for Children and Youth - Ventura County Star

24 Creating Asset Rich Environments for Children and Youth
Lower levels of
binge drinking
are associated
with higher levels
of caring adult
relationships in
the community.
What We Can Do!
We can do more to reach out and engage our children and youth in a caring, healthy
and positive way!
Success Story: Creating Caring Relationships with Children and Youth
“Take a Second. Make a Difference.”
Not that long ago, Kansas was a place of front porches and communities. A place that, when a child did
something – for better or for worse – someone who cared was there to see it. Things have changed. Today,
people are busy and more scattered. They can’t seem to find the time to connect with their neighbors.
The idea of a community goes no further, unfortunately, than this side of a privacy fence. And that’s
what we were out to change with our campaign “Take a second. Make a difference.”
While it may not seem possible that learning a child’s name, or simply offering a friendly wave and smile
makes a difference, it does. We have research that proves it. We also know it in our hearts.
We’ve learned that the more connections a child makes with adults other than their parents and teachers,
the healthier that child will be. For a child, these connections lead to healthier living and less risky behaviors.
We want to make Kansas a place where adults connect with children and where we put youth first. In
the end, it helps us all. http://www.kansashealth.org/communications/publicService.html