It Takes A Village
Community Partnerships Nurture Youth Development and Growth in Pueblo, Colorado

By Julio Argüello, Jr. and Tricia Dwyer-Morgan

Partnering shouldn't be an end in itself. Instead, partnerships should be a means to an end. Effective partnerships can create meaningful opportunities for volunteers to learn skills, help the community, and build connections with family and neighbors.

Are we giving too much credit to partnerships? Maybe. But, as Fred Tripp, executive director of Concerned Parents of Pueblo, Colorado (CPP) explains, "You've got to be in partnerships... it takes a whole community to help a child."

CPP began in 1992 because local parents became fed up with the increasing youth violence in the schools and community. They perceived a failure of the schools, local government, and other community institutions to respond effectively and compassionately to the needs of youth and parents. The founders of CPP, Mr. Fred Tripp and Mr. Ben Ramos, started this grassroots organization based on the philosophy that parents and youth need to have significant and meaningful opportunities for bettering community life through volunteerism.

"Kids just want to show that somebody cares for them and they just want to be treated as people," explains Tripp. "CPP encourages youth development through service learning."

CPP is a strong collaboration of parents, volunteers, businesses, local and state government agencies, and foundations involved in the Youth Incentive Program. Many organizations collaborate with CPP's programs including Community Graffiti Removal Program, Senior Support Program, and Youth Issues Workshops. Some of CPP's annual projects consist of Rake Up Pueblo, a collaborative effort with the Senior Resource Development Agency and the Neighborhood Holiday Celebrations that take place in Pueblo's older neighborhoods.

There is a cycle of partnerships that is revealed in a description of the work of Concerned Parents of Pueblo.

• Partnering starts at a fundamental level when parents and young people together select the site for the service-learning opportunity. The site is selected based on what the parent and youth decide are the areas in which they want to build skills.
  
• Tripp and CPP then screen the volunteer and organization to make a good match. Partnerships have been formed with more than 76 different agencies and/or businesses such as nursing homes, churches, businesses, and animal care centers, day care centers, and other local organizations. Tripp conducts rigorous screenings to make sure that new partners are legitimate. An agreement is drafted and includes information about volunteer commitments, how many hours expected to serve, who the contact person is, etc. "They can rotate around and find what they love," says Tripp.
  
• The youth volunteers then provide feedback to CPP on the quality of the service opportunity because maintaining meaningful experiences is critical. A number of volunteers have gone on to careers in the field in which they volunteered.
  
• Built into the cycle are a variety of recognition benefits. Volunteers receive plaques, "matching" scholarships (provided by CPP and local businesses), and letters of recommendation to colleges and work, among others.

The cycle is completed as the young person graduates. Many have pursued college degrees or found jobs in one of the businesses in which they volunteered.

Creating partnerships can be viewed as an ongoing cycle. Careful attention to each phase of the cycle can nurture new careers and community members. By doing just that, CPP has become very important to the community. Their programs offer educational opportunities as well as volunteer activities that enable youth and families to learn and prosper together. During 2004 alone, the participants of the Youth incentive Program completed over 35,000 hours of volunteer work.

Connect America, an initiative of the Points of Light Foundation, is a network of diverse national organizations working together to leverage volunteering and other resources to increase individual and collective impact on communities. Connect America is a network of diverse national organizations working together to leverage volunteering and other resources to increase individual and collective impact on communities. Connect America is a national movement that will enhance the way organizations address community needs. For information on how to become a Points of Light Foundation member and Connect America Partner, please contact Nonprofit & Government Membership at Membership@PointsofLight.org.