"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Einstein
Along a Coastal Road
Photo by Reverend Steve Waites
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
SAFETY - June Developmental Asset
SAFETY
Young people feel safe at home,
at school, and in the neighborhood.
This document is designed to help adults throughout Santa Clara County develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models.
Newsletter Content
The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.
The Importance of Safety
Feeling safe at home, at school, and in the community is necessary for young people’s health and wellbeing. There are multiple elements of safety for young people, all of which are important to help children thrive. These elements include safety from accidents and hazards, safety from crime and violence, and safety from bullying and harassment, just to name a few.
For young people, feeling unsafe often results in physical, emotional, and social consequences. Youth who feel unsafe skip school more often, achieve less academically, have fewer friends, and are more likely to bring weapons to school.
In Project Cornerstone’s 2011 survey, only 62% of 4th-6th
graders and 47% of 7th-12th graders reported that they feel safe at home, at school, and in their neighborhoods. To help raise awareness of the importance of safety to youth’s psychological as well as physical wellbeing, June is Safety
month in Silicon Valley.
The following discussion topics can help young people identify the ways and locations where they do, and do not, feel safe, and promote conversations about how to improve safety for themselves and others.
• Has anything happened at school, in the neighborhood, at the mall, or anywhere else to make you feel unsafe, afraid,
or worried?
• Do you know what to do in case of an earthquake? Fire?
Serious injury or illness?
• If you or a friend were being bullied, what would you do?
While safety is a critical concern, it’s also important that adults help young people understand that small risks are normal. Sometimes overstressing safety can lead children to avoid healthy risks that help them grow. Helping young people learn to manage their own safety and react in case of emergency will help them develop confidence and independence that will serve them
well throughout their lives.
This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s
Asset-a-Month program. For more information,
Activities
For families
• Does everyone understand the rules about answering the phone, opening the door to strangers, spending time at home alone? Work together on rules that everyone can
agree upon and follow.
• Does everyone understand where to go and what to do in a fire or other emergency? Practice fire and earthquake drills so that children can easily recall the instructions during the stress and confusion of an actual event. Together, identify at least three neighbors to whom your children can go in case of an emergency at home.
• Hold honest, open, and age-appropriate discussions with your children about personal safety, avoiding dangerous situations, and what to do if they feel threatened.
• Talk to your children about bullying, including what to do if they or their peers are being bullied. Bullying is a form of intimidation, and directly impacts young people’s sense of personal safety and comfort.
For all adults
• Make your home a safe place for all children in the neighborhood to go if they’re threatened, hurt, or lost.
• Create or serve on a neighborhood watch group
for your community.
• Be an “askable adult” who youth can go to when they have questions or concerns about their safety.
• Model safe behaviors! Wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle and fasten your seatbelt in the car.
• Pay attention to what’s going on with the youth around you, and intervene if it seems that someone is being threatened, harassed, or bullied, or if youth are engaging
in unsafe behaviors.
At school or in youth programs
• Take a safety walk! Canvass the area with youth to identify places where people might get hurt or threatened, and discuss where the young people do and don’t feel safe at the site. Brainstorm ways to address the issues, and work with the administration or facility staff to solve the problems.
• Create and communicate clearly defined rules for physical behaviors as well as interpersonal behaviors. It’s important that youth know that bullying is not acceptable. Discuss
and role-play ways that youth can stand up for themselves and their peers if they’re being bullied. Make sure that youth understand the importance of reporting bullying incidents and the difference between reporting and “telling.”
• Involve parents and caretakers in safety discussions to ensure message consistency and reinforcement
Resources
• Take 25 (http://www.take25.org) is a program of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children encouraging parents to take 25 minutes to discuss safety issues with their children. Their list of conversation starters at http://www.take25.org/res/pdf/Take_25_Conversation_Starters.pdf covers online and offline personal safety topics for young children, tweens, and teenagers.
• Electronic bullying online or through mobile phones, known as “cyberbullying,” is a growing phenomenon, especially with the relative anonymity for bullies. A good resource to help youth understand the issues is http://www.stopcyberbullying.org. For adults, http://www.cyberbullying.us serves as a clearinghouse for the latest research and information about cyberbullying.
