A Circle of Place: Engaging Institutions in Shared Values and Actions to Serve Youth in Crisis

Many young people in crisis spend a large part of their time living in or moving between institutions - juvenile justice, social services, foster care, the police, school, and youth development agencies. Often, these organizations are at odds with one another or not effectively communicating about the dire needs of the young people they serve. Worse, it is extremely rare to find any organization that looks at the holistic developmental needs of youth in crisis and many unintentionally reinforce negative behaviors of youth. Chelsea, Massachusetts is home to Roca, a values-led youth and community development organization that has taken an effective and holistic approach to connecting and building relationships with other institutions in order to address the multiple needs of youth in crisis and enhance opportunities for their growth and development. This approach, the Engaged Institutions (EI) Strategy, is comprehensive and groundbreaking, challenging those serving youth to take risks and build bridges with one another. It encourages unlikely partnerships and transformational relationships, and demands empathy and mutual learning from all the participants. EI is a vital technique with invaluable implications for youth and community development work across the field. An undeniable strength of EI is its focus on long-term solutions to the problems vulnerable youth face. At many institutions young people turn to for support, they find short-term, band-aid solutions. Roca's focus on its core values of belonging, generosity, competence and independence form the foundation for its use of EI to address the mix of educational, employment, social and personal issues that affect young people's lives. This focus on core values leads to a deeper level of collaboration than traditional systems alignment processes and offers an alternative strategy for transforming the lives of youth and community. Key emphasis in the EI strategy is placed on the intentionality of relationships across all levels of the organizations, shared learning and accountability, honoring all the voices at the table, and implementing creativity in figuring out how to navigate difficult issues and challenges facing young people. Roca and its EI partner organizations participate as equals in peacemaking circles focused on healing and responsibility for the youth and the adults involved. They conduct training sessions for each other on issues of shared importance. They are relentless in holding each other accountable in their different ways for the growth and development of the youth they serve together. Put simply, the EI strategy is street work with adults. Roca's implementation of EI serves as both an incubator and case study for other organizations interested in observing its profound effect on communities and youth. The lessons Roca has learned and the work the organization does provide a compelling roadmap for this innovative work. (author)