Community of Runners (Part 2)

Saturday was the official running of the John Wilt Memorial 5K. Thanks to Facebook, I can tell you that John's friends were running everywhere on Saturday - thus far I've seen photo evidence of runners in Manhattan and Tuscon, and have read reports of others running, too. I expect more photos will be posted this week showing those runners in action. My friend Beth, the race's director, reported that the race started with John's best friend, TJ, and her husband (a fellow former Marine, like John) starting out 20 seconds early with the Marine flag. It was a somber start to the race, a true heart-felt and silent tribute to John. But, as John would have insisted, the race quickly picked up energy and excitement once the rest of the runners got going, ending with a post-race celebration with quite a large group of our classmates who were able to attend the race.

I originally thought just a few local runners would join me for my Washington-based tribute run. While my closest running gal friends showed up, I was thrilled that an additional 3 were able to join, bringing our tally to six moms out for an early morning 5K on Mother's Day Eve. Since we started in the parking lot by our local police station, we were able to flag down an officer to take our photo before he headed out on his rounds. The fog hadn't completely lifted yet when we got started, but it didn't slow us down any. With six runners on the course, we were able to comfortably split into two pace groups. One gal sprinted ahead to do a fast final mile (WAY faster than I could maintain - she truly left us in her dust!), but my neighbor and I managed a respectable 28:30 finish and we jogged back to accompany the second pace group to the finish just a few short minutes later. Two of those gals report that they ran PRs! We were truly "Girls Who Love to Run". And, yes, that is me with my yellow hat!

I don't remember the last time I ran with someone else, let alone a handful of women for a group run. I really enjoyed it. And apparently, so did they (not so surprising, based on what I've read on other people's blogs and on on-line running communities, group runs ARE inspiring). They asked if I'd put together some group runs again soon, which I plan to start-up in the next week (and already know of a few others who would like to run with us). And to top it all off, my neighbor and I decided today to sign-up and train for a fall half-marathon together since our pacing is so similar. I guess I AM doing a half this year, no more excuses!!

So, thanks to my friend Beth and our John (and his parents and close friends), for bringing together this little group of women in Duvall, WA for a run on Saturday. It seems their reach of influence far exceeds the John Wilt Memorial 5K - they're now responsible for influencing a Saturday morning running group and a pair of women who can count on one another for half-marathon training support. Aren't runners and girlfriends the best? I love being part of this community.

So what's next on my race plate? I'll be running with an 11 year-old girl for the Duvall Days 5K the first Saturday in June! Her parents won a package the REF auction that included a copy of my book and the chance to have me run with someone at the race. I'm excited!

Lost in the Pages: Guest Review of Empowering Youth by Kelly Curtis, MS

As much as I love running, I think I love books even more. Not only do they have the ability to transport you to new places and introduce you to intriguing people, but they have a way of connecting people who share similar visions and beliefs. When I happened upon Kelly Curtis' blog last year I was excited about the release of her book Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things because I knew that it would be a great read for a community leader friend of mine, Laura Smith.

Laura is a fellow-educator, mother to two passionate children and tireless leader in our community. I'm honored that she agreed to review this book for us all!

Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things
Written by Kelly Curtis, M.S.

Review by Laura Smith, Community Coordinator, Snoqualmie Valley Community Network

Many people have said “It takes a village to raise a child”. Since I believe whole-heartedly in this concept, I was thrilled to be part of giving the youth in our small community a voice by developing a youth led, adult supported youth council. It all seemed easy enough since I have a background in education, have worked with this age group in various ways, and even have a little bit of funding to work with to get the group up on its feet. However, once the youth council had a few meetings under its belt, it quickly became clear to me that I needed more guidance than what tends to come to me intuitively. That’s when I purchased Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things.

The book itself is a succinct, easy to read guide that suggests very practical hands-on tips for cultivating the best in young people. The book supports the Developmental Assets approach that has been working its way into communities and schools over the last decade or so. After only reading a few pages, I decided the book is a resource that needed to be given to each of the adult mentors for the newly formed youth council. I was finding that all adults (myself included) involved with the group are well meaning, but that we definitely have a tendency to try to take over (we like to call it guide or prompt) conversations. It is my hope that the book will provide reinforcement to the “youth led, adult supported” concept that we are trying to achieve.

Currently, the adult members of the council are reading the book. Next month, we will be holding a book discussion while the youth hold the youth council meeting. The content of the book has already given focus to me as the main coordinator, and I feel positive that the other adult mentors will appreciate the insights and ideas provided.

As an adult who works to give youth a voice, I learned a great deal from the first two chapters in the book that focus on what a community that values youth really looks like and the ways that the youth in a community can be treated a valued resources. One point that really struck home is that often youth are included in committees or on councils as “token” participants without their voice or opinion being held in high (or at least equal) regard. As I explore our community for opportunities to hook youth in, I am cautious to make sure their participation is valued. The book is full of activities and checklists for youth, adults, or both to use to take a closer look at many areas including how youth are valued in the community, how youth see their community, and how youth can become solid partners in the community.

The last couple of chapters explore serving the needs of others and creating a safe world for young people. Although the youth council isn’t to this point just yet, Empowering Youth discusses the benefits of such service and provides tips and tools for getting a project or event started. I especially appreciate the focus on how service project participants learn about themselves while learning about citizenship, community development, social change, and the interconnectedness of people.

As a parent, this book is a reminder that there are little things that we do (and can often do more of) each and every day to empower our children. Today, I will try my best to be an active listener when my kids hop in the car after school. I will remind them that they are valuable assets in our family and maybe someday when they are old enough, they will choose to join the youth council to share their voices and skills with others in our community.

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What do YOU do to empower the children in your life? Leave a comment!

Do you have a powerful book you'd like to review for my readers? I look forward to welcoming more guest book reviews over the next few months. Please send me a message to get your review scheduled!