| Small and Simple Makes Tucson's DEFY Work
DEFY youth staffs an aid station at the “El Tour de Tucson” bicycle ride. |
Six years ago, DEFY started in Tucson, AZ; 6 years later,
kids are still coming to DEFY events.
The secret to this kind of dedication and interest lies in
a number of small yet very effective strategies, according
to Marcia Roberts, Weed and Seed and DEFY Coordinator for Tucson's
Westside Coalition Weed and Seed.
Roberts keeps all of the names of children who attended DEFY
camp (Phase I) in a database so they are readily available
for mailings and information dissemination about Phase II activities.
This deceptively easy step makes things work more smoothly
and efficiently for Roberts, who reaches out to at least 90
kids, drawing about 35 new children each year from the three
active Weed and Seed sites. Events can sometimes draw up to
30 kids.
“It doesn't matter if you have great programs if your outreach
fails,” Roberts said. “You have to have both to be successful.”
DEFY likes to try new activities and broaden experiences,
but it is also important to replay favorites, Roberts noted.
The Christmas festival of lights, for example, is a perennial
success and an event that the kids look forward to, so Roberts
keeps hosting it.
Keeping things straightforward is paramount because if you
complicate event descriptions or communications, you'll lose
members, Roberts warns. She keeps her fliers to one page with
readily recognizable DEFY logos. Even in an area with many
non-English speakers, this method was more effective than translating
the materials, Roberts discovered. At one time, she tried translation
services but soon experienced problems with that approach—some
services took too long and some translations were done poorly—so
finally the immigrant groups themselves urged her to print
things in English only.
DEFY kids participate in a martial arts “kick-a-thon.” |
Without quality programs, of course, DEFY would not attract
continued interest, so Roberts always makes sure the programs—old
favorites, slight variations to old programs, or new ideas—are
fun while they reinforce messages learned in DEFY camp. These
messages include respect for others, how to be part of a team,
personal leadership, and the value of community service.
One of the best-attended activities was at the recent “El
Tour de Tucson” bicycle ride, a national race that attracted
7,000 riders and where the DEFY kids manned an aid station.
In another event, kids participated in a martial arts “kick-a-thon” at
which they competed with other future black belts across the
country in number and styles of kicks. Every year, DEFY youth
march in the Veteran's Day Parade; in 2004, they decorated
a jeep with their logo and marched and sang alongside it.
Roberts has encountered a fair number of challenges to coordinating
activities in the community, including attrition. In low-income
neighborhoods, people tend to move a fair amount, which is
all the more reason for consistent mailings and reliable
outreach, Roberts said.
DEFY youth march in the Veteran’s Day Parade. |
Roberts also emphasized that personal contact and relationship
building with as many youth as possible are part of her approach.
After forming a relationship with one adult, she said, kids
are more likely to develop relationships with other adults
and also to return to events and work cooperatively with others.
The skills and values learned through DEFY become habit.
When she runs into her DEFY kids, said Roberts, they always
say, “Hey, Marcia, when's the next DEFY?”
“There's nothing you want to hear more,” Roberts said.
For further information, contact:
Marcia Roberts
Westside Coalition Weed and Seed
520-791-4806, ext. 1018
Carol
Neylan
CCDO DEFY Coordinator
202-307-6562
|
