HeartWood is in a new story. The old story focused on young people as individuals through HeartWood’s leadership and adventure programs. Through these experiences youth were inspired to take positive action in their communities. However, back in their hometowns they often had no outlet or support for following through on these desires. Like many young people across North America, they felt unheard, stereotyped and marginalized. In response to what we heard from youth and communities, we began to move beyond isolated program delivery towards nurturing meaningful long term engagement of youth in communities, agencies and institutions. 

The new story maintains the basic elements of HeartWood’s programming – the magic, adventure and challenge of leadership and team experiences.  However, built upon this foundation is a new focus on engaging young people as partners in building positive futures for themselves, communities and society. This is a story of Community Youth Development.

HeartWood has developed a Community Youth Development Framework based on its research into variables that contribute to successful youth action teams. The Framework is intended for application when working with groups of young people, young adults, and adults within a given community or organization. The Framework blends youth development and community development, and is designed as a guide to encourage, plan for, and support active engagement of youth with their communities and agencies. ‘Community’ may be defined geographically, or by group, organization, or by a network of shared interest. The Framework is adapted to fit the specific needs or desired outcomes that each community defines.  To read more about the framework, click here, or you can download it in PDF format from our Publications section.

Bringing the CYD Framework to Life

Fifteen years of experience and out research (for more on this research click here) has taught us that the most effective way to work with young people is to support them, along with a group of their peers, in their own community. We've learned that youth find it easier to step up and take positive action on issues they believe in while acting as a member of a team, reinforced by supportive adults.  We have developed a Youth Action Team (YAT) approach as the means to act on this learning. A Youth Action Team is a group of youth and supportive adults that share learning and action on things they care about in their communities, agencies and institutions. It is not a one size fits all program it is an approach that adapts to the varying degrees and types of support that groups and individuals may require in their youth engagement initiatives. The YAT approach brings HeartWood’s Community Youth Development Framework to life.

Often communities will approach HeartWood directly for support with their young people. At other times we hear of a youth team or an individual doing fabulous things in their community and we approach them. The degree of HeartWood’s engagement depends upon the assets and needs of the youth group. For a self-motivated and highly organized group, a link to a larger network may be our primary service. On the other hand, we may offer a group in the initial stages of development a training plan for participants, supportive adults, and community leaders.

We now work with over 30 different community youth groups across Nova Scotia (see map) engaged in serving their communities, recreation activities, changing negative images of youth, etc. etc. HeartWood supports these initiatives by working directly with the young people, adult coaches/mentors, and whenever possible agencies or institution connected to the young people that are interested in more meaningful youth involvement.

Here are some of recent examples of HeartWood Youth Action Team approach:

	A group of young people and adults are working to create a youth centre in their community. It is a long process and they struggle to maintain inertia and motivation, HeartWood is invited to present a workshop on the principles of youth inclusion, bringing the project a much-needed energy boost. Town leaders want to hear what youth in their community have to say regarding youth issues, so they organize a town meeting and invite local youth to participate. That night, over 100 young people show up to let their voices be heard. HeartWood is there to assist with event facilitation and to support local youth facilitators. Determined to make a difference in her community, a young woman works with her peers to change stereotypes about youth by performing service projects in her community. She contacts HeartWood and is introduced to a network of youth action teams all striving toward the same dream. HeartWood also provides her with an opportunity to tell her inspirational story of community youth action at a provincial symposium for youth and youth-serving individuals and groups. Several young people are charged with vandalism of a town cemetery. A local youth hears this story and doesn't want all young people in his community to be stereotyped by this act. He organizes his youth action team to rake leaves in the cemetery, giving the caretakers time to fix the damaged headstones. For this young man, the seeds sown the previous year during his participation in HeartWood's service-oriented Atlantic Youth Leadership Camp blossom as a member of a youth action team, where a supportive community helps his vision become reality. A group of youth work toward personally changing their lives by moving away from high-risk, addictive behaviour. One day they have a conversation with their adult supporters focusing on the concept of helping younger children before they “go down the wrong road”. HeartWood is invited to provide leadership training for the older youth and to network them with a family resource centre where they now help mentor children in need of positive role models. A second-generation youth action team works to create a third-generation group. They organize and facilitate a conference for 30 youth in grades 5 through 7. HeartWood is invited to attend and support their effort but everything is well organized and facilitated. HeartWood doesn't need to do anything; it's already been done.

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