Accountability

Today was the day that we finally were able to initiate MORE ownership of this program to the students. We have to selected students from our team and two elected students from their peers to monitor, direct, and create their program within the guidelines that are established in the YouthBuild directives.

It’s amazing to me how this group because of their past or present conditions and circumstances are immediately labeled as unable or deficient, or lacking, when in reality, they are as gifted, talented and fabulous as any Valedictorian, it’s just their energy is focused in other directions.

Their skills are just as tuned and their brains are just as much a sponge as any other youth, but because they don’t conform to different social norms, they “don’t go” and are destined to fail… Where is it we lost our compassion for people based on actions that don’t align with what we say is right, wrong or appropriate?? Even if some peoples view of the world is not aligned with mine, OR EVEN this program, it in no way means that they don’t have something valuable to offer.

So today, we met with the assigned leaders, allowed them to format rules outside of our guidelines and one of the kids explained it like this….

“These are our State rules and what you guys have are the Federal rules….If they don’t comply with the state, they go to the feds”

PEEERRRFFFECT!!!!

After assigning the roles, the groups went to work. In that same moment, I received an e-mail from my boss that alerted me she had gotten permission to take part in a service project that the kids had come up with….To clean a cemetery that has been neglected and trashed. Immediately we as a staff wanted to jump on the wagon to get the group moving forward with the plan. I had a different idea….

I went back to the two students who originated the idea, told them that their request for service had been granted and now it was up to them to manage the event… From the timeline to be there, tasks at hand, tools needed to complete the job, assigning teams….EVERYTHING associated with putting together a team to complete a project…THANK GOD I have VAST experience through MUCH trial and error to make these types of things happen…. ;-)

I coached them into the particulars that need to be outlined to make this happen and then put them to work on creating it, explaining to them to come to the staff when faced with obstacles that seem to hinder their progress…

On top of this project, the elected officials met with their team and assigned the rules and decided that the team had a complaint with a rule that had been established in regards to smoking on their breaks (a privilege that had been taken because of their abuse of it) and they wanted to address the complaint with us since they “couldn’t find it in the rule book”

I explained to them what “policy and Procedure” is and how every policy can have amendments added to it based on the governing hand of the boss. I also explained that if there was a policy in place that they didn’t agre with to make sure they go to the SOURCE to address the problem.

I also explained to them that going to the boss with a problem ad no solution was FUTILE and would likely fall on deaf ears so I encouraged them to create a plan to implement for a short time to show their commitment to the project and the changing of the rules (No cigarette butts, smoking in the assigned areas, courtesy about being on time in relationship to breaks, etc…).

 I explained how a plan being brought to a boss was always the best course of action but to have a BETTER course of action was to implement the plan, document it for a short time and then bring the plan, with the action and the results to shift to the boss and this would solidify their intention even stronger….And ya know what, this place is a friggin BUZZ of activity now that these youth are seeing they are responsible for their actions, their results and their destiny….The seeds are being planted with our little program here and I am on the edge of my seat with excitement at the energy and the possibility!

It is lunch time right now and I actually had to go and beak up some of the groups to take their lunch…Trust me, this has NEVER happened before!! When its time for lunch, this place is a GHOST TOWN!! I walk outside and see the students chatting, discussing, planning….TAKING CHARGE!!

Man, it is an amazing thing to experience when the LIGHTS COME ON for people… EMBRACE those days!!

It can be a continuous struggle trying to manage each person’s drama, lives and circumstances that hinder their progression and then days like this where they realize what ACCOUNTABILITY is, it makes every one of those painful steps worth the journey!

So today, a SHIFT has taken place in our team and hopefully it will be a shift AWAY from circumstances, excuses and arguments to ACCOUNTABILITY, CREATION and DESTINY!!

I am agin reminded of my past when I was this age and how people counted me out, said I didn’t have what it takes, that I had to conform to make a difference, that I had to “fit in” and not “STAND OUT” and I refer back to Ishmael (Daniel Quinn) where I realize this is a Myth Story that we are told on top of so many other Myth Stories that we accept as truth….

Based on the evidence I see, and the results I have experienced, both with people, and in my own journey is this is such a false truth and so limiting to people and their possibility! These kids have been told over and over they CAN’T and I am BLESSED to show them the lie and support them with their actions to prove that to the world.

Oddly, people pay attention to things in the moment, what their eyes see and what they believe is truth, BASED on their perceptions and opinions and then force that truth on impressionable minds in an attempt to control the masses….When in reality, many times, when the masses are given some control, they manage themselves more directly and with intention than anyone on the outside trying to force that. Another thing that stands out to me is the damage done to people with this mentality….How much these impressionable minds take this as a truth and then regulate their life based on those false truths.

Today, at the end of our meeting, I had one of the two students who came up witht he service project idea explain and ENROLL their team into their idea and give them the basis of what we are going to create. One of the students stepped up in front of the crowd and started in with the idea...He went throught the particulars and when he got to the "heart felt" part of it, he said it something like this....

"I think this is important, and I hope you think its important too...I hope that you guys will support me in this and get excited about it....I will be really grateful if you could get on board witht his and do our part..................."

And then he ended the speech to the crowd....

I took him afterwards and brought him into my office and sat him down, and I said....

"look Man, I commend you for stepping up, creatiung this project, your idea and your passion.....BUUUUT, let m explain something to you about enrolling people into your ideas..... You dont ask politely, you dont try to convince, you dont beg and wallow.....YOU DEMAND!!! Like this....

I stood up and said.....

"THIS IS A GREAT THING TO DO, THIS SHOWS RESPECT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED IN OUR COMMUNITY....MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE IN THAT CEMETARY. TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE THIS PLACE CLEAN, SPOTLESS, AND SHOWING THE RESPECT DESERVED OF THOSE PEOPLE LAYING AT REST THERE!"

I sat down and said....

Dont ever beg or meander your way through your visions or your dreams. You go after them with passion, intention and purpose....When you approach your dreams and visions like that, people cant do anything BUT be on board....Get it?"

He smiled, giggled and said...

"Man, I get it!"

I went to make a post last week in my blog but deleted it out of respect (an issue I won’t go into here) but I remember the end of the blog I sated something to the effect of …

“JUST when you get to a point that you think you can really appreciate people, someone has to show up and remind you why it’s a struggle!! GRRRRRR”

Today I want to add….

Just when you get to a point that you think it’s a struggle to work with people, someone shows up to remind you how it ISNT!

Yin and Yang…. We must have the opposing poles to appreciate the opposing poles….

OWTFDWIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO YOUTHBUILD!!!