Collaboration Proves Rewarding and Enlightening at Annual Youth Rally

Georgia Family Connection county collaborative coordinators and family advisors from Region 8 organized the 3rd Annual Youth Rally, which attracted youth from 16 counties.

BY PEARLETTE CID

Youth representing all 16 counties in Region 8 converged on Americus this summer to celebrate the region's 3rd Annual Youth Rally. The event engaged teens by providing interactive workshops that promoted school success, improving community involvement, and encouraging positive lifestyle choices.

Georgia Family Connection County collaborative organizations from Region 8—coordinators and family advisors—organized the jam-packed Youth Rally, which attracted more than 200 participants, including students, parents, educators, business leaders, elected officials, and members of faith-based organizations.

"Our goal was to make the rally fun and hip for them but also educational," said Rachael Oliver, Macon County Family Connection coordinator.

Collaboratives worked collectively to ensure the success of the event by offering four workshops that tackled issues confronting teens:

• My Space, Your Space…Whose Space is it Really?—an examination of potential dangers and safety precautions on popular Social Networking sites.
  
  
• Murder One: An Experience in Collaboration—a workshop developed to promote and value the importance of collaboration.
  
  
• What's in Your Neck of the Woods?—an informative and interactive workshop on gang awareness.
  
  
• Search of Assets—an interactive workshop on discovering, understanding, and building the 40 Developmental Assets as defined by the Search Institute.

The Youth Rally also featured 11 exhibitors that extended the educational value of the day beyond the workshops: Georgia Family Connection county collaborative Visions for Sumter: Seeing Through Young Eyes, Inc., 4-E Learning and Prevention Center, B. Smith Training Group, South Georgia Technical College, South Georgia Technical College Adult Education, Healthy Families Americus/First Steps, Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, Enrichment Services Program, Inc. for the Department of Early Childhood and Family Services, Georgia Southwestern CASA, Well Care, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and Middle Flint Behavioral Health Care.

The Region 8 collaboratives creatively utilized external funding to offset costs by writing a winning proposal to compensate the keynote speaker, requesting in-kind gifts for door prizes, soliciting beverage donations from local business, and asking for monetary gifts to provide lunch and t-shirts for the participants.

Keynote Marc Fomby

Keynote Marc Fomby, who specializes in youth development and trainings that directly affect issues concerning youth today, delivered a powerful message on the impact of pop music in today's culture. He addressed the glamorization of negative denotations and the devastating influence it has on young adults.

"Many pop songs reference drugs and sex, and are demeaning to women," said Oliver. "Fomby was a huge hit with the teens, he got them to think about the music they listen to and the negative effects the music's messages convey."

Jeremiah Barley, a participant from Webster County, appreciated the value of connecting with other teens and attending the informative workshops.

"It was great to get together with other kids my age, have a good time, and learn things we probably need to know," he said. "The 4-H camp is the only other learning opportunity I have had like this one."

If you're interested in initiating similar events in your region, e-mail Rachael Oliver or Visions for Sumter coordinator Angela Westra to learn more about the Region 8 Youth Rally.

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