Common Threads ’07
In January, I attended my third youth leadership retreat. Called “Common Threads,” the weekend was organized by Community Awareness Network for a Drug-free Life and Environment (CANDLE) of Rockland County. The weekend can best be described as a program that serves LGBTQ youth with a safe and respect-driven environment that facilitates discussions, education, and awareness of others unparalleled by any other place I’ve been.
One of the most noteworthy highlights of the retreat was a nighttime “flashlight activity” called Plus/Delta. It was developed and designed to give CANDLE feedback, but what it turned into was one of the most empowering aspects of the weekend. At the end of each day, we would fill out and hand in sheets of paper with our plus (what we liked about the events) and delta (what improvement or change we’d like to be made) thoughts. The system is based on the Greek and mathematical symbols of change.
CANDLE staff would read our plusses and deltas each night and on the following day whatever could be improved, was improved. Now, this may sound like a glorified suggestion box, but I want you to take a leap with me: adults can effectively facilitate youth development without ordering us around. Wow! I couldn’t, and still cannot, quite put an emotion on how it feels to be genuinely encouraged to learn and grow in a way that suits myself and my peers. If we wanted more time to have a discussion on violence in queer relationships and the seminar ran short—DELTA!—and more time was made for that discussion. Or if we wanted more time to socialize in an environment where we were not a minority under immense scrutiny—DELTA!—and so we did.
Often, adults try to use fragmented memories of their own youth as a guide for dealing with today’s youth. That serves no purpose. As I ascend the ladder of numerical age, I am comforted to know I am gaining the tools to lead others, combat homophobia, stay drug free, avoid an abusive relationship, chill out through yoga or meditation, contribute to ending global LGBT problems, and most importantly, transition into adulthood with a means of looking out for the interests of youth. I know that my generation’s growth and evolution will not be the same as the next, and I leave Common Threads with the confidence to assert youth involvement at the table in any forum. Δ
- Nick Marino