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Youth Development Network Newsletter

Sacramento Youth Leadership Program Youth Development Network (YDN) partners with Sacramento City

Unified School District (SCUSD) and WayUp Sacramento to host

two leadership camps focusing on the change that young people

can make in their communities. This edition features stories of how

the Sacramento Youth Leadership Program (SYLP) came to be.

Also, read some powerful testimonies from some of the facilitators

of the recent 2013 Fall SYLP Camp

Phone: 916-566-1652

Fax: 916-566-1653

Email: eric@ydnetwork.org

5115 Dudley Blvd. / Bay B

McClellan, CA 95652

Youth Development Network

Camp Picture

Galt Joint Union Elementary School District Youth Development Network has been supporting Galt Joint Union

Elementary School District’s Youth Master Plan and their Race to

the Top-Bright Future for Galt Student program. Inside, you’ll get a

closer look at all the great things that Galt has achieved.

Yolo County Libraries The Youth Development Network team has collaborated with Yolo

County Libraries to incorporate StrengthsQuest into all of their

libraries. Learn about all the work that Yolo County Libraries is do-

ing and how they are using their strengths to the best of their ability.

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2013 Winter Edition

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2013 SYLP CSUS Camp Group Photo

Sacramento Youth Leadership Program’s History The Sacramento Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), spearheaded by Jay Schenirer, began 10 years ago as a class

project of the American Leadership Forum (ALF) when 25 ALF Senior Fellows decided to recreate their ALF

experience for inner city, at-risk youth. The program now included a one-day orientation, four-day youth leadership

wilderness trip, and commencement activities for the youth and their families, as well as project based coaching from

the YDN team.

Specific SYLP goals are to:

Support the social, emotional, and physical health of young people and their families to increase student academic

success, and stabilize communities.

Transform school climate by increasing school attendance and student achievement, reducing suspensions,

expulsions and gang activity.

Integrate school and neighborhood leadership by decreasing gang activities, and improving the overall health and

well being of young people.

The Evolution of SYLP

Currently, SYLP brings together 300+ high school students to the Sacramento State campus for a high impact

weekend of learning, development and fun. For some, it is their first time ever spending the night away from home. For

others, it is the first time ever on a college campus. They get to learn about themselves and the leadership abilities

they have. They also get to build relationships with other high school students from all over the Sacramento area.

At the summer camp, we are scouting for those who show promise to becoming a change agent to invite to our

advanced camp. The advanced camp is a four-day, three-night trip to the mountains. A superhero theme is woven into

the whole camp. Before going to the camp, participants take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment developed by Gallup

Press. The assessment gives campers their top five strengths (superhero abilities) which tells them what they are

good at naturally (public speaking, winning crowds over, connecting people, strategic thinking). They partner with

other superheroes from their schools to combat a super-villain (bullying, littering, bad teacher-student relationship) on

campus. Be sure to check out our camp video created by the amazing ShortStack Entertainment by clicking here.

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What our Young people Are Saying About Camp Ultimately, the YDN team wants to plan a fun camp that young people want to be a

part of. Here are some of the testimonies given by the young people.

Alex Perez “Guys I freaking love every single one of you. Camp was great. You guys at camp make me feel important, cared for, and wanted. I know I’m not very open, but this time I let it all out. The first night was AH-MAZING. And I cried really hard, and Phylicia came to hug me tightly. Soon after a bunch of you joined her and hugged me too. And then I cried even harder. Phylicia told me "I love

you Alex. Ok? You ARE someone special. You DO matter". And so did every one else. Those were just the words I needed to hear. No-one has told me they believed in me before you guys. I know I can get annoying, I can get off task, But you guys still care. You haven't given up on me. I love you so much. I’m being one hundred percent honest with you. I. Love. You. All. I just wanted too thank you for loving mee back. Love always,

Alex. “

Alex Perez showing his tonsils.

Showing love to SYLP

Kat concealing her identity at the dance

Kat Lopez-Johnson “I am a maximizer

I have adaptability

I have empathy

I have ideation

I am a communicator

If it wasn't for you guys and that

amazing, fun-filled, enlightening,

just-plain-enjoyable weekend, I would

never have realized my true strengths

and I would never had met the

amazing friends I made there.

Thank you so much and I will

definitely see you next year (maybe

as a facilitator? )

I love you all so much. -Kat”

Derek Niskala

“The SYLP Camp Newman Was Truly A Memorable Trip To NEVER FORGET!!

