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Jan. 17, 2000
Celebration planned for local youthBy TONY ZIEBOL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Kids growing up are faced with many choices, some of which can greatly affect the remainder of their lives. Various groups like the Voices of Change are trying to help kids maker the proper ones. Voices of Change is a collaboration of adults who work with youths and other members of the community who are concerned about our youth. The organization is holding a Millennium Asset Development (MAD) Community Celebration 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the New Ulm Middle School Auditorium. The celebration will include keynote speaker Mary Regnier from Brilliant Living Coaching, the 1999 Search Institute Survey Results, Asset Building Champion Awards and a teen video production. The Search Institute Survey is project that measures student behavior and decision making. New Ulm middle school and high school students were asked to respond to several questions about risk factors and assets. The Search Institute identified 40 assets that help kids make good decisions. The more assets are available in a community, the less likely a kid will make a negative decision about, for example, drugs. Results from New Ulm's survey will be available at the MAD event. At least 20 Asset Building Champion awards will be given to citizens in the community that exemplify ways adults can support our youth, said Mark Wiger, Chairman of the District 88 Board of Education. "It's just a chance for us to recognize a group of people that have been observed doing supportive things for our youth," he said. The teen video production deals with the city-wide Youth Council, a group of local students who are putting together a video about life in New Ulm. Besides the events in the Middle School Auditorium, Lutheran Brotherhood will have a free "Chili Feed" from 4:30-6:30 p.m. the same day in the Middle School cafeteria, where Food Shelf donations will be collected (preferably cash, Wiger said). The entire day's events are designed to show the area youth that adults care about them, Wiger said. "We want to show our youth that we value them and allow our youth to have a voice," he said.
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