Northern Kentucky Anti-Bullying Campaign Needs Your Help

A few weeks ago I introduced you to Ryan Courtade, founder of a non-profit, all-volunteer organization called Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation. It is a resource and partner for educators and organizations committed to the success of young people; and the Foundation is a strong advocate for youth in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties with programs that now include bullying prevention.

And Ryan needs your help. He is in the process of developing an anti-bullying campaign to launch in the fall with a focus on empowering the bystanders. It will use various media to relay information including a video, printed materials and the internet. Ryan wants to engage youth rather than using only school-wide assemblies and other traditional methods.

Do you have some time and resources to give to help? Any businesses, agencies or community members interested in assisting with the anti-bullying efforts should call him at 859-795-1506 or visit www.nkyyouth.org for more information.

YMCA Character Awards Celebrated Future Leaders

If you want to truly be inspired…spend an evening surrounded by young people who are making a difference in this world in their own very personal way. This was the 15th year that the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati celebrated teen role models for caring, respect, honesty and responsibility. It was such an honor for me to work with them and get to know them in writing their bios and working on the publicity. A special thank you to FOX19, who I got to partner with us in promoting it. Each day the week leading up to the event Tracey Johnson (who emceed the event) interviewed honorees on her Morning Xtra show.

Cincinnati Enquirer story on YMCA Character Awards

 

One of Tracey Johnson’s interview with YMCA Character Award honorees

Calling Greater Cincinnati Student Performers!

Empowering young people to pursue their passions, to use their creative skills and to bring out their strengths is one of the greatest gifts we can pass along.

The Cincinnati Arts Association is doing just that with the region’s largest solo arts competition for students – the Overture Awards Program. This year it is initiating a new opportunity for Tri-State teens in grades 9 to 12.

The Next Pop Star Competition is designed for singers and dancers who perform popular music and dance.  Most of them will not have studied privately.  It will offer a chance for them to compete with others who share their enjoyment of these art forms.  Applications from students who have competed in the Overture Award Program in the past will not be accepted.

25 dancers and 25 vocal music students will be allowed to compete on a first-come first-served basis for no longer than five minutes.  There is an application that must be filled out but no application fee.  The application can be found at http://www.cincinnatiarts.org/Overture_Awards

Two winners, one from each discipline, will receive a $300 prize. The event will be Saturday, June 2, 2012 at The Aronoff Center from 9:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m.  Students will receive a letter with a specific time at which they should report.

The Arts Association will provide a keyboard and a CD player for students’ use and they can bring an accompanist.

Guidelines for both disciplines can be found on our website, cincinnatiarts.org/overture_awards.  Click on the Next Pop Star link.

Please call Carolyn Phillips with any questions at 513-977-4168 or send an e-mail to cphillips@cincinnatiarts.org.

 

A word about competition from the Cincinnati Arts’ Association:

Successful working artists agree that self-discipline, hard work, determination, and one’s ability to deal positively with criticism are the best indicators for success in the arts. Many brilliant high school performers have gone on to lead very traditional lives. Many people whose talents went completely unrecognized in high school have gone on to have brilliant careers in the arts.

This year’s Overture Awards will provide just one of many occasions in which a young artist’s creative efforts will be judged. A realistic picture of how a competition works and a healthy attitude about winning and losing will help keep stress to a minimum and allow contestants to keep the competition in good perspective so that it can be a useful learning experience.

Ryan Courtade Works With Passion

Ryan and I met a number of months back through mutual friends, and I knew when he spoke of the work he does that he would be a topic for a future blog post.

I have always truly admired people who follow their heart’s passion in life. Ryan is one of those special people.

It was while serving in the military, he told me, that he realized he wanted to do something in life to foster the success of young people. “I saw a lot of men and women come in who weren’t given a fair chance in life. They had a chip on their shoulder with a need to prove themselves,” he recalled. “I want to make sure everyone has a fair chance in life, not just to go to college but to gain life skills also.”

 Fast forward to 2010.

It was May of that year when Ryan got word the tax exempt status he had been working so hard to achieve, finally came through. It was official – there became the Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation and at its helm – Ryan as its volunteer executive director.

The Foundation’s focus is on bringing people (volunteers, parents, teachers, students and organizations) in Northern Kentucky together to work collaboratively to help young people grow to their full potential. Its goal is to provide positive changes and policies that impact youth and create a better community, learning environment and future.

A youth council consists of 13 students in grades 7 through 11 from Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties. They meet monthly to discuss issues in their schools and how they can take leadership. Over time, Ryan told me, the council members will create chapters within their own schools to affect positive change.

 A new project.

Much of Ryan’s time lately has been on an anti-bullying campaign in schools that will be launched this fall. “We spend so much time focusing on the bully or the victim,” he said. “This campaign will be about empowering those who are watching the bully. As a culture we need to change. If someone is getting picked on, we want people to stand up and not tolerate it.”

The campaign will include a video with discussion guides, a television PSA, a website resource for parents and teachers.

The Children’s Home Sets Kids Up For Success With Theatre

Last week my mom and I had such a treat. We were invited to The Children’s Home Lower School theatre production of Aladdin. It was so special for us. This wasn’t just any theatre production at any school, this was a way The Children’s Home has found to get kids who learn differently or who traditionally have struggled in the classroom to be excited about learning…in essence, setting these young people with so much potential up for success.

Below is a write-up I found on The Children’s Home website following the performance.

Over 30 students participated in the Lower School Theatre Program’s production of Aladdin for an audience of classmates, staff, board members and donors. The Lower School serves children in grades K-8 who have behavioral or learning challenges that have prevented them from succeeding in a traditional classroom. Many of them have experienced abuse and neglect or other factors that have inhibited their healthy development.

Last year, one student in particular had a very small role in the school play and he struggled to maintain his behavior and manage his emotions.

This year,  he told Director Sharon Walterman that he wanted a bigger role “I told him that we needed to be able to count on him to maintain good behavior, because kids who take on bigger roles are harder to replace if they slip up and lose the privilege of participating in the play,” says Walterman. “He looked me in the eye and said, ‘You can count on me this year. This is what I want to do,’ and he’s done an amazing job,” says Walterman. He’s back on track and the theatre program is helping.

The Lower School started the therapeutic theatre program in 2006 to enhance student’s social skills, self-esteem, and appreciation of the arts.  Students are involved in many aspects of the play, including learning to use the spotlight and helping with set design and painting. Several students also act as the stage crew, and their classmates rely on them to set up props and move the set around as needed during the performance. The Children’s Home is well equipped to help students learn to manage their behavior, and the Theatre program offers the perfect opportunity to practice. Children learn and develop their social skills, like how to accept feedback from the Director. Learning to accept feedback is one of the key pieces of the Teaching Family Model, the evidence-based behavior modification practice that has been implemented campus-wide at The Children’s Home.

 

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