#YOUTHTRUTH

"To be a great teenager

you need not sit like a

rock but work like a

clock for life is not a

game but a challenge

you must win."

In This Issue

Moving Forward

Mental Health is Fundamental

Radio Interview

#Light Up The City

Our Program

Photo Caption

Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day!! Life as a teenager is often very different than life as either a child or an adult. It is a turbulent time, with different obstacles to face, and often it seems as if there are many, many more of them. This news-letter are by teens, about teens, and about Life as they see it.

Hmm...I Wonder Q: Do you believe Saginaw is Becoming more Safe?

(community)

A: Poll: Yes 68% No 20% Undecided 12%

Q: Why is mental health so scary? (question to #YMS)

A: Mental Health is scary because our society as a whole most of

the time do not understand it, so it leaves preconceived assump-

tions that never increases stigma amongst our youth.

Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw May 2015

Message From our President Mental Health is Fundamental

On May 7th 2013 Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw will be celebrating

National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day. Every year the

National Federation for Families creates a theme, this year being

Mental Health is Fundamental. Every day a young person living

with complex mental health needs experience more than their diag-

nosis; they experience judgment by their community, social media,

peers, systems, and even their families. We often think of our youth

as nothing but trouble; however they feel that they are

misunderstood. Some individuals do not understand mental

health or what it means to be mentally ill; firstly it is not always what

you see in movies.

Youth living with mental health challenges walk the daily life of stig-

ma by avoiding names such as crazy, weird, and slow. This popu-

lation of youth experiences a high volume of bullying which increas-

es suicidal ideation and low self esteem. Mental health is not mere-

ly the absence of mental illness, but it is also the ability to cope with

the challenges in life. It is just as important as ones own physical

health.

Failure to detect early signs of mental illness in youth may result in

negative consequences such as increased risk for academic fail-

ure, social isolation, unsafe sexual behavior, drug and alcohol

abuse, suicide attempts, unemployment, and poor health. A recent

report from the CDC says, Rising rates of mental and emotional

problems among U.S. children and youngsters signal a crisis for

the country. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit, conduct disor-

ders, suicidal thinking, and other serious psychological problems

are striking more and more children and youths. (Center for Dis-

ease Control, 2014)

Youth M.O.V.E Saginaw has been working hard to address stigma,

as a community we are bringing attention to youth mental health as

it will effectively support youth, empower parents, and encourage

families in their unique lives, so May 7th 2015 we celebrate the

unique lives of youth across the county, state, and nation who

live with mental health challenges.

One Week One Street mission is to

revitalize our Saginaw City One

Week at a time. They accept vol-

unteers to assist them in this awe-

some effort. Youth MOVE Saginaw

will be participating one of the full

days, We hope to see you out

there!!!

The Next revitalization effort will

take place on Rust st. June 15-19th

9am-4p, Lunch for volunteers will

be provided.

CEricka Moten-Pres. YMS

One Week One Street

Teen Years

Everyone tells you,

they're the best years

of your life.

The thing they don't tell

you,

is they are all full of

strife.

From a child to a teen,

in less then a year.

It's a lot to deal with,

you have to grow up

fast.

As a child you're free,

as a teen you feel

locked up.

A child has no worries,

A teen has a lot.

You learn the meaning

of love,

you discover broken

hearts.

The worries of being

accepted,

are the hardest part of

all.

What's the "best"

about these years.

When as a teen,

you live in fear.

#YMS

MSP Trooper Joseph McMillan

#Light Up The City! Michigan State Trooper Joseph McMillan attended a Youth MOVE

meeting to discuss his experience as a police officer. We will say

that there was a lot of tension in the room due to the stigma of the

law enforcement system. Trp. McMillan answered some tough

questions and was able to help our youth understand that Officers

are human, and humans make mistakes. He also spoke on the

MSP youth Leadership Camp please visit www.michigan.gov/

msp. His goal is to continue to merge the relationship between

officers and youth in the tri-city area.

Trp. McMillan discussed a cool event which YMS participated in

last year, Light Up The City. This is a partnership between com-

munity organizations along with businesses such as Consumers

Energy who supply the initiative with energy efficient light bulbs.

The Task at hand is to turn lights on in your neighborhood, shed

light on crime, build relationships, and to raise awareness on vio-

lence. Thank you Trp. McMillan for visiting us!