Having Me Get Out Of My Comfort Zone Waas Truly Something No Other

Camp Experience Has Done For Me! I Would Love To Be A Student Administra-

tor And Work With Next Years Freshman/Sophomores Along With The SYLP

Staff This Next And UpComing SOS And Winter Camp Trip! I will Also Be

Posting Traits In 3 Days!! Thank You.”

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Jennyann Gallo Jennyann Gallo has become one of our camp veterans. Jennyann has been on our planning team for the past 8 camps and has facilitated a workshop in each one of those camps. Jennyann and I got to sit down to talk about her experience as one of our youth facilitators. Here is what she has to say….

Why did you become a facilitator? Truthfully, I wanted to go back to camp. It was a great experience that I wanted to have again. When I went to camp, the facilitators of that camp were so inspiring and I wanted to be like them.

How is your experience as a facilitator? When I am facilitating, I feel like I am teaching these people who have no idea that they are strong leaders. I want to help everybody become a strong leader and make a change in their community.

The facilitation team is a second family to me. We spend countless amount of time together to learn and grow. We get to know each other on a deeper level.

What does being a leader mean to you? Being a leader means everything to me. Leaders are the ones to make the world a better place. If nobody else steps up, who is going to. I am always the leader at school and with my friends. It’s so normal to me, being a leader at camp, I just bring it back with me.

What does SYLP mean to you? When I am at camp, I am my complete self. There is no judgment at camp. I am constantly around judgment at school and home. Whenever I come home from camp, I have to check myself because it is not a free environment where I can act how I want. SYLP is an environment where I want to be 24/7. SYLP means home.

You will be graduating soon, how does it feel to know you won’t have SYLP in your life anymore? I just choose not to think about it. It just makes me feel better. I do plan to come back as an adult. SYLP is where I go to recharge my fuel. However, I do feel that I am ready to leave SYLP. SYLP has given me the skills that I need to succeed in life.

Jennyann showing off her flying abilities Jennyann preparing her cape

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Jennyann’s Personal Statement Jennyann wrote her college personal statement on her experiences with SYLP. “Take your time!” “Don’t look down!” “We have you!”

I hear these words of encouragement 50 feet below me as I am trembling furiously throughout

my whole body, trying desperately to move my foot forward along the cable. I look down, past

my faded jeans and torn black vans, at the ground where five strangers are holding the rope

that is holding my life. Where I come from, the highest I’ve climbed is over a fence, and now my

life is in the hands of teenagers I’ve known for 24hrs.

Through the Sacramento Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), this was just one of multiple

activities where I was forced outside of my comfort zone as a shy and insecure freshman who

had terrible stage fright. I had to expose myself physically, mentally, and emotionally in front of

60 other youth attending this three day, two night camp. At SYLP, I choked out my life story

through my sobs and fell to the floor in hysteria, while simultaneously gaining a better

understanding of myself and who I wanted to be. Before I knew it, I was starting conversations,

speaking in front of people, volunteering first, including others, and being a leader, all with a big

smile pasted across my face.

I was invited to return the following year as a youth facilitator. As a facilitator, I would be the one

planning camp, running the workshops, and serving as a role model for the youth who would be

attending. I would be the one responsible for changing someone else’s life the way that mine

was changed through my use of facilitation and mentorship. I was nervous at first but I realized

that once we are able to grow, we should then turn around and support others in their journey

toward growth as well. It seemed bizarre that only a year prior, I could barely talk loud enough

for my teacher to hear me and now I am able to speak in front of any size crowd and make my

voice heard and it is a part of who I am. I can say that I gained a great amount of confidence

through SYLP. Being a facilitator is a passion of mine, it brings me absolute joy to watch others

experience something wonderful and knowing that I influenced and changed their life. I grew

into this amazing leader, who is now able to use the skills I gained through my experiences and

help others realize their potential and opportunity for growth.

Completely wiped out~ Taking a selfie with DJ Anthony Jennyann on the ones and twos

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What does being a leader mean to you? Being a leader means the whole world, no the whole universe to me. I don’t even know how to put it into words. I never thought I would stare 175 high school students and helping them find their path. The best leader is a leader that is caught by surprise.

