Our youth: a NOBLE cause

by Wanda Hines

September 8, 2008

“It’s important as a black person.  My voice will be heard and I will not be left out. Also, this is a way to get more people involved in the community and an opportunity to voice our opinions.”
- Maria Twitty (at right), Parent and Community Leader, Burlington, Vermont, speaking about this week's community engagement program on youth quality of life. Read on to learn more ...

When people think of Vermont, diversity isn’t usually what comes to mind. But Burlington, the state’s largest city, is in the midst of big changes. Already impacted by increasing ethnic and cultural populations, the city is a major refugee resettlement area, and Burlington High School
students speak nearly 50 native languages. About 20 percent of the district’s children are from communities of color, and half of the district’s pupils receive free or reduced school meals.

In the context of this rapid demographic change, the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington has received from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) a grant to conduct a community engagement process. The process is designed to help diverse community leaders identify an issue that is affecting the quality of life of youth. NOBLE’s mission is to promote a holistic community-wide approach to the reduction of crime and delinquency.

The much anticipated gathering – set this Thursday, September 11 - will include NOBLE’s introduction to community engagement planning, tools for building partnerships and solving problems, and strategic planning presented by nationally renowned moderator Dr. William Hyman.

As director of the City of Burlington’s Social Equity Investment Project, I was called in to be sure that this process would be responsive to and reflective of the current population. At SEIP, our goal is to identify and support leadership in the community to facilitate sustainable and effective social change. In all we do, we aim to showcase the value of building effective bridges across cultural barriers and challenges, and we believe the NOBLE event will be a big step toward making and strengthening those connections.

The 25 committed community members planning to attend the event include leadership from responsive and representative demographic changing populations, parents, youth, law enforcement, government representatives, business leaders, and local advocates who will work with an engagement specialist and identify the challenges facing impacted youth in our community and form a plan to effect positive change.  Here’s what a few of them – in addition to Maria, above - have to say about this opportunity:

“The engagement process will identify and support activities for youth who are at risk. Vermont is changing and people need to see that and so are our needs.” 
- Trista Miller: Parent and Imani Youth and Family Center, Director of Services

"I believe that this engagement process represents an opportunity to further community dialog about reducing crime and disorder and bringing specific focus to the ideas and experiences of one of our most important populations, our youth."
- Michael  Schirling, Chief of Police, Burlington

"The Community Engagement Process funded by the NOBLE grant is so important to our neighborhood, because we need to develop the tools to pull together to make our neighborhood safer and more welcoming for our youth and their families. We live and work in one of the most diverse areas of this city and yet we often don’t know how to talk to each other. We need to learn."
- Mary Alice McKenzie: Director, Burlington Boys and Girls Club

“The city of Burlington is at an increased ethnic and cultural population crossroad which all too often social transformation challenges accompany that change. The process will provide new and existing leadership the necessary tools to develop sound solutions to more effectively address the challenges and issues that impact all youth.”
- Wanda Hines: Director, Social Equity Investment Project 

“So the kids can get what they need. I’m hoping the process will help the police take crimes against black youth more seriously.”
- Pam Stewart, Parent and Community Leader