I am dedicating this week's asset message to an amazing young man that I met just over 2 years ago. At the time he was struggling both in and out of school and was headed down a dangerous path. However, over the last few years he has made a commitment to make changes in his life and as a result has made significant growth. Leon has gone from having the potential to be a "statistic" to being a leader amongst his peers. Like most of us, he still needs support in his life and still struggles at times, but I admire the young man that he has become and the barriers he has and continues to cross in his long journey towards success. The Leon I met two years ago was failing every class and missing almost 50% of the school year but the Leon I know now is earning credits and moving closer towards graduation. The Leon I met two years ago would have laughed at me if I asked him to talk in front of an audience of adults or volunteer in his community but the Leon I know today has spoken in front of hundreds of people and has moved people to tears.
His relationship with us took time to develop. When we first met, one of the first things he said to me was “I appreciate you trying to help me but I’ve heard this all 100 times and honestly no one has really helped”. To Leon at the time, there was no value in the adults in the world as he believed they saw no value in him. Like many young people who come from challenging situations his anger was usually directed at anyone and everyone around him. He was guarded and rude and the easiest things to see was his constant scowl and baggy/sagging pants. Over time, we found him to be incredibly articulate, thoughtful, and self-aware; a young man who wanted better for himself but had no idea how to find success within his daily life. As his strengths and talents started to lead the way, many of his problems and deficiencies were corrected on their own. He began to attend school more regularly, earning credits and repairing so many relationships with school staff who once saw him as a nuisance and now see him as an asset.
Well, I am proud to say that this Friday, Leon will be receiving the "Youth Leader of the Year" award at the Connecticut Youth Services Association's Annual Conference. This is the second year in a row that a Middletown teen is receiving this award, which is an amazing accomplishment.
Below is an excerpt of the nomination letter for Leon which was written by the Middletown YSB's director, Justin Carbonella:
"Leon’s defining moment came in June of 2011 when as part of Rep. John Larson’s Congressional Youth Cabinet he was asked to speak at an event held at the Bushnell celebrating the 200th birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe. As a member of one of three panels that day, he sat alongside many state leaders, including school superintendents, experts on social justice issues and more than ten members of the Congressional Black Caucus who joined us from all over the country (not to mention a US Senator as well as other dignitaries in the crowd). Leon’s presentation on economic injustice was so powerful it was welcomed by the day’s only standing ovation and became without a question the proudest moment I have experienced as Youth Service Bureau director."
As Leon continues to both succeed and struggle as he finds his way, his story is a true testament to the power of Developmental Assets. When we focus on the strengths that youth have rather than their deficiencies we remind young people that they have things to be proud about. And as we look to raise our expectations for ALL of our community’s youth, I assure you that they will rise to the challenge…we’ve seen it time in and time out for so many of the teens we’ve worked with.
As Leon stated at the end of his speech: "you can either invest in my success now or pay for my mistakes later." I say we try for success.
For more information on Developmental Assets, please visit http://www.search-institute.org/ or visit Middletown's own site, http://www.assetpromise.org/.
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