Today’s blog is written by Antiwan Tate with My Brother’s Keeper.
Connect Spartanburg is not just for teens but is also a great resource for building the capacity of youth serving agencies to improve youth outcomes. Today’s guest blog is written by Antiwan Tate with My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of young men in Spartanburg. Antiwan talks about why he is part of Connect and how it improves his work within My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
There is a phenomenon for years that many youth and family serving organizations in Spartanburg have tried to master known as Positive Youth Development (PYD). The fundamental questions that repeatedly arises time after time are: “Who do we serve?” and “How do we serve them?” The answer is simple, in logic, but complex when action and implementation are considered. There is help for us in Spartanburg who want to serve youth in the most effective and meaningful ways. Connect Spartanburg offers a Positive Youth Development training that anyone who works with youth should attend.
Connect Spartanburg has served as a catalyst in many capacities; it is a resource for networking, capacity building, bridging schools and youth-serving organizations, funding, and most importantly, Connect Spartanburg is an advocate for the youth of Spartanburg along with their families. When you participate in Connect, trusted adults and agencies can link youth to positive youth development services. Currently, partners include Spartanburg County DJJ, Local School Districts, DHEC, Children Shelters, Law Enforcement, City and County governments, and community agencies. All of this is possible due to the efforts of Connect Spartanburg.
Connect Spartanburg not only provides opportunities and inspiration, it saves lives – people like me, working in the field with youth, have the stories, letters, and experiences to prove it. Because of Connect, vulnerable children have another advocate, they have positive outlets with new events and opportunities, and access to a referral system to connect them to agencies and programs.
Lastly, Connect makes it possible for organizations such as the My Bother’s Keeper Alliance to make significant impacts in the community through trainings, professional development, camps, workshops, and evidence based interventions. I am one of eleven adults from Spartanburg that attended the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s Annual Summer Institute through scholarships provided by Connect to learn more about how to improve health outcomes in the teens we serve. Now it’s your turn! Join Connect on July 20-21 for the next Positive Youth Development Training* and visit www.connectspartanburg.org to learn about all the agencies working to serve youth and get Connected. The future of Spartanburg depends on our youth and the organizations working to ensure our youth to “Stay Connected”!
*Contact hdenny@maryblackfoundation.org to register
