Strengths Exposed

by Anna Zach

A month ago there was a big buzz in the Read Room, Miss Anna was going to have a baby. The children were so excited and eager to share their own experiences with new babies. One little girl even told me, “Miss Anna, my mom had a baby and let me tell you, it was not pretty.”

A week or so later the Lord decided to take that little baby home. I was gone for a week and when I returned several of the children came rushing up to me asking me how the baby was and how big it was now and if I knew if it was a boy or a girl yet. I explained to them the baby had died. One of the girls, Tabitha, immediately became very concerned for me. She took me aside and explained to me that my baby was in heaven with God and that he could see me and that he knew that I was his mom. Then she paused a minute and assured me that I could always have another baby. Later that day in class she quietly asked me if we should all talk about what happened together.

Each day that week she did that same thing if there was a child, who had not been there earlier in the week, she wanted to make sure everyone knew. She did this in such a manner as if to insure everyone would be sensitive toward me. Every day that week she asked how I was doing, hugged me and continued to reassure me that my baby was in heaven. At the end of the week she sent me a Stamp letting me know she was sorry that the baby had died.

It should be no surprise to know that one of Tabitha’s strengths is caring. Perhaps in a strange way I was thankful to get to be a part of her having the opportunity to be a blessing by utilizing the very strength God created her with. The traditional relationship between a child and an adult was no obstacle for her, she saw the need for comfort and she was compelled to be a comforter. I was genuinely blessed and comforted by this little girl. I was equally as amazed by her effort to gently lead her peers to have the same attitude of compassion. God has given strengths to each of us, and I have no doubt that He fully intended them to be used as tools of blessing --- regardless of age.

Using Their God-Given Strengths

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

This week, I reflect on the second portion of the Impact Learning Center’s vision statement – using their God-given strengths.

Young people USING THEIR GOD-GIVEN STRENGTHS to make a positive and powerful difference in their world.

Max Lucado, in his book Cure For The Common Life, wonders if historically the church has misinterpreted the verse at the top of this post. As adults, many of us believe if we put kids on the right path, they will never leave it. If we fill them full of Scripture and Bible lessons and sermons, they may rebel, but they will eventually return.

Under this model, young people are empty vessels. From birth through adolescence, it is the responsibility of adults to fill youth with all the right stuff so when they reach adulthood, they are ready to fulfill their destiny in the world.

While adult-driven teaching and training of young people is certainly a piece of the puzzle, I’m not certain it is the entire puzzle. I also like this verse:

I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.

(Isaiah 44:2)

Do young people have strengths? A better question is, do young people have spiritual gifts? Answer carefully, because if the answer is yes, it may revolutionize the field of youth ministry.

Getting back to Max Lucado, here is his interpretation of Proverbs 22:6, again taken from his book Cure For The Common Life:

The phrase “train up” descends from a root word that means to develop a thirst. Hebrew midwives awakened the thirst of a newborn by dipping a finger in the bowl of crushed dates and placing it in the baby’s mouth. To “train up,” then, means to awaken thirst.

Parents awaken thirst “in the way [the child] should go.” The small word “in” means “in keeping with” or “in cooperation with,” suggesting that babies come with preprogrammed hard drives. The American Standard Bible margins this verse with the phrase “according to his way.”

“Way” refers to a unique capacity or characteristic, whether of an eagle, a serpent, a ship, or a person. If you raise your child “in the way he should go,” you attune yourself to your child’s inherent characteristics and inborn distinctives.

God prewired your infant. He scripted your toddler’s strengths. He set your teen on a trajectory. God gave you an eighteen-year research project. Ask yourself, your spouse, and your friends: what sets this child apart? Childhood tendencies forecast adult abilities. Read them. Discern them. Affirm them. Cheerlead them. (P. 121-123)

At the Impact Learning Center, we believe that God has uniquely gifted every young person. We use this language repeatedly during our many interactions with them each day. The repetition is necessary because for many of them, the language of giftedness is a foreign language.

Many urban youth hear daily what they don’t know or can’t do. They don’t read well. They have bad attitudes. They lack social skills. They engage in destructive behaviors.

At the Impact Learning Center, they have strengths. They are gifted. God gifted them. God gifted them for a purpose. See you next week.

A Sibling Bond

by Ondrea Goranson

“Ok everybody—yo!” I thrust my fist in the air and Team Prints, the third through fifth grade students, followed suite. As soon as the children settled in their seats, I posed a question. “I would like you to raise your hand if you have the strength of ‘Relating’.” Savannah and Quincy, sister and brother, each shot their hands in the air with enthusiasm. I couldn’t help but smile, thankful that we had established something else these two had in common other than their last name.

As many siblings do, Savannah and Quincy have their…disagreements. (How vividly do I recall my younger years of sisterly humiliation, the constant concern for copycatting, and the name calling that typically involved inappropriate bodily functions!) These two are no exception to candid arguments and quick-witted insults. They aren’t quick to show camaraderie, especially when peers are watching. But the moment they discovered that their strengths in “Relating” set them apart from teammates, together, the surprise and unspoken camaraderie was irrefutable.

Savannah and Quincy, along with the rest of the students, listened closely as I explained the power of friendship and importance of close relationships to those who held “Relating” as a strength. I was elated to have their undivided attention as I described the value of loyalty to relaters.

