Asperger’s syndrome, film school might be an answer. At the Joey Travolta Film School and summer camp, in Lafayette, California, kids work together to make a movie; they start with a script, create sets, operate the camera, act and direct. At the Hunter School, in Romney, New Hampshire, kids dealing with attention challenges can nurture mind- body awareness, energetic mindfulness and sensory integration. It all helps them get to know themselves and relate better to others.


Outdoor skills can help teens


develop healthy risk-taking behaviors, as well as teach resilience, perseverance and self-reliance. SheJumps (SheJumps. org), in Salt Lake City, offers young women 6 to 18 years old an opportunity to master outdoor living skills, boost confidence and encourage leadership via collaborating with strong female role models. Fun activities include mountain biking, skiing and trailblazing.


Leadership Over time, experiential learning can help youths develop leadership skills. Lander, Wyoming’s National Outdoor Leadership School, a gap-year program for high school graduates taking a year off before college, offers courses lasting two weeks, several months or even a full year. Activities include sea kayak- ing, Alaskan mountain and glacier climbing and wilderness medicine. Teens already on track and wanting


to develop additional leadership skills can tap into motivational speaker and self-help author Tony Robbins’ annual Unleash the Power Within youth leader- ship program event. Groups of youths 14 to 17 years old collectively participate to


create individual breakthroughs, move beyond fears and limiting beliefs, ac- complish goals and realize true desires. Application requirements include a good academic record, at least 20 hours of community service and a guidance counselor’s recommendation. Robbins maintains, “Grow and give is what life is all about.”


Service to Others A way for youngsters 5 to 19 years old to become empowered is by joining a 4-H group in urban, suburban or rural areas. If we envision a farm kid raising a calf to show at the state fair, that’s still one facet of today’s 4-H, but far from the entire scope. Founded in 1902, 4-H is a global nonprofit dedicated to learning by doing; specialties now range from computer science and graphic design to leadership, healthy living and the performing arts. Positive mentoring by adults and


developing community spirit ground 4-H clubs, camps and programs. Research by Tufts University’s Institute for Applied Research in Youth De- velopment and America’s land-grant colleges and universities shows that people with a 4-H background are more likely to give back to their communities than others (see Tinyurl. com/YouthDevelopmentStudy). For Grammy-winner Jennifer Nettles, of Nashville, 4-H meant learn- ing to perform at an early age, even flying to Chicago to do it. “I don’t know that I would be where I am today with- out 4-H,” she says. “Mentors there help you. They helped me with the skills of performing and learning about being on stage; they also taught me the impor- tance of giving back.”


Sustainable Sustenance Growing food for themselves and others can be a great adventure for teens, while fostering resourcefulness, perseverance and ecological awareness. Seventeen- year-old Katie Stagliano launched Katie’s Krops, in Summerville, South Carolina, several years ago based on her desire to fight hunger by growing food for people that need it. Today, the enterprise offers grants for youth in any area to start and maintain a local garden, provided they give away the produce to the hungry. The initiative has grown to more than 50


gardens around the U.S. Both Mobile Urban Growers, in


Mobile, Alabama, and Closer to Earth, in Oklahoma City, empower youth through exercising organic gardening skills, environmental and food justice advocacy and personal mentorship. Empowering experiences for teens


don’t have to cost a lot or involve travel. “Dream big, but start small. Look around your own backyard, in your community,” says Borba. “Teens can learn to pay it forward in all kinds of ways. They can get together with their peers and take on a doable project to help others. They may even need to start by learning to self-regulate and manage stress by get- ting away from their phones and instead being outside getting exercise.” Casual family activities can pro- vide opportunities for conversations about what teens want in life or what they’re worried about, and that opens the door for adults to step up to help mentor and empower their children. “Boys are more likely to talk while they’re doing something, like shoot- ing baskets with you in the driveway,” observes Borba. “Girls are more likely to talk if it’s one-on-one.” Positive parents actively listen and


then clarify what they heard from their teens, says Herman-Saccio. This infor- mation helps point the way forward, to more interactive dialogue, brainstorming, problem-solving, helpful experiences and eventually, youth empowerment.


Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFood AndLifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.


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