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Connections Action Team End-of-Year Celebration

(Howard County Connections)

By Jacqueline E. Burrell

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote proved the perfect theme behind Howard County Connections’ end of year celebration honoring its youth members.

“Building relationships between youth and adults is what we’re all about,” noted Connections executive director Peggy Alexander, which is why all Connections committees are co-chaired by an adult and youth member. She added that youth like to be appreciated for “who I am now, not who I’m going to be.”

Howard County Connections is a major initiative of the Horizon Foundation. Its focus is to create opportunities for youth to be viewed as resources to the community, to have their voices heard, and to take the asset development message into the community – to be the change they wish to see in the world.

Culminating this year’s worth of work, the festivities at the Hawthorn Community Center were planned from start to finish by a trio of Connections youth members. Atholton High School junior Katie Quail, Long Reach High junior Dorian Davis, and Atholton High senior Alisha Stephens’ planned celebration included live jazz courtesy of Centennial High School’s jazz band, a wonderful buffet, a basket of flowers atop each draped table, games and of course lots of awards.

“Everybody’s strength comes out” because of assets, noted Mt. Hebron junior Lauren Barr, who emceed the event. A youth member since her freshman year, Barr said: “I didn’t know what I was getting into at the time.” Off to a conference 3,000 miles away in California her first year, she told the gathering she’s never looked back and has thoroughly embraced assets into her life.

To deepen youth/adult understanding, all of the youth formed circles around the adults present asking questions such as “What irks you most about youth?” and “What surprises you the most about youth?” Adults got to turn the questions around, asking the youth their thoughts about adults. Done in a game like setting, it helps youth and adults learn more about each other by simply talking and asking questions.

Another game played had youth guessing which adults were known as the dancing queen, who found whale bones on a beach in South America, and who was a White House tour guide.

Before presenting the final awards, Peggy Alexander wanted to leave everyone with “words I live by.” She quoted former South African President Nelson Mandela:

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some, it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

It was a perfect way to introduce a special award to graduating senior Alisha Stephens. In fact one of the best moments of the celebration came as Alisha’s mom spoke. “I usually don’t do this, I’m not very good” she said about standing up to speak before the gathering. But she felt compelled to thank everyone involved with Connections for enriching Alisha's life as well as her own and her husband’s. Most importantly, she wanted Alisha to know how proud they were of all her efforts.

“I hope you’ve gotten a better sense of what we do,” concluded Lauren Barr, who has co-chaired the Connections Action Team for two years and serves on the Horizon Foundation’s Executive Advisory Board for Connections.

“Let’s make next year even bigger and even better!” she said.