09-24-1997 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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LOCAL VOICES Bridging Generations Together ould we consider our cities to be healthy and liveable if our senior citizens were too fearful of becoming victims of juvenile crime to leave their homes when school is not in session? Unfortunately, with fears fanned by the me- dia, that is the case in too many homes in Minnesota. While our police offic- ers, teachers, and clergy try to reassure the public that only a few teens in our communities cause trouble, those few can wreak havoc on the perception of neighborhood safety. Who can change that perception? I believe that the most effective edu- cators about teen issues are teens them- selves. If we create opportunities for teens and adults to listen respectfully to each other, we will reduce fears, build trust, create more realistic planning, and develop supportive relationships among different generations. While natural disasters, like the recent floods, bring people from all generations to- gether to respond to an immediate cri- sis, the challenge to our leadership skills is fostering that cooperative interaction on an ongoing basis. Many of our pub- lic policies and funding practices segre- gate people by age, which is especially detrimental to our youngest and oldest community members. Compared to other levels of government, cities have unique capabilities in promoting and supporting activities that bring people of all generations together in their own neighborhoods. We can provide opportunities for youth to participate actively in the work of the community by serving on city committees, task forces, and com- missions. When we sincerely and re- spectfully ask for their opinions and their ideas, they respond. The key word is "ask." In focus groups, teens By Sue Gehrz tell us that the major deciding factor in choosing to participate is whether they are invited by an adult or teen who they respect. This is really no different than how most adults get involved. Teens care about their families and friends, and have a major stake in the safety of their communities. In many forums, including the teen panel at the LMC 1997 Annual Conference, teens tell us they want and need adults to set and enforce rules. Most victims of ju- venile crime are other juveniles. If adults shirk their duties, youth cannot feel safe and secure in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, or work places. If we are sincerely interested in pre- venting crime, we need to put energy into bridging our generation gaps. Ex- perts in the field of corrections tell us that our prisons are full of people who never learned to use their leisure time productively and who did not have enough contact with caring adults and good role models. Our retired residents have so much to offer the young people in our communities. Whether they are tutoring in reading or math; teaching hobbies and skills; or just serv- ing as an accessible, interested adult — they can meet critical needs in the positive development of our youth. Our city commissions, task forces, and recreation programs all provide op- portunities for training and mentoring relationships to form while youth gain practical skills and experience in effec- tive planning and problem solving. Yet if we look around at most of our city planning meetings, we are likely to see participants between the ages of 33 and 64. We are often missing the younger and older generations. Imagine how much better our decisions would be if we could more effectively tap into the perspectives and experiences of all the age groups that will be affected by our decisions? Some Minnesota cities are finding creative ways to reduce generational segregation and competition for public resources. Falcon Heights recently sponsored an intergenerational dialogue where 51 people between the ages of 11 and 81 brought their unique per- spectives to work together on recom- mending ways to reduce conflict among neighbors and increase inter- generational interaction in our city. Our council and commissions will uti- lize some of their 48 recommendations in setting our 1998 goals. Intergenera- tional dialogues on other topics have been conducted in St. Paul, Minneapo- lis, South St. Paul, Rosemount, Moorhead, Roseville, Duluth, and Bloomington. This is one tool for building trust and communication across all five generations living in our communities and for developing coor- dinated action plans around a local is- sue. The League of Minnesota Cities Improving Community Life Commit- tee is collecting information about intergenerational strategies used by cites across Minnesota. Please contact the committee and let us know what is working in your community. This fall, juvenile crime and youth issues will be part of the evening agenda for the League's Regional Meetings held across the state (see page 28). We hope local teens can be in- cluded in these discussions and encour- age you to bring your questions, ideas, and experiences to the meeting closest to your city.r Sue Gehrz is mayor of Falcon Heights, chair of the LMC Improving Community Life Committee, and has a consulting busi- ness specializing in intergenerational com- munity organizing. 36 Page 86 AUGUST 1997