A young teenager was nervous as she took the wheel for her first driving lesson. As she was pulling out of the parking lot, the instructor said, “Turn left here and don’t forget to let the people behind you know what you’re doing.” The young driver turned to the students sitting in the back seat and said, “I’m turning left!”

Good evening! Mr. Mayor - members of City Council - distinguished guests and fellow citizens of New Haven! My name is Ashley Teusch and it is my pleasure to come before you tonight to deliver the second State of the Youth Address. For those of you who don’t know who we are, we are the first Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council for New Haven. We have been together now for a little over 2 years, and have made ourselves known in this community and throughout the State of Indiana.
Thank you to Mayor McDonald and his staff for giving MYAC an opportunity to represent our peers in this community and having a voice by getting involved in our local government.

Government can play a critical role in positive youth development and the transformation of community life. Municipal government is the first and most accessible government entity that responds to the basic needs of children and families. The New Haven Mayor’s Office has found innovative ways to involve youth in decision-making and community events - and for that, we are grateful.

The mission of the New Haven Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council is to provide ongoing and direct input on government policies and practices that may affect teenagers. MYAC also fosters relationships with other youth and acts as a communication link between our local government and the young people of New Haven. We also promote and give recognition to the contributions of young people in our community.

MYAC goes beyond “youth issues” and service projects. This organization allows us to serve as a forum for youth voice and also allows us to form valuable skills that build leadership, teamwork, and decision-making. We are able to meet with elected officials on both the local and State level, and it gives us the opportunity to determine our own paths in public service.
Because of our involvement in MYAC, we have found that although our city is small, our accomplishments are great.

2004 Review

In January 2004, we wrote and adopted our first set of Bylaws. In March, we presented our first “State of the Youth Address” prior to the Mayor’s State of the City Address. After that event, State Representative Randy Borror invited MYAC to Indianapolis to the State House. Allen County Councilman Mike Cunegin also invited us to attend an Allen County Council meeting.

Back in May, we held an Open House in New Haven and hosted the Fort Wayne Youth Council and Youth Leadership Fort Wayne. This session proved to be quite successful and there were at least 16 different schools represented throughout Allen County.

In June, teen members attended a session called “Plan-It Allen”. We provided youth input toward the Allen County Comprehensive Plan and offered ideas about the future. As education and transportation were top priorities for teens, other input included:

1. More business growth;
2. Connecting communities through projects such as the Maplecrest Extension;

3. Continue downtown revitalization;
4. Use current vacant buildings;
5. Provide more sidewalks;
6. More involvement by adults to connect with youth; and
7. Provide more youth activities!

These were just a few comments made by the youth at the meeting. As you can see, we deal with real issues and also work with our government officials as we try to preserve and make this a better community for our own future. Back in October, we sponsored a voter registration drive and registered over 34 young adults to vote. In November, MYAC hosted Senator Dennis Kruse at a meeting and gained a lot of knowledge on how legislation works at the State House. In December, eight MYAC members from New Haven were fortunate enough to attend the National League of Cities Conference in Indianapolis. Our input and leadership made a strong impact at that conference. We were able to network with elected officials and other youth from at least 17 other states across the United States - from California to Virginia. Several surrounding states told us that they would travel to Indiana to gain more knowledge on building a successful youth council like the one we have in New Haven. Cities throughout Indiana such as Bloomington, Jeffersonville, West Lafayette, and Mishawaka wanted to know more about our success. In fact, Mayor Rea from the City of Mishawaka is here tonight to do just that. Thank you Mayor Rea!

Fort Wayne is eager to rekindle a youth council that has recently dissolved, and New Haven’s MYAC is excited to share our insight and success. It is our goal to plan and host a Youth Summit sometime next year. After returning home from this large conference, we realized how successful our organization has become and how much we have grown. We are proud to report that New Haven’s MYAC is now larger than the youth council in Indianapolis.

While we were in Indianapolis, we had a great opportunity to meet and have dinner with Secretary of State Todd Rokita. We left an impressive affect on the Secretary of State when we presented our program. Even more so, we were very impressed that a State official would take the time out of his busy schedule to meet with young adults from a small community. The Secretary gave us some good advice about youth empowerment and explained other ways we could get involved such as the “Help America Vote Act”. He also told us to keep doing what we’re doing, to get more involved with legislative issues, and he wishes more youth were involved with their cities like ours is. It is very encouraging to know that not only are we receiving support throughout our community on the local level - but on the State level as well. Thank you Mr. Secretary - we are honored to have you with us tonight. *

2005 Goals

In January, we hosted Allen Superior Court Judge Charles Pratt who spoke about “Great Kids Make Great Communities” and the 40 Building Assets. There are 40 developmental assets necessary for youth to become responsible adults and promote positive attitudes and behaviors. However, reports show that the average teenager has only 18 of those assets. Indiana currently has 19 of the 40 assets. This is unacceptable! We plan to work with Judge Pratt on improving those numbers right here in New Haven. We plan to take this advice and spread the word among our peers. We believe that peer education is the most recognized and accepted role for young activists. It’s no secret that kids listen to kids. Teenagers and even pre-teens can be excellent teachers, credible messengers and effective recruiters. A 16 year old can hold a class of elementary or middle school students spellbound when presenting the dangers of drugs or gangs. Thank you Judge Pratt for your support. *

Later this year, we plan to conduct a Youth Town Hall Meeting to promote more involvement and provide more youth to speak out on issues such as, education, driving issues, curfew laws, tobacco and alcohol concerns. We plan to discuss these issues and address these concerns with our local officials.

