May 2018 Newsletter

Baltimore Schools CEO Shares Her Faith at A4Y Event

Dr. Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Schools, spoke at Acts4Youth’s recent fundraising event where she freely shared her faith and hope for the future of Baltimore youth. Below are three excerpts from her speech. You can see her full speech here.

“We have a generation of young people in this city and I would argue in this country [who are in crisis]. I have friends who work at elite prep schools who would tell you that those young people are also in crisis and are experiencing depression and anxiety at levels that are unprecedented. The difference is that the young people in Baltimore City don’t have the safety net, so the holes they fall through are larger and can have a larger impact.”
“This [work] is all about connecting people to their identity. The young people who crumble…. are usually young people who don’t have enough of a sense of self or belief in themselves. When they don’t know who they are and what they are called to be. Part of what you are all supporting is that confidence building, that sense of self that absolutely is grounded in knowing who you are in Christ.”
“Part of the power of this work of Acts4Youth is that you get to do what often in the day to day of schools becomes really difficult. We want to make personal relationships with every single young person. If you are like Principal Felder you try to do that and the school secretary does that and other people do that. But for a lot of our kids, they need more of that. More of that holding. They need more people reaffirming they have greatness and let me show what it looks like to put that in motion. That’s the power of this work.”

Parents Attend A4Y Training on Trauma

Thanks to your support, parents of Acts4Youth middle school Shine and Game Plan students were invited to attend a dinner and educational session last month. Nearly 45% of the students had a parent attend. The first part of the educational portion focused on helping parents understand how the symptoms of trauma, lagging skills, and unmet needs may be affecting their child. Then the instructors focused on practical tools and techniques to help parents meet their children’s needs and strengthen their relationship with them.

One parent wrote on the survey about the training, “It opened my eyes to a lot of things that [my daughter] and I have been going through, and why she is acting the way she does.”

What is Beauty?

During a recent Shine after-school program, a group of girls were discussing how they didn’t like their bodies and felt insecure. They had recently been to a fashion show at their school and were comparing themselves to the student models who were dressed up to show off their slimness.

Prompted by this discussion, Olivia, one of the Acts4Youth leaders, asked the girls and volunteers to answer a couple questions about beauty. One question was, “What was the time that you felt most beautiful?” The answers ranged from, “When I had my hair done“ to “When I made someone happy” to “It’s when God has been using me to serve others.”

In middle school, outer beauty is a prime focus, but this discussion gave the girls the opportunity to hear peers and older women share how for them feeling beautiful has nothing to do with their appearance. Over time, these types of discussions can make an impact to help the girls accept themselves as the beautiful children of God that He created them to be.

“I am an only child and spend most of my time alone. I wanted sisters and I got them [when I joined Acts4Youth]– 20 overnight…. But, I didn’t necessarily know how to be a good friend, because no one teaches you that. Through Acts4Youth, I learned how to be a sister and not one of those fake ones….”

Aiyonna, 8th Grade Acts4Youth Student

To help students who don’t have a safety net continue to build confidence and develop a sense of self, you can make a donation at www.acts4youth.org.