• For K-12 schools, Project Cornerstone offers the Expect Respect peer abuse and bullying prevention workshop. With the guidance of a skilled facilitator, teams of diverse students develop leadership skills and action plans to promote healthy behaviors and reduce bullying on campus. Contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482 or info@projectcornerstone.org for more information.
JULY Asset of the Month: Service to Others! If you or your organization can share ideas for positive, creative activities for young people, please contact
About the Asset-a-Month Program
The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. For more information about the
Asset-a-Month program, contact Project Cornerstone at
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
The Soul of Women World Synchronized Meditation
The Soul of Women
World Synchronized Meditation
May 15, 11PM NY Time
Calling men and women worldwide to activate the Divine Feminine for a more balanced world.
This is going to be incredible! James Twyman has been invited to Mt. Fuji in Japan to participate in a major peace event, and to help initiate a 15 minute synchronized meditation to bring balance between the Divine Masculine and Feminine. When you look at the world today, what could be more important? No matter where you live you see the evidence of this imbalance, but you have likely also noticed a trend
toward a new reality.
What would happen if millions of people focused their attention on bringing masculine and feminine balance back to humanity?
We will be sending out MUCH more information on this important event over the next few weeks, but we hope you'll put it on your calendar now. We will also be hosting recorded conversations about the topic as well as live conference calls (and maybe even a song or two), so stay tuned.
This event is part of The Fuji Declaration, initiated by Masami Saionji, Dr. Ervin Laszlo and Hiroo Saionji - an international alliance of individuals and organizations who are
united by a shared commitment to advance a more harmonious, compassionate and sustainable era for all humanity.
Meditating for Peace
Bringing Sanity Back to the US Election
Most of you know that we are focused on starting a movement to bring peace and sanity back to the US presidential election by attending candidate rallies wearing T-shirts that read - Meditating For Peace.
We've experienced some delays in getting to a city in time for an event, but this is still a HUGE priority. We will let you know as soon as we are able to confirm our attendance so people around the world can be sending their prayers. More to follow.
James Twyman
503-278-7331
JamesTwyman33@gmail.com
503-278-7331
JamesTwyman33@gmail.com
How To Keep Your Inner Glow
Be determined to discover essential truths and mentally utter a cry for
interior light (Luke11:9-10) so that we may align ourselves with higher truths to better serve humanity. As we receive more light, it helps us to clear the mind and be focused on achieving our goals. The more light we obtain, the greater our inspiration flows from source. As we open up our channel to the divine, the inspiration that does come through can be uplifting and help strengthen us. To truly be successful, we need to keep our eyes upward on our path of spiritual growth. There is so much information out there today with the internet, media and mixed messages, that we need clarity and discernment more today than ever to determine what is true and what is false.
As we strengthen our mind through
meditation, we become more focused to
draw our attention from source so that
the inspiration we receive is going to
uplift our spirits and help us develop
high principles with the end result of
serving humanity. We learn to develop intuitive perception. We learn to recognize and how to transmute the energies that are hindering our growth and pulling us downward. We learn to focus our attention on that which nourishes and
strengthens our soul.
Since love comes from our connection to God and the spiritual hierarchy, through prayer and meditation, love and appreciation are developed and we continually open up our channels of creativity. Creativity comes from higher planes of consciousness. Love is the essence of creative expression. As we love and appreciate the divine, we tap into the mystical and creative
flows of these higher realms. Art and music is an expression of our connection to source. The more we love and connect with source, the more we are able to express our creative talents, whether it be through art, music, science, humanitarian causes and the like.
Let us love more and ask more and keep peace in our hearts, minds and in our soul.
Dr. Reverend Pamela McHenry
April 7, 2016
Santa Cruz, California
Dr. Pamela McHenry
Sacred Foundations, Inc. Board Member
Healer Practitioner
Lighten Your Body, Enlighten Your Soul
415-650-5868
408-596-3291
Sunday, May 1, 2016
May 2016 Asset Of The Month
Developmental Asset of the Month – May
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Young people spend three or more hours per
week in sports, clubs, or organizations at
school and/or in community organizations.
