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  • Home
    • About
    • Video Gallery
    • The OJJDP Model
  • Blog
  • Community Mobilization
    • SCTF Steering Committee
  • Social Intervention
  • Opportunities
  • Organizational Change
    • SCTF Executive Committee
  • Suppression
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • Resources for Community Members
    • Resources for Parents
    • Resources for Youth

Safe Communities Blog

Finding Purpose with Eulerian Destiny

7/16/2018

1 Comment

 
You’re more likely to engage in your community if your community empowers you to pursue your calling or purpose in life. ​
Hi there,

Welcome back to the SCTF blog where we share resources, stories, lessons and updates supporting our goal of building community.

When looking at building community, researchers often measure community attachment. Attachment is feeling like you belong, you’re doing the work you’re meant to and are actively contributing to the world around you. You’re invested in what’s going on and feel positively about your circumstances.

The Safe Communities Task Force recognizes many populations in our community do not feel such attachment including minorities, the disenfranchised as well as many of the young people we serve.

Sometimes these individuals (or any of us really) can feel stuck, overwhelmed or frustrated as though the pieces just aren’t fitting together as they’re meant to. The goal of this blog post is to support you in this feeling and get you into a place where you feel more attached to your community. You’re more likely to engage in your community if it empowers you to pursue your calling or purpose in life. 

My colleague Josh Beaman spoke to me about the Eulerian Destiny; a process by which a person fills in the blanks that guide them toward their calling or purpose in life. The SCTF uses this tool when mentoring youth through their career choices and I want to share it with you today. 
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Download & Print Eulerian Destiny Handout
“Eulerian” is a word describing the shapes that make up the chart above with overlapping ovals. Each oval has space for you to fill in the blank and is labeled with prompt categories. I made this version of the handout for you to print off and share!
Print the handout, find some alone time or quiet space to think. Some can complete this in twenty minutes while others may require more time for sorting their thoughts.

​Upbringing
You’ll start at the top left with “upbringing.” Here you fill in the space with words or experiences describing what you grew up around. Reflect on your early life experiences, environment, community, home life and more that may impact or influence what makes you you.
​

Consider the following:
  • Childhood memories
  • Environment: region, neighborhood style, housing
  • Quotes, phrases, words to live by
  • Lessons learned from watching the people you grew up with
  • Things you dreamed of doing before society pulled the plug on your imagination
  • Instincts and inclinations
  • Learning tools and opportunities available to you
  • Unique experiences you were exposed to
  • Privileges or lifestyles that shaped you
  • Refer back to Aligning Actions with Values. What values did you learn in your early childhood? 
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Experience
Also commonly referred to as “the last 10 years,” consider what you’ve been up to lately. What have your recent experiences been leading you towards? Acknowledge you’ve been doing something meaningful regardless of your role and reflect on how you can leverage this to discern your future. You don’t have to use job titles or labels but instead think of the skill, category or talent underlying the job or role itself.

Consider the following:
  • Underlying themes of your work
  • What drives your current experiences?
  • What skills have you picked up along the way?
  • What are recurring motifs or challenges you continually face/overcome?
  • Job titles or work fields you’ve found yourself in
  • What causes do you volunteer for and what does that say about you?
  • Types of roles you most enjoy
  • Work style, environment, schedule or more you most enjoy
  • Duties you repeatedly find yourself doing regardless of role

Stranger Feedback
On the handout I wrote “feedback” but really it encourages stranger feedback. Here you will write how a stranger would describe you.  Sometimes people we love most are biased thus we ask people who have little attachment to us for this information. You should document both positive and negative descriptors, true for all quadrants. 

For this section, consider:
  • Complements you’ve received
  • Feedback on your work whether solicited or otherwise
  • Recognition or awards people have nominated you for
  • Little things people say during first impressions like, “Wow, you’re so _______,” or “You seem really _______.”
  • Words people use to describe your personality, style, drive, energy, motivation or more

Enthusiasm
Notice what you’re most enthusiastic about in life. Write the things that bring you immense joy, fill you up and you could go on talking for hours about.

​For this section, consider:
  • Your eyes light up when someone asks you about this topic
  • Time flies when you’re talking about this
  • Your heart is filled and life feels wonderful when you’re doing this
  • This makes you forget your worries and lets you be in the moment
  • People come to you for help with this (caveat: and you enjoy being their go-to)
  • This is something you’ve studied, learned, participated in, an experience, talent or more
If you have trouble filling out any sections of the handout please be patient with yourself, dig deep and try your best.

After you’ve completed all four quadrants, now fill in the four smaller ovals which overlap between the four categories. Where do you see commonalities between two overlapping categories? How do you see your responses coming together? Record these ideas, bringing you closer to discovering your Eulerian Destiny.

