 |
|
|
Young people in Slavic Village, a mixed-race, Cleveland neighborhood of 31,000, had never really been given an opportunity to voice their concerns - much less take action on them. So maybe it was that pent-up store of energy and ideas that helped the Teen Neighborhood Leaders (TNL) hit the ground running when they formed in the spring of 2001. In just six months, they racked up an amazing array of accomplishments - among them, improvements to the neighborhood's Barkwill Park. How and why did this program get started? Kara Lubischer, a community organizer with Slavic Village Development Corporation (SVD), had been hearing complaints about teenagers from adults in the neighborhood. She also knew that Cleveland had no real process for teens to have a voice in their community. However, about this time, there were several community meetings about vandalism and harassment in the neighborhood surrounding Slavic Village's middle school and high school to which students were invited. At the meeting the students acknowledged that their peers might be causing problems, and said that they would like to have a major role in improving the situation with their peers. They decided to form a group, and the Teen Neighborhood Leaders (TNL) was born. "I knew we had to defend ourselves," says Senor Felder, 14, one of the students. "I saw TNL as a way to go on having a voice for kids in the neighborhood." Who is involved? Lubischer helped set up a recruiting campaign, first approaching the teenage children of block club members in the neighborhood. She also hung out at Barkwill Park, which had been voted among the worst in the city in a survey, but is a key gathering place for young people; and went to he high school during lunch periods. In a matter of weeks, 20 teens had signed up to form TNL. Twelve to 15 of them became core members (including two who no longer lived in Slavic Village, but hung out there regularly with friends). The group was split almost evenly between African-Americans and Caucasians, with more boys than girls. Some members are heavily involved in other school activities, while others hadn't participated in any groups or community service before TNL. Members get along well - and now sometimes hang out together outside of TNL meetings as well. What goes on as part of this program? The first matter at hand was for TNL members to decide what was important to them. Their initial list included issues such as overcrowded school buses, gang fights near the park, the lack of activities for teenagers and better stores in the neighborhood. Their top priorities focused on "place and politics". They decided to improve Barkwill Park, and to work toward getting state legislation passed for a Youth Services Scholarship Fund (which would be awarded to teens who did community service. The next step was to learn skills that would help the TNL members to achieve their goals. Lubischer adapted SVD's adult leadership class for younger people and met with the TNL every other week for about four months. The teens learned to write letters and newsletters, hold meetings and make up agendas, and create fliers. They also learned how to effectively communicate with politicians and other leaders. Stepping back to look at the long-term vision for the park, TNL teamed up with the parks department, their local Councilman, SVD and the Barkwill Park Committee to create a "dreamscape" for this mostly-concrete space. Their plan included the removal of tennis courts and the addition of more basketball courts, to be located so that the noise would not affect nearby residents. "We're working with other groups who have ideas for the park, but we didn't like some things about their design. It was a little too old-fashioned - basically like how adults would want it to be for them," says Felder. "So we're discussing it, and trying to come to a compromise." How has the program changed the community - and the participating teens? As they were learning the basics, TNL was also moving quickly into action, holding more than 60 meetings in its first six months. The group introduced themselves to school, community and social-service organizations, met with several City Councilmen to discuss issues at their school and at Barkwill Park and formed collaborative relationships with some of them. They also received a $10,000 grant from the Community Partners of University Settlement. But they knew they couldn't rely on politicians and grants to improve the park. They needed to do things! Just three months after founding TNL, the group organized a dual-purpose teen dance/community event in the park; and in the fall, with adults from the Barkwill Park Committee, they held an intergenerational North Broadway Festival there. They also held park clean-up days; convinced the parks department to restore the basketball hoops that had been removed to discourage the "wrong" people from using the park; and raised $2,500 for new playground equipment. TNL is not only changing their neighborhood park - they're showing adults a new view of teens. While Lubischer reports that some adults are still cynical, most are truly excited by the energy and activities of the TNL and want to work with them on numerous projects.
|
||||
|
|
