New advocacy council helping young people communicate about sex.

Byline: BUILDING YOUTH ASSETS By Shannon Kilduff For The Register-Guard

Have you ever looked at your clients or customers and realized that many of them are young people? Have you ever recognized that youth make up a significant portion of our community, yet have few meaningful opportunities to share their opinions? Have you ever considered involving young people in your organization's decision-making?

`Youth are 26 percent of our nation's population and 100 percent of our nation's future, yet they have no right to vote," said Samantha Phillips, a sophomore at North High in Des Moines, Iowa, in a speech to community leaders about healthy teen sexuality. Even on issues that dramatically affect their lives, young people have few outlets to share their concerns.

The Search Institute, a Minnesota nonprofit organization, has identified 40 developmental assets. Each of these assets provides a framework for communities to connect with young people in positive and meaningful ways. For example, asset No. 8 - empowerment, `youth as resources' - is defined as ensuring that young people have useful roles in the community.

Young people are uniquely qualified to know what they want, what they need and what strategies and approaches are more likely to work well with their peer group. These are just a few of the reasons Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon is committed to engaging young people in its recently formed youth advisory and advocacy council aptly named REVolution (Reach Every Viewpoint, Realize Every Vision, Respect Every Voice).

REV consists of 13 young people from six different high schools. The members will work on projects to promote communication between young people and adults around issues of healthy sexuality.

Planned Parenthood's partnership with young people is one component of The New 3Rs: Rights, Respect, Responsibility - a bold initiative to support Oregon youth in developing healthy sexual attitudes and behaviors. The goals of this initiative are accomplished, in part, by working directly with youth while also helping adults be supportive, available and prepared to communicate with young people.

Research tells us that teens look to trusted adults for information and guidance regarding all issues of their well-being, including sexual decision-making. Yet young people have are frustrated by not being heard or taken seriously, and they fear being judged, dismissed or given simplistic black-and-white answers.

This breakdown in communication denies young people - and the adults who care for them - the opportunity to have truly meaningful discussions that both respect and support youth in making healthy choices.

Making young people a priority in our lives is imperative to the community's success. Through the developmental assets framework, Planned Parenthood and its partners hope to move our community forward in respecting young people, both through asking questions and offering honest, accurate answers.

Locally, this work already is being done. The city of Eugene's Recreation Department engaged young people in the process of hiring a youth recreation coordinator. County officials invited teens to participate in the Region 2050 Project, which will help plan the next 50 years of growth in the southern Willamette Valley.

As we infuse the voices of youth into our community life, we support their sense of value and worth, we encourage their growth and leadership, and we enhance their capacity to make thoughtful, sound decisions.

However, to engage young people in a meaningful way, we need to think differently, plan differently, accommodate their schedules and convince skeptics. It takes time, commitment and work - but it is worth the investment.

Shannon Kilduff is the youth advocacy coordinator for Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon. She currently works with REVolution, Planned Parenthood's new Youth Advisory Council (go to www.new3Rs.info for more information). To learn more about organizations that can incorporate youth in their work, go to www.youthonboard.org. Kilduff's essay is the sixth in a series of columns appearing every two weeks on how to develop youth assets (see www.lanecounty.org/prevention/assets.htm or www.search-institute.org/).