Naturally, these two are still corrected for the occasional tease, tiff or insult. But the quiet connection they made that day was undeniable. Despite their distinct personalities and other differences, the discovery of a common strength (specifically one emphasizing the significance of relationships) brought Savannah and Quincy together in a short, but powerful moment I won’t soon forget.

Young People

by Todd Bowman
ILC Director

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

This week, I reflect on the first portion of the Impact Learning Center’s vision statement – young people.

YOUNG PEOPLE using their God-given strengths to make a positive and powerful difference in their world.

In many, if not most youth programs, adults drive the decision making. Adults decide what topics to study. Adults decide what games to play. Adults research the difficulties associated with being an adolescent and adults develop programs based on what they believe youth need.

However, an interesting tenant of positive youth development, also known as strengths-based youth development, is that it does not demand waiting for youth to become old enough and mature enough to trust them with important decisions. It is an approach which does not demand waiting for a young person to grow into leadership.

Instead it is an approach which trusts young people and gives them a powerful voice in shaping their future. It is a philosophy which recognizes that all young people have the capacity to lead, regardless of whether they are in preschool, elementary school, middle school, or high school. It is a set of principles which recognizes that all youth, regardless of the difficult issues or circumstances in their lives, have the capacity to use the assets they currently have to make a positive difference in their community.

I am reminded of a quote by John Perkins, the co-founder and chairman of the Christian Community Development Association and a man who has faithfully ministered to the poor for the past forty years, who said the following at the 2006 CCDA Conference:

Everybody has beauty to unveil. Everybody. Because we bear the image of God.

My favorite definition of this strengths-based approach to youth work is taken from the book More Than Just a Place to Go by Yvonne Pearson:

Positive youth development views youth as resources to be engaged rather as problems to be fixed. P. viii

If one truly believes the statement above, it can’t help but transform your approach to working with youth. In the field of urban youth ministry, where young people are often labeled, categorized, and described with such words as poverty, violence, drugs, and many other negative associations, this approach is even radical.

Is the Impact Learning Center perfect in this endeavor of engaging all young people as leaders rather than trying to fix them? No. But mentally, our organization has made the shift. We are asking different questions. We are considering new possibilities. We are open to a new path.

What will the Impact Learning Center and City Impact look like a year from now? While I can’t answer that question with any certainty, I do know that young people will assist in leading the way.

Lt. Governor Helps Reveal Grant

by Bethany Larson

This morning a press conference at Central Church was held to reveal and inform the public of the $1,703,598 grant awarded to City Impact of Lincoln and Hope Center for Kids of Omaha. The grant, from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation out of Battle Creek, Michigan, will fund strength-based programs and developments of these two programs to empower urban youth and families for three years.

Executive Director Brad Bryan presented and described the grant, as well as the goals for engaging and strengthening Lincoln and Omaha youth. Another honored guest was present to give his support of the grant and the effects it will have in both Lincoln and Omaha youth. Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy pictured with City Impact’s Executive Director Brad Bryan above helped reveal check made out to City Impact and Hope Center for Kids.

Sheehy stated, “…we must define children with what they have and not what they don’t have,” referring to the strengths-based programs being used to help students identify their strengths and build on them to impact their communities.

For more information on the grant or programs visit City Impact’s website www.cityimpact.org. To learn more about Hope Center for Kids in Omaha visit www.hopecenterforkids.org. Also to receive further information on the W.K Kellogg’s Foundation visit their website at www.wkkf.org.

Tune into 10/11 News at 6 or 10 tonight for coverage on the press conference!

Please Share!

Got something to share? Don’t keep it a secret. If you have a comment, question or inspiring story of your own relating to the Impact Learning Center, we want it here on the blog. It was brought to my attention that everybody looking at the blog may not be aware that they comment on the posts. If you wish to make an appropriate comment, than you can click on the envelope symbol below the posting and type your comment.

Remember that we are all about encouraging one another, but I do hope that all viewers, supporters, and volunteers will feel free to share their thoughts.

Youth Impacters

by Todd Bowman
ILC Director

Youth Vision

Youth Empowerment

Youth Engagement

Youth Mobilization

Youth Leadership

Youth Change Agents

Youth Community Builders

Youth Impacters

All of these statements are different ways of communicating the vision of the Impact Learning Center:

Young people using their God-given strengths to make a positive and powerful difference in their world.

When I first arrived at City Impact in December of 2005, I never would have imagined that the statement above would capture the vision for the Impact Learning Center. Having spent twenty years in the field of youth work and twelve years in education, with the past six years being in an urban school setting, the paradigm through which I viewed urban was filled with images of need.

At-Risk

Achievement Gap

Illiteracy

Failure

Poverty

Violence

Drugs

Hopelessness

I reasonably assumed that reaching urban young people involved solving or addressing the myriad of problems these youth faced on a daily basis.

However, an alternative approach to youth development theorizes that the most effective way to positively affect the life of a child is through their strengths. This field of study is known as positive youth development.

While my posts will likely hit on a variety of topics over time, the topic of urban youth as community builders will be a common theme. I invite everyone to join me each week as I explore this powerful new paradigm and its impact on City Impact programs.