Moving Forward

When I think about everything that has taken place in my

life I can do nothing but MOVE forward in life with grati-

tude towards God. I realize that life is worth living includ-

ing its challenges. Looking back I think about the saying

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger well Im living

stronger and enjoying it.

This year I will be graduating High School, having an

open house, and attending my Prom! I look forward to

what God has for me, this experience has taught me to

reach out to other youth who may experience traumatic

experiences and connecting them to the proper re-

sources in our community.

My goal is to take not only the experience of being shot

at prom but theres more to Uniqua that will help youth of

this generation get through the struggles of teen-life.

When you think no one cares, no ones listening, theres

always some one to relate to your story, reach out!

Uniqua Wicker YMS

Kendrick K YMS VP

May Mental Health Awareness Month 2015

We would like to send a special Youth MOVE Shout Out to

the Art Lewis Show WSGW 100.5FM for having us on the

show to raise awareness about childrens mental health and

youth issues in our community.

We definitely enjoyed our time at the station Mr. Lewis.

Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day is celebrated by ]

Youth MOVE Saginaw each year by raising awareness to

youth who may be struggling and celebrating those who may

live the challenge each day.

Your experience counts and dont be afraid to ask for help!

View www.youthmovesaginaw.org for a list of resources!

Youth MOVE Saginaw I have the privilege of leading a powerful group of young people in this community Youth MOVE Saginaw. Under-standing our community dynamics it is important for our community to collaborate in this time of great need for youth who are being lost in the cracks. I volunteer my time to create youth voice in different forums throughout Sagi-naw County. In other generations youth voice has been shut out be stating stay in a child place or kids are to be seen and not heard, well youth have a lot to say. We have a powerful potential in our youth and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power towards good ends. Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw (Motivating Others Through Voices of Experience) promotes both youth leadership by having ongoing youth led trainings. YMS operates in lead-ership development programs using strategies that include peer support, organizing, action research, policy advoca-cy, and philanthropy. Nationally these engagement sec-tors serve as a scientific study on youth engagement, leadership, and development to bring learned lessons to advance the field of youth development. We translate find-ings of youth development/leadership into curricula, publi-cations and presentations. Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw also offers restorative justice and anger management group sessions to youth who may have offended the law. These sessions are typically 6 months long with the consideration of holidays and other special events YMS may be involved in at the time. One of our goals is to increase the involvement of youth in their own community and to be knowledgeable of what is going on in their lives. We train youth to provide training on youth guided care and other topics that are important to youth such as; bullying, teen dating, strengthening fami-lies, sexting, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Through our voices of experience we relate the curriculum or presentations to our own personal lives making the train-ing relatable and more influential. For more information www.youthmovesaginaw.org

Marcus Beemon-YMS Coordinator

Youth MOVE Saginaw Youth

Board Members:

CEricka Moten-President

Kendrick Kilpatrick-VP

Amber Rimmer-Secretary

Keontae Owens-Treasurer

Juamark Ryans-Youth Leader

Supportive Roles:

Sparkle Beemon-Outing Cord.

Christian White-Social Media

Contact Us

Give us a call for more

information about our ser-

vices and products.

Youth MOVE Saginaw

308 N. Washington St.

Saginaw MI 48601

(989-798-5679)

movesaginaw@gmail.com

Visit us on the web at

w.youthmovesaginaw.org

FB Youth MOVE Saginaw

TW @movesaginaw

Our Program Youth MOVE Saginaw is a community based youth organization outlined to teach

youth leadership skills to be able to advocate for systemic change to for youth in

their community, state, and nation.

Youth MOVE teaches youth in this community to develop a Positive Peer Culture

by offering training around cultural responsiveness, youth voice , strategic shar-

ing, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Bullying, policy making, and leadership devel-

opment.

Youth MOVE meets bi-weekly for two hours on Tuesdays usually from 4:30p-

6:30p at St. Marys Center for Hope Downtown Saginaw. We encourage these

meetings to keep youth engaged in the process. Youth also meet new friends who

are trying their best to stay positive in this community.

Youth MOVE Saginaw

308 N. Washington 48601 Saginaw MI

Suite B3

PLACE STAMP HERE