This document is designed to help adults throughout Santa Clara County develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models.
Newsletter Content
The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.
The Importance of Youth Programs
Youth programs—which include sports, scouting, recreation, camps, afterschool programs and religious programs can provide fulfilling experiences that help young people develop new skills and master challenges. They also provide a safe place for youth outside of school where they can be in contact with caring non-parent adults.
Research shows that the developmental asset of participation in youth programs results in increased self-esteem; better development of life skills, leadership skills, and public speaking abilities; fewer psychosocial problems such as loneliness, shyness, and hopelessness; decreased risk behaviors; and more thriving indicators.
Nearly half of the youth in Santa Clara County don’t participate in youth programs. In Project Cornerstone’s 2011 survey, 56% of 4th-6th
graders and 60% of 7th - 12th graders reported that they participate in youth programs three or more hours each week. To help raise awareness of the importance of this developmental asset, April is Youth Programs
month in Silicon Valley
The following discussion topics, adapted from the book, What Teens Need to Succeed, can help young people of all ages recognize the value of youth programs, and better understand the benefits of the programs in which they participate: • Overall, are you happy with how many different things you do with your time?
• Are your activities stimulating and challenging?
• Are you making friends with caring, responsible adults in your activities?
• Are you learning new skills and talents, and acquiring new knowledge?
• Do these activities bring out your best?
If the young person can’t answer “yes” to most of these questions, then it may be time to discuss the program’s activities with the adults in charge or to help the youth find new, meaningful activities that
better meet his or her interests.
This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program.
 |
Activities |
For families
• Make sure that your children are participating in positive, asset-building youth programs that they enjoy. If they’re not, help them find new programs that meet their interests. Help them understand that they might not fully enjoy or benefit from the program immediately, and encourage them to make a time commitment of a certain number of weeks or months to give the program an adequate chance.
• When your younger children join a new program, help them with introductions to their peers. They’ll feel more comfortable and confident when they know the other participants.
• At mealtime, ask your children specific questions about the activities, leaders, and other participants in their youth programs. It’s a good way to spark conversation and to make sure that their programs are meeting
their needs and interests.
• While participating in sports can be positive for young people, the intense competition that can occur in sports programs typically is not. Make sure that coaches balance the competitive aspect of sports with the development of positive skills like leadership, teamwork, and
good sportsmanship.
• Role-model positive behavior when attending sporting events. Good sportsmanship in the bleachers helps youth practice managing their own responses to challenges and successes.
For all adults
• Youth programs can provide excellent volunteer opportunities! If you have a skill or talent to share, offering it in a youth program is a great
way to make a difference.
• Looking for ongoing or one-time youth volunteers? Check with the leaders of youth programs near you. Your needs might dovetail with one of their service or skills development projects, making it possible for youth to serve as resources and gain valuable experience.
At school or in youth programs
• Youth program staff have exceptional opportunities to serve as asset builders for the youth they serve, acting as role models, mentors,
and caring, non-family adults. Make sure that all program staff have been trained in the developmental assets framework, with additional guidance to identify and take advantage of
asset building opportunities that arise.
• Regularly review activity plans with an eye toward providing opportunities for youth members to help decide and plan activities, and finding ways to incorporate service opportunities into the program’s primary mission. Intentionally make it a top priority for program staff to be a positive influence on the youth in your program.
About the Asset-a-Month Program
The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. n For more information about the Asset-a-Month program, contact
Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.
President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.
revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net
www.sacredfoundations.net
877-877-4275
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Developmental Asset of the Month – April 2016
Service to Others
Young people serve in the community one hour or more per week.
This document is designed to help adults throughout Santa Clara County develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models.
Newsletter Content
The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.