How is your experience as a facilitator? My experience as a facilitator is indescribable. It’s just a completely different vibe when you return to camp. You have to attend all these meetings to plan out the workshops, but it’s completely worth it.

Can you explain the environment of camp? Camp is a very close knit environment. The first camp I ever went, I remember I didn’t know anybody. They were high schoolers from different youth groups. Towards the end of camp, I remember that family environment. A lot of people don't have that environment where they can be themselves. It’s just good for kids to let themselves be free. It’s not safe for them to bottle themselves up. We provide support and a shoulder to cry on when it’s needed.

What does SYLP mean to you? SYLP means family. We spend so much time and brain power with each other. It’s crazy because not a lot of people know about SYLP and they need to. SYLP is the spark that ignites the fire of change.

What kind of growth have you seen in yourself? I have seen real growth in myself. Coming into high school, I didn’t care about my education. I almost didn’t walk on my eighth grade gradation. We don’t have to get into details, but I ended up walking.

Camp opened my eyes and woke me up. Camp, especially the StrengthsFinder, helped me realize what I was good at. I always talked to people, but without any purpose. The StrengthsFinder helped me realize that I was good at winning people over. I recognize that I use my strengths everyday.

You will be graduating soon, how does it feel to know you won’t have SYLP in your life anymore? Pretty much, this was my last camp. It is going to be hard to be involved next year, with all the college things coming up. However, SYLP has pushed me out of the mother’s nest. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye. Wait no, it’s not goodbye. It will be a “I’ll see you later.”

Olivia Contreras is also one of our

camp veterans. She joined us as

what society would label as

“at-risk.” Camp has given her an

outlet where she can learn about

her leadership skills, where her

peers view her as a leader. She

reflects on her experience as a

facilitator. Olivia taking a selfie with Jennyann Gallo and DJ Anthony

Olivia Contreras

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Since the summer of 2010, I have been going to Sacramento Youth

Leadership Program (SYLP) camp. SYLP camp is about change

whether it’s in your community or yourself. They teach you what it

means to be a leader and what a leader consist of. I never thought I

would contain all those abilities of a leader; however, the adult leaders,

who ran the camp, saw what I had to offer and asked me to come back

next year. This time was to help facilitate and run next year’s camp.

The first year I facilitated was a breeze. We went back to Portola, CA

and while I was there I was making connections with others I never

thought possible in only a matter of three days. You could imagine how

thrilled I was when the adult leaders asked me to come back the next

year and facilitate.

My second year of facilitating camp, I will never forget. That year SYLP

hosted two leadership camps; one in July at Sac State which was held

for around 275 students and one in November in Portola, CA which

was held for around 115 students. The Sac State camp was hectic.

There were students from various high schools from the South

Sacramento School District. I met so many students, it was hard to

remember most of the students I met that hour. Strangely, there was

one boy who stood out to me. He was from Legion High School. He

smoke, drank and was nothing but trouble. While talking to him there

was a wall built up so strong it seemed like impossible to break. I could

tell he wanted to break through that wall but yet, he wasn’t strong

enough to do it on his own. When first camp was over I felt like I could

really help him so I invited him to come to the second camp.

The second camp of the year was a real eye opener, not only for the

boy but for me as well. Since the moment I saw him step off the bus, I

talked to him as much as I could one on one. During workshops, I sat

there with him, giving the attention he craved. I explained every

workshop in detail to what each workshop’s purpose was. Little by little

I could feel him break through his own wall, he was getting more

vulnerable and emotional to the things he was telling me. By the end of

camp, he was emotionally exposed. Fortunately, he was surrounded by

people who cared about him and wanted to be there for him to fall back

upon. I was sad camp was over but happy of the impact I had on

someone. I was saying my goodbyes to the rest of the campers, when

suddenly, his and my eyes locked for what seemed like forever. He

hugged me as tight as he could and said, “Thank you for saving my

life.”

Olivia and Jennyann at the Dance

Olivia not happy with her bread

Part of the Facilitation Team joining the camp circle

Olivia shares her story.

Olivia Contreras’ Personal Statement - Olivia shares her SYLP story in her

own words for her college personal statement.

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SYLP Campfire

At the end of the first day

of camp, the facilitation

team setup a campfire for

campers to make

s’mores. It was a

beautiful night out, clear

skies and with only a light

breeze. The facilitation

team originally planned to

toast marshmallows and

play drums for the

campers.