Discerning Your Call
I use the word call because destiny feels both overwhelming and a tad cheesy. Regardless, it’s time to synthesize all you’ve filled out into your final statement. Your Eulerian Destiny should boil down to 10 words or less describing your purpose in life. These words should clearly articulate the role you play in the world and what you are meant to be doing. This destiny should not be a job title but instead something you can incorporate into any job. For example, if your Eulerian Destiny is “helping people understand their purpose in life,” you can do this at home, at the mall, in the park, as a Barista, at McDonalds, as a business executive, policymaker or more. It should be an overarching theme that is flexible yet specific.

Afterwards, use this to guide you in your choices. If you’re in a position that currently doesn’t support your Eulerian Destiny, perhaps you can find spaces outside of work to fulfill your destiny. Consider finding aspects you can control about your work or environment and take small steps closer to your call. If there is absolutely nothing you can control, reframe your thinking through the lens of your destiny and start building practices into your daily routine that get you closer to it. If you can’t find ways to do any of this, perhaps it’s time to switch gears and find a new job altogether!
The SCTF believes if a person is familiar with their true calling and their community is able to empower that call, they are more likely to feel attached to their community.
This tool can be meaningful and personal if you let it. When I discerned my call with this tool I felt inspired and excited: 

“Cultivating light and empowering people to rise.”
​

 It doesn’t need to be specific nor does it need to be a poem. Mine is one sentence that can be incorporated into all I do. It explains my passion, approach, drive and goals.

Your Eulerian Destiny isn’t written in stone. It will likely change, adapt and grow as you do. You may later find words that more fully and authentically capture your purpose and all these quadrants (except for upbringing) are subject to change at any given moment, which is kind of an exciting thought!

I am not the first to write about Eulerian Destiny. Nothing in this post is groundbreaking. Below are a few other thoughtful posts about Eulerian Destiny if you’d like to hear it from someone other than me! Additionally, I’d like to thank Josh Beaman for coaching on this topic. He’s the real pro.
  • http://dallasmclaughlin.com/how-to-discover-your-eulerian-destiny/
  • http://rugbystrengthcoach.com/eulerian-destiny-5-ways-to-know-you-are-meant-to-be-a-strength-coach/
  • http://www.beyourhighestself.me/eulerian-destiny/

Thank you so much for visiting the SCTF blog. I hope this has helped you find direction in an all-too-directionless world.

We are better because you are here- remember this for me.
​
Sending my best,
Christopher Belisle at SCTF
1 Comment

5 Ways to Foster Identity over Summer

6/27/2018

3 Comments

 
Hello there,

If you read the headline I’m sure you’ll guess it’s that time again! Summer is here and if you’re in Vancouver or the surrounding area perhaps you got a healthy dose of it this last weekend!

A goal of this blog is supporting people who support youth. One thing we’ve learned along the way is as youth have less things to do and more free time the more likely they are to get pushed or pulled into unhealthy activities or behavior. Our job as supportive adults is to boost them up and keep them engaged while also helping them do what brings them the most joy.

Last year, I can’t believe it’s already been a year, I offered ten things to do over summer break for youth. I double checked and almost all these activities are still relevant! Feel free to refer to this first list.

Today’s post will build upon it as a starting point for planning out some summer adventure.

To spice things up a bit, the theme of this post is identity. Recently the Clark County Youth House hosted an art show about identity and the pieces really spoke to me. I thought I’d keep the momentum going with relating all the activities in this post to the theme.
​
Without further ado: 
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Summer camp
I never got to attend summer camp as a kid and I always wanted to!

​My recommendation for your youth is to first and foremost have fun at camp but afterwards reflect on what they learned about themselves during the process. Ask them to consider: What did you do that you didn’t think you could? What moments brought you a sense of wonder? What parts of yourself did you hide and what parts of your identity were new to you?

A quick thank you to the Columbian for conveniently compiling this list of camps available in Clark County this summer! http://www2.columbian.com/summercamps/

Additionally consider vising one of our SCTF partners who are currently offering registration for summer programming, don’t delay.  

​Police Activities League: http://vancouverpal.org/summer-camp-with-pal/
Boys and Girls Club: http://mybgc.org/summer-programs/
Attend a Creature Feature
Creature Features from first blog post are still happening! Learn more and find other community teen events happening at the library, including a HARRY POTTER WEEKEND: http://www.fvrl.org/teens
​

How can animals help us discover our identity? Think about what animals they’re most drawn to and what this says about who they are. If they were an animal, which would they be and where would they be found? What type of home would they build and what other animals would they interact with, if any? 
Get Certified
https://www.foodworkercard.wa.gov/language.html

Getting certified with a food handlers card can make people more hirable. Summer jobs seem daunting but are a great way to be financially independent and grow as a person. I’m not suggesting all young people by default work in food/customer service; however it’s a viable option I myself participated in for many years.

