Asset #4 - Caring Neighborhood - Young person experiences caring neighborhood.

The Grandmother at the Bus Stop

Each morning for the past ten years, a grandmother in a suburb of Minneapolis said, "I have stood on the street corner with the neighborhoods kids while they wait to catch the bus. I check to see if they have warm hats on in winter and I ask about their homework and just how they're doing". But one day, after school, a teenage boy got mad at me and said, "Why don't you leave us alone? What we do is none of your business!" Looking him square in the eye, I said, "Oh, but you are my business!" This simple statement summarizes the shift in our thinking that has to occur if we want to restore our neighborhoods and communities. These kids are everybody's kids. And they constantly reflect back to us the messages they have received as they move through the circles of life.
(Excerpt from Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand by James Vollbracht Page 76). April 2005.

What message are you and your neighbors sending to kids who live where you live? Take the simple quiz that follows - use it as a jumping off place to discuss with neighbors, including young people, how to make your neighborhood more youth friendly.

Neighborhood Quiz

Inspirational Handout - Peter Benson, CEO Search Institute