Parents Helping Youth
FACT: 21% of East Haddam youth perceive that adults in the community value them.
FACT: 31% of youth report having positive role models
FACT: 40% of youth report having a caring community
*Taken from the 2014 Developmental Assets Survey based on the responses of 500 of our student, grades 7 through 12.
Over a year ago, Youth Helping Youth (YHY), a high school leadership group affiliated with East Haddam Youth & Family Services (EHYFS), created the “Mean It” campaign. Their message focused on putting actions behind words in order to bring the community together to address issues that affect all of us. The goals of their campaign were to increase the number of positive adult role models, increase the number of community members who are actively involved with our youth and increase the number of youth who feel valued and connected to our community.
In response to the strong message from our YHY group, several elementary, middle, and high school parents teamed up with staff from EHYFS and the East Haddam Local Prevention Council to create “Parents Helping Youth” (PHY). We wanted the kids to know that WE do mean it! The group identified the importance of our youth feeling that they are a key part of our community and that we, as adults, understand that our kids are watching us, whether we intend it or not. They are listening to what we say and learning from what we do. With that in mind, PHY developed our “Be Your Best Self” campaign to remind the adults of our community that we should be attentive to the needs of our youth and serve as positive influences.
The Vision of Parents Helping Youth is that all members of our community be engaged in making East Haddam the best community for youth, families and adults so they feel connected, valued and supported.
The Mission of the Parents Helping Youth Campaign is to develop a community-wide message that focuses on the vital role that parents and other adults in our community play in the lives of East Haddam’s Youth and the importance of modeling healthy choices and positive behavior.
The Goals of Parents Helping Youth:
- To engage all members of our community in the “Be Your Best Self” campaign.
- To help community members understand the importance of building healthy relationships with all of our youth.
- To involve community members in providing our youth with positive adult role models in their lives.
- To encourage parents and other adults to stay connected and actively involved with our youth from their toddler years through adolescence.