Web of relationships aids success in kids, foundation co-founder says

GENEVA ??When school officials want to teach youths about the dangers of drugs, they might do a presentation. International child-youth advocate Derek Peterson dismissed that as ineffective.

?An in-service without bonding is a ?drive-by,? ? Peterson said this week during a two-day workshop on how to improve student performance and reduce at-risk behaviors. ?The adults come out, do a workshop and say, ?We did what we could do to stop drugs.? No, we didn?t.?

Peterson, a co-founder of Changing Children?s Worlds Foundation, a charity based in Geneva that focuses on violence prevention, said the way to help youth succeed is to bond with them first. The workshop was at the group?s headquarters at 411 Stevens St.

Peterson said research shows teenagers who sit through a presentation do not change their behavior. But with bonding, data shows a change toward success.

?This is so controversial because it takes a lot of time,? Peterson told a small group attending the workshop. ?But when you take that time ? I swear to God, it leads to change.?

Peterson uses the imagery of strings in a web to illustrate how a children?s relationships support and protect them while they are developing. The more strings in the web, the more support and improvement in development. Less support, the more likely youths will engage in dangerous or negative behavior that can affect them all their lives, Peterson said.

Peterson has worked with community groups across Arizona. Through hands-on workshops, Peterson said people saw resources they could offer their youth and collected them in a book, ?Helping Kids Succeed Arizona Style.?

Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, president and executive director of Changing Children?s Worlds Foundation, said she wants a similar effort in Kane County.

Nate Micatka, 16, a junior at Geneva High School, said he was glad he came to the workshop.

?I learned that everybody has a web, and they need to be supported by five adult figures,? Micatka said. ?Parents, teachers ? or just someone who can be there for you.?

Two Kane County sheriff?s deputies, Krysta Kaus, school resource officer in Burlington, and patrol officer Andrew Biddle attended.

Source: http://www.kcchronicle.com/2012/10/18/web-of-relationships-aids-success-in-kids-foundation-co-founder-says/a9nd9ki/

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