I look at the journey this program and I have
made together. YAR has grown into a network that now consists of more than 60 local
program sites, along with the national Center for Youth as Resources. Meanwhile,
I have grown five inches!
The YAR model has been adapted to and succeeded in different settings from rural
to urban to foreign. I have adapted to communicating and serving people in a variety
of ways from speaking to writing to listening. The passing time and subsequent growth
have done us both well. I did eventually discover what YAR's mission, vision, and
program were all about, and I embraced them.
YAR has gained my love and earned my loyalty for one reason above all others. Of
course it gave me the rare opportunity to sit as an equal among adult community leaders
at a very young age, but that is not why I am a supporter of YAR. Sure, YAR taught
me how to sharpen my leadership and presentation skills, but that is not why I am
a spokesperson for the program. Undoubtedly, the program shaped the way I view the
potential of youth and power of community service, but that is not why I travel to
help lead YAR trainings. I volunteer my time to support YAR because it transformed
the way I see myself and convinced me that I really can change the world around me.
"I volunteer
my time to support YAR because it transformed the way I see myself and convinced
me that I really can change the world around me."
My experiences [serving on YAR
boards] have been crucial in my development as a young adult. My leadership, public
speaking, social, and public relations skills have improved immensely as a result
of being a board member.
My experience in Baltimore has been quite different than most. I had been a regular
board member since 1995. We were barely functioning with no staff, little funding,
but with a great deal of volunteer enthusiasm and support. So, by the summer of 1998,
I had been chosen to be the Interim Staff. I coordinated and initiated a fund raising
effort, hired a new director, and began the process of filing for a 501(c)(3) tax
exempt status for the Baltimore program.
The experiences I have had from being a part of Youth as Resources have opened my
eyes to a whole new world of issues and community problems that I was not aware of
as a white suburban teenager.
Serving on the CYAR board at the national level has benefitted me so much. Let's
be real for a second. How many people can say that they sit on the board of directors
of a national organization? Not many. But, it's not just about being a board member.
It's about using your experiences on the local level and helping to develop policy
and procedures on the national level. It's also about using who you are to inform
those at the national level of problems that may be occurring at local sites. It's
also about gaining experience and knowledge about how you fit into the "big picture."
Knowing that I have the capabilities to help ensure that youth around the country
will benefit from Youth as Resources is enough for me. Knowing that I am helping
to make a difference in this somewhat jaded nation is very comforting. I also know
that by educating, working with, and in some cases
learning from adults, there is hope for youth in the future to accomplish what I
am now, with the encouragement and support of adults all over.
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