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Inspiring program helps suspended students

Posted on February 21, 2008February 25, 2008 by Staff

By Isabel Geffner

The recent attention given to the Report to the Joint Education Legislative Oversight Committee on the Annual Report on Dropout Events and Rates in North Carolina has brought into clear focus many of the challenges that lie ahead of us for addressing the needs of our state’s most at-risk youth. Too many of our young people are turning away from school too early, and their futures may be compromised unless we do something now.

I applaud the efforts of the state to provide literacy coaches, learn-and-earn early college high schools, dropout-prevention grants, high school transformation, North Carolina Virtual Public Schools and other initiatives outlined in the annual report.

But all the best programming in the world won’t effect real, enduring change unless we simultaneously transform the way we think about and relate to the thousands of young people whose futures are at risk. It takes brave visionaries and communities to make this transformation. Traditional models of intervention have emphasized remediating incapacity among these youth, but outcomes have been inconsistent and unsustained. Rather, focus on positive youth development that emphasizes youth potential has demonstrated enduring success. Programs that combine personal assets and skill building; academic support; family outreach; and environmental, organizational change have demonstrated a direct impact on student success.

I am inspired every day by a local program that provides a supportive environment to short-term suspended students. These are the youth most likely to drop out of school; they are often the most challenging students to deal with — academically and interpersonally — and research predicts their rate of drop-out to be three times higher than others.

Boomerang is a community-based program, housed at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA. Under the inspired leadership of its executive director, Jerry Whortan, the YMCA stepped forward and recognized that adolescents in our community who are suspended needed a place to go that would bridge their time with meaningful services and supports.

Stakeholders from the school system, mental health, juvenile justice, local agencies and even parents came together to support the idea, and two experienced, professional visionaries, Julie Wells and Tami Pfeifer, proposed the program that is now in its second year of operation.

What distinguishes Boomerang from other programs is the authentic, holistic approach to each child taken by every adult who interacts with the students. Students entering Boomerang are frequently caught off guard because staff interacts with them from a place of respect rather than power differentials. The atmosphere created at Boomerang is key to its success. It directly affects student attendance, student participation in discussions and skill groups and family participation. Different from a punitive, judgmental or otherwise challenging environment, Boomerang maintains an unfailing commitment to a respectful, participatory and nurturing environment. While rigorously structured, the program allows for flexibility and fluidity to respond to students’ often unpredictable and unique characteristics so that the path for success can be individualized. Visitors are often surprised by the relaxed, often-joyful and ever-productive environment at Boomerang, uncharacteristic of many other programs. This reflects the unwavering respect for and commitment to the youth held by Boomerang staff.

The innovative program is based on resiliency research, a best-practice model for addressing the needs of disconnected adolescents most at risk of dropping out of school.

Boomerang helps youth and the community that surrounds them identify resources and supports that lead to long-term, successful outcomes. Through a rich and robust community collaborative, Boomerang provides each student it serves with a strengths-focused environment including intensive attention to academics, psycho-social development and even substance-abuse counseling. Research demonstrates that this approach increases a youth’s ability to learn, receive information, build relationships and to be resilient (to bounce back from adversity). While acknowledging the often pervasive risk factors confronting many of the youth it serves (e.g., single-parent homes, poverty, a family history of substance abuse and physical or emotional abuse), Boomerang focuses on providing students with an environment to succeed, on effecting systemic change in our community that benefits disconnected youth and on disseminating the research and practice on which the program is based to adults in our community interacting with youth most at risk of dropping out of school.

At Boomerang, youth are met by adults who expect them to be successful. Youth are connected to advocates and mentors. They take ownership of their out-of-school time: They determine their own short-term goals and recognize the strengths they have, guided by trained adult professionals who focus on students’ strengths and potential; they are held responsible for keeping pace with their school work; and they are required to serve their community through service projects that benefit the YMCA facilities and membership. Their families are part of their work at Boomerang, and they join together during wrap-up meetings before returning to school to cultivate communication and connection. After they return to school, they are encouraged to remain connected to Boomerang staff: Some are encouraged to serve on the Boomerang Youth Advisory Board to help guide community change, and they attend monthly Boomerang reunions where they come together at the YMCA for an evening of pizza, basketball and informally structured conversation and reflection.

I hope that as we consider deeply the path ahead for our state’s at-risk youth, we go beyond programs that simply focus on academic remediation and other deficits. I hope we truly embrace the possibilities for every child; I hope we respect the journeys of the most challenged youth in our schools; I hope we come together as resourceful communities and work hand-in-hand to transform the destiny for the kids who need us most.

Boomerang stands as an inspiration for us all.

Isabel Geffner is a community member who sits on the steering committee of Boomerang.

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