{"id":268,"date":"2014-10-02T14:53:53","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T18:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familyengagement.nipissingu.ca\/?p=268"},"modified":"2019-07-22T15:23:21","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T19:23:21","slug":"the-youth-connection-at-the-heart-of-secondary-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpms.nipissingu.ca\/familyengagement\/2014\/10\/02\/the-youth-connection-at-the-heart-of-secondary-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"The Youth Connection: At the Heart of Secondary Family Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"StreetArt\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Spirit of Youth\u00a0<\/em>(St. Dominic\u2019s High School, \u00a0Bracebridge, ON)<\/p>\n

Engaging families of youth can often be challenging.\u00a0Factors such as multiple teachers, increasingly complex homework assignments, out-of-school activities, prior experiences, even the growing independence and autonomy of youth may present a landscape in which families feel out of their comfort zone. School communities, in collaboration with youth and families, can promote family engagement both in and out of school, repositioning all as equally invested in student well-being, academic achievement, and lifelong success.<\/p>\n

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A Note to School<\/h3>\n

I followed the\u00a0Street Art path\u00a0toward the buzz of conversation at your school community BBQ last night.\u00a0I wandered past evidence\u00a0of students at work in writing, construction, culinary arts, community outreach, and so much\u00a0more. Wherever I turned, I saw celebration of our youth and our families \u2013 past and present. And at the core of it all was respect for youth and for families \u2013 their perspectives, their ways of being, their developing spirits. What a wonderful place to be!<\/p>\n

Thank you for the invitation and for opening conversations between my child, my self, and my school community.<\/p>\n

A welcomed and valued parent<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As youth and families begin to plan for, and transition into, their post-secondary lives, it becomes increasingly important\u00a0to keep the lines of communication between family and school open. \u00a0Acknowledging the growing autonomy of youth, schools and families\u00a0can initiate\u00a0three-way conversations highlighting the partnership between youth, school, and families. Conversations may focus on such things as strengths, needs, interests, goals, hopes, aspirations, and supports for success and well-being, even the development of virtues\u00a0such as empathy, compassion, persistence.<\/p>\n