Hartford Project Care

Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth
By Dr. Michael Kremer – November 2007

Place: Information was largely gathered through the Search Institute, The Banks Building, 1615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125, Minneapolis Minnesota 55413.

At a time when many people feel overwhelmed by the problems and challenges facing children and adolescences, communities across North America are discovering new energy and working together for a positive vision for young people. In the Hartford K-12 community, we have tagged our work as HARTFORD PROJECT CARE.

At this point, members of the Board of Directors include:

President – Julie L. Allen
Vice President – Dr. Michael Kremer
Treasurer/Secretary – Doreen Buntrock
Dr. Michael Kremer – Superintendent HUHS
Dr. Mark Smits – Superintendent Hartford JT. #1
Chief David Groves – Hartford Police Department
Sheriff Dale Schmidt – Washington County Sheriff
Scott Henke – Mayor of Hartford
Pastor Brian Kundinger – United Methodist Church
Doreen Buntrock – West Bend Savings Bank
Greg Ledesma – Berndt-Ledesma Funeral Home
Mike Hermann – Hartford Parks and Recreation
Julie Allen – Community Member
Representative (1) – Hartford Police Explorers
Representatives (2) – Hartford Union High School

In essence, instead of focusing only on reducing risks and intervening in problems, the communities involved in the project are rallying to rebuild the foundation that all young people need - - a foundation that has crumbled for far too many young people in our society.

Uniting a community to nurture the positive development of youth is much like playing in a jazz ensemble. Each musician must know the tune and listen to the other ensemble members; all players must improvise together - - sometimes taking the lead and sometimes blending into the background.

To create a community wide commitment to youth, all the ‘players’ need to be an ensemble – working toward a common vision for what is needed to promote the healthy development of young people. Since 1993, Search Institute has been working with communities toward that vision, expanding upon the thirty year tradition of applied research in the youth development. In 1996, the Institute launched a national healthy communities …healthy youth initiative to support communities in their work. Based on the Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets™, this initiative seeks to motivate and equip individuals, organizations, and their leaders to join together in nurturing competent, caring, responsible children and adolescents. Over five hundred counties, cities, towns and regions have been using five action strategies to guide their efforts.

Engage adults - - engage adults from all walks of life to develop, sustain, and strengthen building relationships with children and adolescences, both within families and neighborhoods.
Mobilize young people - - mobilize young people to use their power as asset builders and change agents.
Activate sectors - - activate all sectors of the community - - such as schools, faith communities, youth, businesses, human services, and health care organizations - - to create an asset building culture and to contribute fully to young people’s healthy development.
Invigorate programs - - invigorate, expand, and enhance programs to become more asset rich and to be available to and access by all children and youth.
Influence civic decisions - - influence decision makers and opinion leaders to leverage financial, media, and policy resources in support of this positive transformation of communities and society.

The mission of healthy communities and healthy youth is to motivate and equip individuals, organizations and their leaders to join together nurturing competent, caring, and responsible children and adolescences. To accomplish this, Search Institute and our local initiative HARTFORD PROJECT CARE will provide or assist with research, evaluation, resource materials, training, technical assistance and networking opportunities based on the institute’s framework of developmental assets.

From where I sit today as Hartford Union High School Superintendent, and with the very tough choices facing our young learners, the time is right for all of us to get involved in the HARTFORD PROJECT CARE initiative in whatever manner you choose to do so., We are in need of both time and dollars to keep the initiative alive. Otherwise, we will continue to get what we have gotten over time from our youth in the community - - an increase in expulsions, due to the use of alcohol and/or drugs; an increase in teen pregnancy; the ability, heard directly from young people in our community many times, to access whatever drug they want in five minutes; and a greater share of police resources lined with the unlawful behavior of youth.

If interested in more information, now, please contact President Julie Allen at – julieallen@hartfordprojectcarel.com.