Camp can be a magical

place and something else

happened. People

stepped up, were having

fun and singing together,

but not just any regular

campfire songs. They

picked songs that were

relevant and everyone

knew. Others stepped up

and volunteered to toast

the marshmallows for

group, initially a part of

the facilitation team had

volunteered to do that.

Jennyann stated that

“This sort of thing never

happens on the first day.

People are still putting up

their “front” and trying to

stay cool. It was

completely different this

me around.”

Rangineh shares her strengths story.

Rangineh Azimzadeh Tosang

Rangineh was one of our adult facilitators who worked together with a group of youth

to facilitate a workshop and plan the camp. Rangineh is no rookie in the field of

facilitation. Her facilitation experience comes from her work at Ubuntu Green. Here’s

her SYLP story.

Why did you become an SYLP facilitator? The more I became familiar with YDN and their philosophy they have about youth development, the more I fell in love with the organization. Once I became an SYLP facilitator, seeing the growth in young people was inspiring to me.

Can you tell us about the environment that YDN has tried to set-up? I think the youth we work with come from different home environments. YDN setups up a safe and fun environment where youth can be exactly who they are. SYLP provides youth with a safe haven where they do not have to worry about all the things they left behind at home.

How does facilitating for YDN differ from Ubuntu Green? I see the fun and relaxed way to be a facilitator. Whenever I am in the YDN world, I am inspired to be a little like YDN. I deliberately look to have fun at meetings. I am looking to create environments that inspires creativity thinking and not just critical thinking.

What kind of growth have you seen in the young people? I can split it up into two parts.

One part watching the youth facilitators step up and grow from the summer camp to the winter camp. They were so much more comfortable at the winter camp. It was fun to see it happen and let them show off their newfound leadership skills.

The second part is seeing the campers grow. They were unsure about what they were going to get out of this experience. I believe the campers walked away knowing that they are have something to offer the world with their strengths.

Rangineh practices her photog-raphy

Campers joining in the campfire songs

Derek Niskala toasting marshmallows

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Galt Joint Union Elementary School District For six years, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District (GJUESD) and

YDN have worked together to strengthen youth development practices

and policies within the entire district as foundation to optimize student

engagement and school climate. I was fortunate to have a video confer-

ence via Skype with Karen Schauer, Superintendent of Galt Joint Union

Elementary School District to capture the amazing progress taking shape

in that community.

YDN collaborates with Galt

We applied for a mini-grant from YDN. The mini-grant had the challenge

for our district to create change with meaningful impact that rippled out to

youth. We were able to involve our school board members, classified

unions, teachers union, school administrators, teacher leaders (academic

leaders) in YDN’s Strengths Based Institute (SBI). We saw this work so

important to our development that a Board Member decided to write the

Race to the Top master plan, which incorporates strengths development

throughout the entire district.

Galt Goes through the Strengths Based Institute

Karen explains that every person having direct contact with young people

(cafeteria, bus drivers, administrators, secretaries) can benefit from taking

the StrengthsFinder assessment. The SBI helped provide an introduction

for adult leaders to apply strengths work in the classroom. The institute

helped everyone personally understand the full picture of the strengths

research. The YDN team worked in Galt to provide training and will

continue to provide coaching and technical assistance that impacts all the

leaders in the district. The ultimate vision for Galt Joint Unified School

District is for students to have a better voice in the education they receive.

Strengths Based Work with Students Karen: “As we are on this Skype

call right now, we are just finishing

up StrengthsFinder assessment

for all of our students, 4th to 8th

grade.“

Eric: “How do you feel that some

people may think that a 4th grader

might be too young to learn about

their strengths?”

Karen: “We need to start as young

as Pre-Kindergarten. We are actu-

ally looking to embody the

StrengthsFinder approach into our

education. Every student at our

school district will have a

personalized learning plan

(whether that be one-on-time time

or electronically like we are doing

right on Skype). Instead of looking

at the negative, Galt is looking to

identify all good things happening

with our young people. We are

going to focus on being a

Strengths-Based school district

and not be a deficit based one.”

Eric: “What does that mean?”

Karen: Instead of always looking at

what is wrong with our students

and punishing them for that (deficit

-based model), we are going to

look at what that student is good at

and help them apply that

knowledge with what needs to be

developed (Strengths-based

model).