The Importance of Service to Others
Community service, volunteering, and service learning do more than allow youth to help the community these activities also provide youth
with the positive experiences, relationships, and connections that help them thrive. Research shows that the developmental asset of service to others results in higher academic performance, increased self-esteem, reduced incidence of depression, better problem-solving skills, and increased community
involvement as an adult.
Unfortunately, most youth in Santa Clara County don’t participate in significant service to others. In Project Cornerstone’s 2011 survey, 32% of 4th-6th graders and only 47% of 7th-12th graders reported that they serve in
the community one or more hours each week.
To help raise awareness of the importance of this developmental asset,
April is Service to Others month in Silicon Valley.
One reason that youth may not serve is the perception that their assistance
isn’t welcomed—a Gallup poll found that adolescents were four times more likely to volunteer and help out in the community if they were asked, but only half of a national sample of youth reported that adults asked them to help out. Youth gain the greatest benefit from service programs that enable them to “do” instead of observe; to work with supportive adults; to demonstrate responsibility, to explore their own interests and ideas, and to reflect on the meaning of their activities.
The following discussion topics can help young people recognize the value of service to others and identify new kinds of service opportunities:
• Ask a young person to complete this sentence:
“One way I’d like to change the world is…”
• What are some needs or problems that you see and are concerned about in the community? What do you think can solve these issues? What can you do to get the ball rolling?
• If you had to commit one year after high school to performing service in your own community, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad, where would you go and what would you choose to do?
This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program.
Activities
For families
• At mealtime, share your recent community service activities with your family. This discussion demonstrates that your family values service,
enables you to role-model community service, and opens a discussion about ways to help in the community.
• Serving others doesn’t always mean taking on a big commitment—it can be as simple as picking up litter in the park, helping an elderly neighbor unload their groceries, or bringing a meal to a sick neighbor.
• Have a family meeting to consider the idea of a family service project, and make sure that everyone participates regardless of their age. Have everyone list their volunteer activities to see if others are interested in helping, and talk about additional causes that each member would like to support.
For all adults
• Create youth-oriented volunteer opportunities that are diverse in
the amount of time, energy, and expertise required. To make sure that youth get the most out of the experience, provide adequate training and make sure that the youth understand how their efforts will make a difference.
• When seeking volunteers, don’t just reach out to the high-achieving youth in leadership programs! Young people from all backgrounds deserve the opportunity to experience the benefits of service.
• Be sure to affirm and recognize the efforts of all the youth who serve.
At school or in youth programs
• Service learning programs that link educational or program objectives with opportunities to address real-world issues are a proven strategy for increasing developmental assets. Resources to help get started with service learning programs can be found in the “Resources” section below.
• Start a service club for youth! Work with the group to identify a list of causes that they care about (e.g., animals, education, environment,
creating safe places for youth to hang out, health care, disaster relief,
homelessness, peace, etc.) and identify ways that they can help.
Help the youth research the need, define goals, create a plan
(being sure to consider the potential needs and feelings of the recipients), and implement their service ideas. Be sure to guide the youth in reflecting on their experience at the end of the project.
• You can also create service opportunities for youth within the school or program itself. Work as a group to list needs that youth have observed at the site, like picking up litter or refereeing games for younger children, and ask youth to choose which needs they’d like to address. If their choices require the permission of other staff members, have the youth choose a team of
representatives to present their offer to the person in charge, and coach
them on how to make their presentation.
Additional Resources
• The Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara County Youth Volunteer Guide provides a comprehensive list of service
opportunities for youth 12-17, arranged by areas of interest and
kind of service available. The guide includes coaching for youth
on what to say when they call an agency for information or visit the
site for a volunteer interview.
• A wealth of information about service learning is available at Search Institute’s “Service Learning and Asset Building” Web page at http://www.searchinstitute.org/content/service-learning-and-asset-building.
Resources include a free guide to service learning in community-based organizations as well as fact sheets, resources, and links to information from national service learning organizations.
About the Asset-a-Month Program
The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. For more information about the
Asset-a-Month program, contact Project Cornerstone at
Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.
President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.
revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net
www.sacredfoundations.net
877-877-4275
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