As one of the 335 men who, on March 21, read the book “The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig to Hendricks County elementary students – I commend all of the other 334 of you.
What a community accomplishment! And what a great program Sheltering Wings has created in Men in Action! Again, the goals of the morning were:
- Teach and prompt conversations with children about three important character values: support, positive identity and commitment to learning. Which corresponds with Sheltering Wings’ focus on the prevention of domestic violence- utilizing the 40 Developmental Assets which, through research, can be found at search-institute.org;
- Engage men in a volunteer initiative; and
- Show our community we are a community that stands for healthy values and relationships.
We nailed each objective, but there’s more work for us to do and it is my hope that this was not a one-off for any of you readers. As leaders in Hendricks County, we have a duty to make sure that it is a healthy environment for our youth – healthy youth mean a healthy Hendricks County – the development of community and youth play in tandem.
Understanding the young mind is a fascinating endeavor – and complicated in many ways. I became familiar with the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assists back when I was doing masters work in Youth Development. It’s a fantastic guide – and one that you should periodically look at; especially if you know of a youth you believe to be at risk.
As the late Peter Benson, former CEO/President of Search Institute and creator of the developmental asset framework, once said: “Nothing—nothing—has more impact in the life of a child than positive relationships.”
Rick Myers
A Man IN Action
Hendricks County Business Leader and Hendricks County ICON
Rick Myers is founder and co-owner of the Hendricks County Business Leader and the Hendricks County ICON. He holds a M.S. degree in Youth Development from Kansas State University. He may be reached at [email protected] or (317) 557-1111.