Adults collaborating at the Institute

Pictures of participants of the Strengths Based Institute

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Yolo County Libraries Yolo County Libraries has been hard at work, cultivating opportunities for positive interactions between youth and

library staff at all of their locations. Yolo County Libraries received a grant from the California State Library to

provide Youth Development training for their entire staff. YDN has collaborated with Yolo County Libraries to

provide a Youth Development Institute to 37 full time staff and about 40 part time staff. Patty Wong (Yolo County

Librarian/Chief Archivist) and I were playing phone tag for awhile, but we finally got the chance to talk over the

phone. Here is what I learned from her.

Yolo County Libraries started with a core group of staff who attended a Strengths Based Institute (SBI). The SBI

looks at why a focus on strengths matters and uses Gallup’s StrengthsFinder research tool. They were able to

explore the impact of staff members using their individual strengths both at work and in their personal lives.

This team of core staff brought the strengths development model back with them and presented it at a staff

meeting where they explained that everybody was going to take the StrengthsFinder assessment. Within 20

minutes, the energy carried over and everybody was eager to take the assessment. Patty Wong says that this is

the first time in her 30 years of work that she didn’t get pushback from her staff.

From there, Yolo County Libraries and YDN started to create a coalition in Yolo County focusing on changing youth

outcomes and establishing a common language for Youth Development. From this, the Yolo County Youth

Coalition was born. The Coalition is proud to be multi-faceted organization. They have school districts at the table,

Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE), representatives from the school district, elected officials, Winfred

Roberson (Davis Joint Unified School District Superintendent), Paul Fawcett (principal of Winters High School),

and a host of other county organizations. Besides establishing a common language, Yolo County Youth Coalition

hopes to become better at working for and with young people. One thing that the coalition is missing (but currently

working on) is that they want to get young people directly involved with the coalition.

What has changed

Language has changed in the office. Staff members talk about their "Top 5" and everybody understands what that

means. When working, people will look to others with certain strengths. For example when they need to win

someone over, they find the person with Woo.

We are no longer a deficit focused organization. Whenever the end of the year “review” comes along, we no longer

focus on the things that people need to work on. Instead, we have changed the language to what people are good

at (focusing on their bright spots) and what they want to focus on with their strengths. Staff members that would

have never volunteered for projects are stepping up to the plate to spearhead projects.

One of Yolo County Library’s agreements Yolo County Libraries participating in an icebreaker

Contact Us

Give us a call for if you

have any questions,

comments or concerns or

if you want to say hello!

Youth Development

Network

5115 Dudley Blvd.

McClellan, CA 95652

(916) 566-1652

eric@ydnetwork.org

www.ydnetwork.org

www.facebook.com/

ydnetwork

Who am I? Hello, my name is Eric Banh. I was brought onto the

YDN team to design and write the YDN newsletter and

assist the camp facilitators with all their work.

I met the YDN team back in 2007 when they were

providing training to Sierra Health Foundation’s Reach

coalitions. I was one of the facilitators for the South

Sacramento Coalition for Future Leaders’ youth group.

From there, I transitioned into volunteering with YDN at various events. I was one of

their photographers for their SYLP camps. SYLP has provided me with a way to learn

about myself and my strengths.

Thank you for taking the time to read YDN’s newsletter.

Newsletter Treat: Icebreaker

Non-Verbal Relay Race

Objective: Be the first team to correctly identify non-verbal emotions and phrases.

Time Limit: 15 minutes

Preparation: Have one phrase or word per card describing an emotion or thought. Each group should have the same set of cards.

Possible Card Example: “Happy” “I don’t care”

Instructions: Split groups into equal number teams and give them a stack of emotions or phrases. Tell groups that it is always important to pay attention to a group’s energy. Facilita-tors and youth workers must be cautious of the non-verbal signals that are being put off by participants. When you say “Go” each group will have 5 minutes to correctly identify as many non-verbal messages as they can. One at a time, a group member will hold up a card with-out looking at it, and show the rest of their team what is written on it. The rest of the group will then non-verbally act-out whatever the card says.

For example: if the card says “bored,” the group will all give their non-verbal interpretation of what they see.

Report Back: After the activity bring everyone back to the circle and share one or two quick observations.

Debrief Questions: Was this hard for any of you? What are some additional things you noticed in your group? Has there ever been a time where someone did not recognize how you felt based on your non-verbal messages?