Youth Development

Southern Mutual Help Association recognizes that the sustainability of its work requires youth development, so it supports and encourages a number of initiatives aimed at developing the next generation of leaders.

Youth involvement and leadership development is emphasized in SMHA's homeownership training, in its work with the homeowners' and community self-help associations, and in its work with fishers and farmers through the Life Quality program.

Other SMHA efforts include:

• SMHA's work to get its recently produced interactive CD-ROM used in middle and high school civics and social studies classes to help bring civics to life and show students how they can become involved in public policy making.
  
• A Youth Council of Leaders grew out of a youth forum sponsored by SMHA in 1995. At the forum attended by the young people of the Federation of Self-Help Association communities, the youth expressed a desire to play a greater role in their communities and in the federation.
  
• Youth in the Federation area participate in experiential activities designed to provide learning opportunities around math and language skills, problem solving, public speaking, research, health awareness, and personal and social development with an emphasis on leadership, policy, and entrepreneurial education.
  
• A Youth Design Team developed a new leadership model built around 21 Leadership Action Steps designed to prepare youth for future leadership roles in their community and state.
  
• The youth have also designed a program to train mentors to work with young people.

Youth are also a focus of our Public Policy Leadership Institute



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