Youth In Action celebrated our last month of 2009 with meeting artists and working with different media.

In Buena Vista, Evelyn Baker, owner of The Trailhead and an accomplished stained glass artist joined us at the pre-school and taught the kids how to make a tile mosaic. The first week everyone designed a trivet with mini colored tiles glued onto larger tiles (donated by Beth MacNab with High Valley Furniture). We finished the project the last Monday we met in December when Evelyn taught us how to grout. Parents joining us for our End of Month Parent Showcase, helped seal the trivets so they would last at home for many holiday meals. Buena Vista matches also made a visit to Alf’s Blacksmith Shop where they learned about the age-old art of metal working. After watching a demonstration of heating and shaping metal into a hoof pick, we learned how to bend wire into shapes. Then, pre-schoolers tried their hand at shaping cold clay by pounding it against an anvil. Meanwhile, middle schoolers tried the same with soft pewter.

In Salida, our December started with a visit from painter Sally Mather. Sally’s beautiful landscapes decorate the Family & Youth Initiative office at 124 East 2nd Street, so we were excited to hear some of her artistic wisdom. She taught YIA about line and had us practice making different line shapes with our bodies. Then, pre-schoolers and middle schoolers mimicked the use of pastels using chalk, water, and black paper. Sally played music and encouraged us to make one continuous line. All the kids created masterpieces. The next week, we got an art show from our own high school staff, Katie Pugh, who was recently elected student of the month by her art teacher. Then Jenny Spiller, one of our pre-school teachers, showed charcoal portraits to the youth. Matches used charcoal and colored pencils to make portraits of their buddies. We wrapped up the month with a visit from Maverick Potter owner, Mark Rittman. After a demonstration of the kinds of things he makes out of clay, the kids went to work with their own clay, making cut-out ornaments and more! After Mark showed one of our pre-schoolershow to make a pinch pot, Kellen proceeded to make 9 more pots.

We are incredibly grateful to the generosity of Evelyn Baker, Alf the Blacksmith, Sally Mather, Jenny Spiller, and Mark Rittman for sharing their talents, their materials, their love for art, and their time with Youth In Action.

This month in Youth In Action, we met people in the food industry in Buena Vista and Salida and got a little taste ourselves of how to be cooks.  Our book of the month was Eric Rohmann’s A Kitten Tale - a book that reminded us the value of taking advantage of new opportunities and the fun that can bring to our friendships.

In addition to making tortillas from scratch and assembling and eating pizza, Youth In Action November adventures included:

A trip to The Eddyline Restaurant in Buena Vista – including a behind-the-scenes tour by Ryan McFadden, middle schoolers making pizzas for the pre-schoolers, and everyone getting a certificate and coupon.

A visit from Eddie Sandoval, owner and lead chef of The Asian Palate in Buena Vista – Eddie taught all the kids how to make a vegetarian sushi roll and a lettuce wrap.  After making the delicacy of their choice, matches shared their dishes with their parents.

A trip to Mountain Phoenix Roastery in Salida – including a tour by owner Bryan Joslin and hot cocoa for everyone!

A feast at The Country Bounty in Salida –Kids squeezed whipped cream onto chocolate moose, grated chocolate, spread cream cheeses onto bruscetta, built “chicken slider” sandwiches, and assembled veggie and dessert platters –all with the help of Chefs Mike Conway and Alicia Rampy.

Youth In Action is incredibly grateful to these local businesses for their support!

Buena Vista Youth In Action

Youth In Action (YIA), a branch program of Chaffee County Mentors, enrolls middle school youth and pre-school children each September to participate in cross-age peer mentoring. Meeting weekly after-school, Youth In Action focuses on supporting the social-emotional and literacy development of the pre-schoolers while also providing a unique opportunity for middle-school aged youth to take on responsibility and use leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment. Middle schoolers volunteer their time, participate in six hours of training, and are rewarded with fun field trips a couple times during the year.

The budding mentors could barely contain their excitement last week when we went to the pre-school – they were going to meet the little ones for the first time. The first two weeks of YIA involve meet-and-greet activities in which mentors and mentees get to know one another and then name the people with whom they particularly connected. Next week, the youth will be “matched” based on their choices. The Match Day is a special time when the youth plant the seed for friendships to build through the rest of the school year.

Buena Vista mentors and mentees in Youth In Action celebrate the year

Youth In Action, middle school youth mentoring pre-school children, culminated last week with a potluck dinner celebration for youth and their families.  Youth In Action is held Mondays after school in Buena Vista and Wednesdays after school in Salida and includes reading, crafts, field trips, and guest speakers.  This year, our theme was “Around the World” and each month focused on a story from a different culture.  In addition to stories from our home country, we also “visited” Guatemala, China, the region of West Africa, and Afghanistan.  Activities included making a pinata, learning Tai Chi, making masks, doing African drumming and dancing, making friendship bracelets and photo frames, and visiting a local farm.

