Penny Deathe, Healthy Community–Healthy Youth Flamborough

Raising children isn’t easy. As a parent of three teens there have been some pretty challenging moments and conversations I never thought I’d have to have, let alone trying to keep up to date!  The one thing I know for certain is that I can’t do it alone. Friends, teachers, neighbours, relatives and many others all play an important role and when we support each other, great things happen.

Healthy Community-Healthy Youth Flamborough is a partnership of caring adults from every sector of the community who believe in the strength of the Developmental Assets. Our vision: “Youth in Flamborough are asset-rich, make healthy decisions, are involved in the community, and are supported, loved and cared for by the whole community.”

Developmental assets are the 40 values, experiences and qualities which empower youth to succeed. For a list of the 40 assets visit www.focusonthe40.ca.

Through our schools, businesses, service clubs, churches, agencies, organizations, community networks and the Flamborough Review, we will learn to “Listen, Laugh and Inspire.”

Listen – We want to hear from youth and we encourage them to have a voice. Each month a youth will share their insights, challenges and life as a teen in Waterdown.

Laugh – We’ll look for ways to encourage families to have fun together. We are also excited to introduce “Pud” to the Flamborough community. Steve Nease, well known for his political cartoons and a father of four boys, traced the fun and trials of raising kids through a weekly cartoon. Steve has generously provided us with his cartoon to add to our monthly column.

Inspire – We want to inspire you to inspire the youth in your life. Whether your kids, grandkids, students, nieces/nephews, employees, customers, friends or neighbours kids, you can play an important role every time you come in contact with youth. Together, with our partners, we will provide tips, tools and resources as well as opportunities to learn more about asset building.

Watch for our Monthly Challenge. Each challenge will be a simple way to build assets. Have your teen/child complete the Asset Checklist at www.focusonthe40.ca.