Teen Revolution

By Wendy Ponte
Issue 141, March-April 2007

I am ashamed to admit that, like many adults, my general view of teenagers was probably a bit cynical.

I had bought into the old stereotype and assumed that teens were rebellious, self-involved, and irresponsible. So when I heard about four organizations that work with young people in revolutionary ways, I wondered: Can a program for teens really make a difference—a lasting difference—in the future of a kid who has grown up in an atmosphere of poverty or violence? Perhaps even more important, can it also affect the choices of more privileged youths, helping them to begin a life in which good values take priority over possessions and accomplishments?

Fortunately for the world, the four unique groups I researched—CityKids, Art in Action Youth Leadership Program, Seeds of Peace, and Chat the Planet—are highly successful in just this sort of work. I am convinced that they could teach our world leaders a thing or two, never mind reaching out to teenagers.

What really blew my preconceptions about teens out of the water was talking to some of the young people involved in these programs. Sure, people in this age range, roughly from 13 to 21, still have a lot of growing up to do. But these particular young people, by the time they hit their thirties, will have ended up miles ahead of almost everyone I know, regardless of age. For every teen served by these organizations, there are hundreds who will get nothing—the kids you'll meet in this article are mere drops in the bucket of worldwide need. But what big, glistening drops they are.

CityKids
As a youth, Charles Mack, former Musical Director of CityKids, was himself one of those little drops of water. One of Mack's most important memories of his experience with the program was how it affected someone else. The CityKids Repertory group he belonged to created a performance, for a men's drug-rehabilitation center, on the theme of love and support. A lot of men watched them that day—too many for Mack to remember individual faces. But three years later, as he walked down a Manhattan street, he was stopped by a stranger. "You were with that CityKids group," the man said. "You had a really big effect on me. I'm still clean and doing well."

CityKids was founded in 1985 by Laurie Meadoff, who now serves on its Board of Directors. In the beginning there were only ten kids in the CityKids program. Today, the organization serves hundreds of youths, ages 13 and up, through a vast array of programs using performance, community service, and school-based workshops to help young people change their lives. Most participants are from low-income homes and African-American and Latino populations.

What is unique about CityKids is that the programming is driven by the kids themselves. "Other programs bring work to kids and then ask them to perform it," says Mack, "but here we have a partnership between kids and staff. They create original material." These shows are taken into high schools, half-times at games, and special events such as President Clinton's 50th birthday party. There are also activities such as after-school programs, discussion groups, and poetry readings, to name only a few. All participants begin with CityKids's CK101, a set of activities that guides them through the process of learning to collaborate with other youths and set personal goals. They are given support services, such as tutoring, mentoring, and career counseling.

In addition, CityKids runs a school-based program called BridgeBuilder Initiative (BBI), also cocreated by the youths they serve. "One school group we went to decided to try to find out why their school was so dirty," says Mack. "After a while they came to the conclusion that it was their own fault. So they started a campaign to clean up. They set up initiatives and held an after-school contest to see which classroom could get the cleanest."

It is this drive to support youths in developing their own programming that makes CityKids and other programs for teenagers create lasting change. It teaches young people to learn to respect their own ideas—ideas that they themselves then transform into shows and workshops. "I am addicted to the creation of these young thoughts around me," says Meadoff of the philosophy that guided CityKids's unusual brand of program development. "Instead of leading them, I ask, 'Where do I follow them?'"