We also met with New Haven City Court Judge Geoff Robison who offered an opportunity for teens in New Haven to partner with our City Court and create the first “Peer Court” in New Haven. This program will allow teens to work with their peers, and will also allow teens to become more familiar with how our judicial system operates. Thank you Judge Robison for your support of this organization. *

Young people have firsthand knowledge about their school and community environment. Youth can collect information that adults can’t obtain from the youth. We will be the first ones to tell you what works and what doesn’t work among our peers. We are youth allies who can offer fresh perspectives and imaginative ideas, because to us - everything is possible. Young people serving on school boards, advisory committees, councils and other boards is on the rise.

John F. Kennedy said, “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.” It isn’t easy for policy makers or other decision makers to ignore ideas offered by the next generation who stand to inherit so many unsolved problems. Ladies and gentlemen - we are that next generation and we are concerned!

Law makers in Virginia recently withdrew a proposed Bill that would cite anyone who wore low riding pants that revealed other clothing. While there are many teenagers who agree that this is unsightly, we also feel that there are more important issues that need to be resolved by our elected officials.

In Indiana, we recently saw law makers walk out of the General Assembly killing over 130 bills, leaving many issues unresolved and a lot of citizens upset. How can we expect to move forward in this State when law makers walk away? Walking out of a general assembly may be a negotiating tool, but what kind of message does this send to the young people in this state? Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, we ask all of you elected adult leaders, who are here with us tonight, to please be responsible in making government decisions that affect this community. All parties should work together to move the State of Indiana forward in a positive direction. We are very aware of issues that are important - we are watching and we are listening. We ask our elected officials to lead a good example for others to follow in the future, because we’re another generation who will serve the public as future policy makers.

Concerned young people can help motivate the “powers that be” to take action through youth voice, something the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council has been working so hard to achieve.

There are two things you can give children. One of them is roots. We need New Haven to be a community that maintains a small town atmosphere, but is economically competitive with jobs. That way, our generation will want to return to our hometown and plant our own roots here for yet another generation to live. We need you to rally around youth and support us so that we will hopefully return back home rather than leave with our talents and let another city benefit from the resources we gained right here in New Haven.

Adults may think the average teenager is someone who can’t remember to walk the dog, but will never forget a phone number; or someone who can hear their favorite song 3 blocks away, but never seems to hear their mother calling from the next room. Maybe so, but you also need to know that we are teen advocates against drugs, against drinking and the use of tobacco. We are teens who are willing to challenge our Federal Government with petitions and are not afraid to have our voices heard down at the State House on issues that affect all of us. We ask that you take us seriously and make no mistake about our message. We are passionate about this area and love our community. We want the same things as adult New Haven citizens do - a safe place to live, a good education, and a community that will continue to grow.

Youth should also be viewed as a wonderful resource of volunteerism in the community. MYAC has teamed up with the United Way Youth Day of Caring to help others in need. We are also promoting the Relay for Life Cancer Walk that will take place in New Haven this year for the very first time. MYAC plans to sponsor a wonderful lady right here in New Haven who is a cancer survivor! Cynthia Bradley has been an inspiration to us and is here with us tonight. *

Positive youth development consists of so many elements in order for these programs to succeed, including community support. MYAC has been very fortunate to receive the support from various businesses in New Haven. We would like to take this time and recognize our current corporate sponsors who believe in this organization through their support. If you are here with us tonight, we ask that you please stand!

Comcast Cable
Crumback-Symons Chevrolet
Don R. Fruchey, Inc.
Grabill Bank
Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning
Home Lumber
Murphy Insurance
Nishakawa Standard Company
Parker Hannifin and
Pizza Hut

With your generosity and continued support, we remain in a position to do more things that will benefit New Haven.
We are fortunate enough to have a Mayor who supports this organization because he knows that we will be the ones to lead this City someday. We are lucky enough to have support from our City Council and have our City Council President Harold West serve as an adult advisor and teach us about parliamentary law.

We all find it difficult to have someone tell us “I can’t help you”, or “I don’t know what to tell you” - we’ve all been there. But when you’re a teenager in any community trying to make a difference, it’s a little tougher. You were all teenagers at one point and have walked down that path. However, MYAC has a Youth Director that refuses to give up and works to make things happen. When an opportunity doesn’t work out - Deb-Anne finds another way for us to be heard and offers diverse opportunities so this youth council can continue to grow and gain the respect and recognition from our peers and elected officials throughout the State of Indiana.

We’d like to recognize our leaders at this time:

Mayor McDonald
Youth Director Deb-Anne Smith
And Councilman Harold West

Thank you for making this program happen and having the realistic vision for the next generation. Without you, MYAC would not be where it’s at today and we thank you for your positive leadership and wisdom.

At this time, I would like to recognize the rest of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council members. Please stand! *

As you can see, our Youth Council organization has been given the “hands” on experience in learning how government works, and has allowed us to demonstrate our leadership skills throughout New Haven and other communities.

We believe that success in any organization is more likely when people are involved in their community - a thriving city is no different. That’s why it is so important to get involved and build a relationship with your elected officials. By getting involved in your local government, you can make a difference. That’s exactly what this Youth Council has set out to do - to learn, educate, build and work toward making New Haven a better place for another generation to lead.

Like the nervous young driver who let her friends know where she was going, we’re here to tell you that we’re not turning left, instead, we’re turning in the right direction.

Thank you.