Spring 2010

Photo Gallery: Kids and Teens Speak Out!

Young people in the MyCom network are making their voices heard. These youth leaders advocate for what their communities need to develop more positive opportunities for growth.

Totiana, a youth leader from the Slavic Village youth council, says: "MyCom has given youth the opportunity to be involved. So now we’re trying to get more people involved in the community. As a young adult I know how it feels to be ignored and to be neglected by the people in my community. I feel alive again, and I feel like I have a purpose in my community. The youth in my community feel the same and they feel the need to help others as much as they have been helped by MyCom and their community."

MyCom youth are speaking out, and shaping the future for themselves and their neighbors. To find a youth council near you, e-mail ndebose@cuyahogacounty.us.

Youth Pages: A resource just for Cuyahoga County teens!

MyCom supports Youth Pages, a directory created just for Cuyahoga County teens. It is full of all the resources teens and families might need to connect to, including: hotlines and helplines; basic needs information for food, clothing and shelter; people to talk to about stress, mental health concerns, social and recreational activities, mentors, health screening, being a teen father or mother, violence, driving, homework -- and so much more.

Download your copy at http://www.211cleveland.org/youthpages/.

Hillary chooses a career path

Early employment opportunities can help a young person choose their later career path.

Hillary knew she wanted to go into nursing, but an employment experience helped her decide on pediatric nursing as a focus. She was responsible for multiple tasks in the children’s department of a hospital.

“I go to the doctor all the time and never thought about what it takes for the office to be prepared for the visit. I learned the process of what happens at a doctor’s visit and I was the one that prepared the necessary documents and files for the visit.”

To learn more about Youth Opportunities Unlimited, our youth employment partner, join the "Breakfast with Y.O.U." discussion on Friday, March 19, 8-9am, at Y.O.U. offices, 1361 Euclid Avenue. The program is free and includes a continental breakfast. Space is limited. To RSVP, please contact Marge Zellmer, Director of Development, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, 216-566-5445, ext. 231, mzellmer@youthopportunities.org, by Tuesday, March 16.

Thank you to our funders

Every day, we are grateful for the people who give their time, talent and treasure to supporting the young people of Cuyahoga County. Please join us in thanking the organizations that recently have shown financial support:

Charter One Foundation - $10,000 to Starting Point for Out of School Time activities
Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland - $50,000 for Neighborhood Implementation Strategy work
Third Federal Foundation - $25,000 for Neighborhood Implementation Strategy work

As always, we thank the visionaries who support youth development, our MyCom funders:

Board of County Commissioners, Charter One, City of Cleveland, Cleveland Foundation, Family & Children First Council, Saint Luke's Foundation, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Third Federal Foundation.

You can support MyCom, too! Visit the Cleveland Foundation's Give Online page and choose the Youth Development Fund.

MyCom wins Shaker Heights MLK Award

The Shaker Heights Human Relations Commission chose the MyCom South Shaker Youth Initiative Team for its 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Human Relations. The award recognizes MyCom's efforts to help Shaker youth and to build Shaker neighborhoods so that all youth and families in Shaker Heights have the opportunity to participate in positive and engaging activities.

The MyCom South Shaker Youth Initiative Team's actions focus on achieving the goals that Dr. King professed throughout his life: peace, nonviolence, equality, brotherhood, and social inclusion. The actions of every team member and every youth program are focused on educating and uplifting the spirit, mind, body, and intellect of all youth program participants.

Lynn Ruffner, Human Relations Commission Chair, praised MyCom's impact on the Shaker community saying, "When we are able to touch so many lives, the job has been well done. MyCom is effective at inspiring and engaging our young people."

John Lisy, Executive Director of the Shaker Heights Youth Center, Dr. Scott Frank, Director of the Shaker Heights Health Department, Luren Dickinson, Director of the Shaker Heights Public Library, and James J. Paces, Curriculum Director for the Shaker Schools, accepted the award for MyCom.

FREE materials for your church or organization

Call soon! Resources can be delivered to your church or club! It's very easy to get copies of the MyCom brochure, which details how families, youth, caring adults, and community organizations can connect with neighborhood opportunities, delivered to your club, organization, church, or faith-based organization. E-mail a request to crosser@cuyahogacounty.us with your name, your organization's name and address. We'll get you as many copies as we can, as soon as we can. Contact us right away to reserve yours!

Resources We Love

Please take time to visit these resources for families, all about raising healthy children:

The YMCA's Healthy Family Home newsletter gives meal ideas, exercise tips, and more.

Healthy Choices for Healthy Children is a coalition dedicated to preventing and decreasing childhood obesity in Ohio.

MYCOM BY THE NUMBERS: Progress from the last quarter (Sept.-Dec. 2009)

8 neighborhoods developed youth councils!