At each celebration, we honored our matches, especially noting our matches of the month, our peer leaders, and those who had awesome attendance (missing no more than one meeting the entire year).  All pre-schoolers received a special book from their mentor, including a personalized note written on the inside.  We are incredibly proud of our 12 Buena Vista matches and our 11 Salida matches and the connections they have made with each other, with reading, and with their community this year.

The response from our parents has affirmed these connections:  One parent of a pre-schooler said, “My daughter used to say she never wanted to grow up.  Now she wants to be just like her teenage mentor.”  Another pre-school parent notes about her daughter that, “she learned to love reading and sits and reads her books independently and to her sister.”  A parent of a middle schooler said, “My child learned. . . how he can better himself to help other people.”  Finally, another pre-school parent said, “the activities are well rounded and provide opportunities to the children to experience things they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.”

We are grateful to all our parents for their support and the delicious dishes they brought to the potlucks.  Over 60 family members attended the celebration at the BV Community Center on Monday and over 40 came to the Salida Middle School on Wednesday.  Thanks also to Punky’s Diner in Buena Vista for their yummy BBQ pork, to the Salida Middle School for helping make the dinner happen so easily, and to Salida Tool and Equipment Rental for their support.

The celebration and thank you to our middle school mentors continued last Saturday with a trip to Elitch Gardens in Denver.  The eighteen youth who attended this mentor appreciation activity enjoyed the rides and getting to know the mentors from the other town.

FEBRUARY MATCHES OF THE MONTH

Salida

Both Mitch and Christopher  get fully involved in whatever we’re doing, even singing!  Mitch does a great job relating to Christopher and keeping a positive attitude.  Congratulations, Mitch & Christopher!

Buena Vista

Congratulations to Kaylynne and Isabell who attended every week in February.  They have fun staying together, whether it’s during reading, play time, or a field trip.  Kaylynne knows how to be playful and guide Isabell without taking over.

Susan Strauss teaches stories through movement

Youth In Action students in Buena Vista and Salida recently had the opportunity to both listen to and tell stories with Susan Strauss, storyteller extraordinaire from Bend, Oregon.  Her visit was a perfect transition into the Thanksgiving Holiday as she shared Native American stories of gratitude.  After listening to a story about coyote (and his “tracks, tracks, tracks . . .”), students practiced movements for a story of how Eagle stole the sun.  After learning the story through movement, middle school mentors told the story to families at our end-of-the-month “Parent Showcase.”

Susan’s visit also served as a culmination of our month of “building bridges.”  Each month in Youth In Action, we introduce a new story from Rasperries and Rhinos: Tolerance Tales for the Early Grades, a free curriculum offered by Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.   The story chosen for November was “Old Joe and the Carpenter: An Appalachian Tale of Building Bridges.”  This story of farmers from the eastern U.S. taught us to be willing to find solutions to issues that may get in the way of our friendships.  Middle schoolers and pre-schoolers shared ideas like saying “thank you” or “I’m sorry” as ways to “build bridges” with each other.  Then they built more literally: matches built mini bridges out of wood, cardboard, and glue and worked together to form bridges/towers and do acrobatics with the Salida Circus.  Susan’s stories reminded us of the bridges built between Europeans and Native Americans in the early history of our country — the background behind our celebration of Thanksgiving.

During Susan’s week in Buena Vista and Salida, she also shared stories and a workshop with Nurturing Parenting families and taught two workshops for teachers, entitled “The Passionate Fact,” which were sponsored by Colorado Mountain College and the Buena Vista and Salida Libraries.  Susan’s visit was also made possible thanks to support from Lakeside Motel, Joyful Feet, and Farmhands Education.

Kayla reading to Junior

Youth In Action students meet weekly after-school to participate in reading, crafts, field trips, and other fun activities that build connections between mentors (middle schoolers) and mentees (pre-schoolers).  Every month (starting in October) a match from each town is chosen as the “Match of the Month” for their attendance, participation, and connection with their buddy.  For October, we are celebrating Orion Gamber with Avery Thomas in Salida and Kayla Oliver with Troy “Junior” Thornton in Buena Vista.

Kayla and Junior playing together

Kayla and Junior both love Youth In Action.  They attended every week in October, participated in all the activities, and really enjoy being matched with each other.  Kayla says, “We’re a perfect match — we’re both quiet and like being with each other.”

Orion reading to Avery

Orion and Avery knew they wanted to be matched from the first time they met.  Both had perfect attendance in October, and when Orion couldn’t come the first week of November, Avery really missed his buddy.  It’s clear these two have a strong connection.

Cool Dudes!