To the editor:
When you hear the term “positive change,” what comes to mind? Do you think of helping out your neighbor, making a financial donation to a nonprofit organization, or do you think of something bigger, something that you can really wrap your hands around?
Up until recently when I thought of positive change, I felt that there is not much that I can do as an individual. However, I was wrong. As a mother of three, I have begun to realize that positive change begins with me, then with my children, and so on. The change I am referring to has to be a personal decision to impact not only you but those lives around you that you touch. Then it should be a domino effect that keeps on moving to each person in your community.
I am a student at the College of Menominee Nation in the teacher education program and an intern at the Sustainable Development Institute. When I started to look for extracurricular activities for my children, I did not find many options. From my experience, youth who are engaged in positive extracurricular activities are more likely to do better in school, be more self-confident and have a more promising future.
On June 12, I attended a meeting held at the Shawano County Courthouse to discuss establishing a Boys and Girls Club in the area. Data from a survey was completed by members of Leadership Shawano County Class 14. It has been determined that Shawano youth would greatly benefit from a Boys and Girls Club facility. The development of a Boys and Girls Club in Shawano can assist in making positive changes in our children’s lives.
Unlike most after school programs that have age restrictions of 12 years old, the Boys and Girls Club facility is a “safe place” for kids ages 7-18 to learn and grow, instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. Boys and Girls Clubs have also been proved to prevent obstacles for children in our community, such as not having a positive place to go after school or during the summer, where kids feel safe, not bullied or exposed to drugs. This program offers homework assistance, and costs less than day care or after-school programs.
Shawano is a perfect fit for a Boys and Girls Club.
Angie Wilber,
Shawano
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