36 new youth activities were added to the MyCom Positive Activities database!

198 youth were referred to positive activites by contacting MyCom's partner, Starting Point, at 216-575-0061!

Nearly 20 young people shared their voices and stories in various places: at legislative briefings in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, locally to The Cleveland Foundation and professionals at the Out-of-School-Time Symposium, and to other youth at the Cuyahoga County Youth Advisory Council Summit!

About 3,000 students took a MyCom wellbeing survey through the Cleveland Metropolitan School District!

Parma began a five-year study following approximately 300 youth!

374 providers of youth programming attended trainings on cultural competency!

All 29 branches of Cleveland Public Library, plus Shaker Heights Library, have linked to MyCom information!

146 professionals who provide services to youth received education at the Out-of-School-Time Symposium!

What are youth leaders doing in each MyCom neighborhood?

All eight MyCom neighborhoods developed a youth council, and leaders from those councils are working for positive youth and community development in Cuyahoga County. Here's a quick snapshot of what youth leaders were doing recently:

- Central developed a partnership with neighborhood Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) schools.

- Mt. Pleasant trained youth to deliver comprehensive sexual education curriculum to peers.

- Midwest (Cudell) trained youth in "Green" consciousness.

- Parma recruited youth for the Parma City School District’s Strategic Planning process.

- Slavic Village’s neighborhood mobilization team assisted in planning Out-of-School-Time (OST) programming for MyCom.

- Shaker Heights’ youth evaluated programming in their neighborhood.

- St. Clair/Superior developed a pilot youth services guide.

- West Park worked with youth to provide arts/cultural programs.

To find a youth council near you, e-mail ndebose@cuyahogacounty.us.

MyCom in the News

Many thanks to the news outlets that recognize the importance of youth development, and share information about our efforts. We have had some great coverage in the last few months: 

Starting Point, our partner for Out-of-School-Time Activities, was featured on WKYC for "Ohio: Economy impacts children after school."

John Lisy of Shaker Heights Youth Center and Lisa Bottoms of the Cleveland Foundation appeared on Leon Bibb's Kaleidoscope program on WEWS Channel 5.

The Call & Post Newspaper ran an article about the MyCom Professional Development Symposium "Making a Difference in Out-of-School-Time Programs."

The article "After school program taking shape in Shaker Heights" appeared in the Sun Press. 

The Parma Observer featured MyCom in the article "MyCom Comes to Parma."

Shaker Life Magazine (page 4) featured the "Just About Jobs" program through Shaker Heights Youth Center.

Shaker Height's Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Relations Award for MyCom received coverage in various locations, including the Shaker Heights Schools email newsletter and the Sun Press.

The Fox Sports Ohio Season of Support campaign in support of MyCom received coverage through various outlets.

Our Key Supporters

Over 250 organizations supported the development of MyCom, and over 150 young people helped plan MyCom.

Funders:
Board of County Commissioners
Family & Children First Council
Cleveland Foundation
The City of Cleveland
Charter One*
Saint Luke’s Foundation
Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
Third Federal Foundation
* For Out-of-School-Time/Starting Point

Agencies:
Cleveland Public Library
Kent State University
Neighborhood Leadership Institute
Partnership for a Safer Cleveland
Starting Point
Voices for Ohio’s Children

Neighborhood Partners:
CENTRAL: Friendly Inn Settlement Inc.
MIDWEST (CUDELL): Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center
MT. PLEASANT: Mt. Pleasant Community Zone
PARMA: Parma City Schools
ST. CLAIR-SUPERIOR: St. Clair-Superior Development Corp.
SHAKER HEIGHTS: Shaker Heights Youth Center
SLAVIC VILLAGE: Slavic Village Development Corp.
WEST PARK: Bellaire Puritas Development Corp.

MyCom is a network of people who believe that youth development is a direct path to healthy, safe communities for everyone. We build strengths in young people and their neighborhoods by connecting existing programs and resources, and funding opportunities for positive growth. We also encourage all sectors of society to take responsibility for children’s development and transition into productive adulthood.

MyCom’s Areas of Focus:

Advocacy: MyCom advocates for the needs of children and youth through community education and policy work.

Transitions: For kids, major changes happen almost every 4 years, like going from home to kindergarten. MyCom supports youth with resources like 17,000 kindergarten kits.

Out-of-School Time: A youth should have more options for good ways to spend their time when they are not in school than harmful ways.

Neighborhoods: MyCom works to bolster what neighborhoods do well and to fill in gaps.

Youth Engagement: Real change affecting the lives of kids and teens cannot happen without leadership from youth.

Youth Employment: The right experience and career exposure today can lead to a successful, productive adulthood.

Have we sparked your interest? Call the MyCom line at 216-698-8927 or visit www.mycom.net to learn more!

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