Communities for Children

With state officials properly touting Maine as the best place in the nation to raise a child, a group in Bangor will be meeting tomorrow to make sure the achievement is true of this region, as well. The Greater Bangor Communities for Children is a worthwhile effort that deserves the region’s support.

What makes this project different from so many others, however, is that it is not relying on an amorphous, adult-determined set of impressions to decide whether young people are doing well. Instead, it uses 40 specific standards, or assets, that youths use to gauge their environment. So, for instance, they are asked whether they have caring neighbors or whether they have found useful roles in the community or whether their parents communicate positively. Do they value characteristics like honesty, integrity and responsibility? The assets look for positives in a young person’s life to help him or her navigate the world.

A survey conducted last year in this region showed children in this region had, on average, 21 of the 40 identified assets. Not bad, but not anything to brag about either. Providing ways for children to increase this number is important. For instance, a child with 10 or fewer assets is 10 times more likely to experience or commit violence than a child with 31 or more assets, according to the coordinator for Communities for Children, Harry Madson.

With the detailed background information in hand, Communities for Children can begin to take action to achieve its six goals. They are as follows:

Ensure that when children go to school, they are ready to succeed.

Provide a caring and encouraging environment for learning.

Give youth an opportunity to play useful roles in the community.

Help them build positive peer relationships.

Instill positive communications within families.

Ensure the community offers responsible role models.

As you can see, the goals demand from the community the kinds of attributes every parent wants for his or her own child. Not all kids, however, get the kind of attention and opportunities that allow them to thrive. When they do not, both they and their community suffer.

Bangor is no different from other places, and that’s what Communities for Children wants to change. Make the region different; make it a place where children can grow and achieve in a positive atmosphere that stresses the values most people esteem. To get involved in this valuable project, attend the community forum scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Fairmount School, 58 Thirteenth St., Bangor. Or call 941-2800.