As they do this, ask them to consider what businesses call to them most. Which brand matches their personal brand? What parts of their identity can be expanded on or explored by the organization they have in mind?
​
Visit Partners in Careers for more career exploration opportunities. 
Complete a community challenge
Complete a community challenge and ask them how it changed them as an individual, as a community member, and as a person watching their identity unfold before their eyes every day.

Refer to my blog challenge pages for a complete list. Yes, I did just shamelessly plug my own writing. These challenges are the most viewed, requested and shared on our website so I couldn’t help myself!

​More importantly though, feeling valued, visible and attached to your community are all aspects of the 40 Developmental Assets, which basically are a bunch of factors that boost your ability to grow, be happy and resilient. 
Learn about identity through immersion
Discover what it means to be a woman at the YWCA Women’s Leadership Center: https://ywcaclarkcounty.org/what-we-do/our-programs/wlc/

Receive and offer support for issues specific to the LGBTQIA+ community: https://www.qyrcvancouverwa.org/emotional-support/

Experience what it means to be a modern young person and offer love to your community:  https://www.instagram.com/flash_love/ or https://www.facebook.com/WeAreFlashLove
​

Surround yourself with culture:
  • http://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/
  • https://www.facebook.com/VancouverNAACP/
  • https://www.facebook.com/Clark.LCRG/
  • https://kekukuifoundation.org/events/
  • https://www.cowlitz.org/
In conversations with their peers, young people bring up the topic of identity on a regular basis. Whether it’s discovering more about who they are, dreaming about who they want to be one day, disclosing difficult parts of their identity or things that bring them challenges, it’s a universal theme I feel is fitting to spend intentional time working on over summer break.

Feel free to share any number of the resources in this post with youth in your lives. This list is just a starting point. Tell me in the comments section what I missed! 

Sending my best,
Christopher Belisle at SCTF. 
3 Comments

Youth Voice, as Described by Youth

6/13/2018

1 Comment

 
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Hello there,

I hope your week is greeting you with joy!

I have the honor of supporting multiple programs working towards a brighter future and happier youth, similar to the Safe Communities Task Force. One is the STASHA Peer Education program of Clark County.

One STASHA member described the program as, “We are a group of nonjudgmental youth ages 12-19 from all over Clark County. We work to prevent alcohol and other drug abuse amongst our peers in our communities. We educate ourselves so we can educate our peers. We use our unique strengths to help youth make healthy decisions and teach healthy lifestyles.”

During a recent meeting with STASHA I listened as they described how they define youth voice. For the benefit of all, they gave me permission to share their thoughts with the community so we can all aim to do better at involving young people as partners.

What does youth voice look or sound like?
  • Saying things like, “How is this going for you?”
  • Asking, “What are your thoughts?” without contradicting them or telling why our ideas aren’t good
  • Not providing limitations or rules when brainstorming ideas
  • Avoid saying, “That won’t work though.”
  • Asking what we need to be successful
  • Finding out what our goals are and how you can support us to achieve them
  • Asking, “Hey, can you help me with this?” instead of just telling us what to do
  • We like when people ask, “Tell me more.”
  • “I believe in you.”

What does youth voice feel like?
  • Equal
  • Joy
  • Moving energy around as a facilitator instead of holding it to yourself
  • Dividing power
  • Giving up control
  • Lifting people up​

What are some indicators that youth voice is effectively being honored?
  • There is a process for everything: making decisions, informing us on issues, checking in with each other, reporting out and more
  • Sharing the work
  • Everyone has resources to be effective
  • There is a shared platform
  • Youth talk 80% of the time and adults only talk 20% of the time
  • Talk with us not at us
  • People look confident and appear open and safe
  • Everyone is asked to and wants to participate
  • People are respected and seen as important
  • People’s hearts are full
  • Safe and kind disagreement can happen
  • Roles that are meaningful and valuable, not just doing small easy things (tokenism doesn’t happen)​​​

STASHA is currently recruiting 13 new members from all walks of life and all areas of Clark County. Members ages 12-19 participate in various youth development projects including empowerment, voice, peer education, substance and drug abuse prevention, leadership skills, cultural competency and more. STASHA attends multiple conferences and field trips throughout the year and members commit to one-year terms while being allowed to serve until they age out. Meetings happen every first and third Monday from 6-8pm with additional optional sub-committee meetings as needed.

To learn more email Alaina.green@clark.wa.gov or visit the website for an application. Applications are due ASAP (listed as June 15th) https://www.clark.wa.gov/community-services/stasha-peer-education-program. 
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​How about you reader? What are your thoughts on youth voice or more generally involving the voices of commonly disenfranchised populations? How can it be meaningful and what are the best ways to do it?

Above you’ll find a bonus graphic I put together from the Fall Training back in September. STASHA members were asked to share other ways of coping instead of using drugs or alcohol. Feel free to share with your networks!

Sending my best,
Christopher Belisle at SCTF
1 Comment
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