#YOUTHTRUTH

May 2015

Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw

Childrens Mental Health

Awareness Day!!
Life as a teenager is often very different than life as either a child or
an adult. It is a turbulent time, with different obstacles to face, and
often it seems as if there are many, many more of them. This newsletter are by teens, about teens, and about Life as they see it.

"To be a great teenager

you need not sit like a
rock but work like a

Hmm...I Wonder
Q: Do you believe Saginaw is Becoming more Safe?
(community)
A: Poll: Yes 68% No 20% Undecided 12%

clock for life is not a

game but a challenge
you must win."

Q: Why is mental health so scary? (question to #YMS)

A: Mental Health is scary because our society as a whole most of
the time do not understand it, so it leaves preconceived assumptions that never increases stigma amongst our youth.

In This Issue

Photo Caption

Moving Forward

Mental Health is
Fundamental

Radio Interview

#Light Up The City

Our Program

Message From our President

Mental Health is Fundamental
On May 7th 2013 Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw will be celebrating
National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day. Every year the
National Federation for Families creates a theme, this year being
Mental Health is Fundamental. Every day a young person living
with complex mental health needs experience more than their diagnosis; they experience judgment by their community, social media,
peers, systems, and even their families. We often think of our youth
as nothing but trouble; however they feel that they are
misunderstood. Some individuals do not understand mental
health or what it means to be mentally ill; firstly it is not always what
you see in movies.
CEricka Moten-Pres. YMS

One Week One Street

One Week One Street mission is to

revitalize our Saginaw City One
Week at a time. They accept volunteers to assist them in this awesome effort. Youth MOVE Saginaw
will be participating one of the full
days, We hope to see you out
there!!!
The Next revitalization effort will
take place on Rust st. June 15-19th
9am-4p, Lunch for volunteers will
be provided.

Youth living with mental health challenges walk the daily life of stigma by avoiding names such as crazy, weird, and slow. This population of youth experiences a high volume of bullying which increases suicidal ideation and low self esteem. Mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness, but it is also the ability to cope with
the challenges in life. It is just as important as ones own physical
health.
Failure to detect early signs of mental illness in youth may result in
negative consequences such as increased risk for academic failure, social isolation, unsafe sexual behavior, drug and alcohol
abuse, suicide attempts, unemployment, and poor health. A recent
report from the CDC says, Rising rates of mental and emotional
problems among U.S. children and youngsters signal a crisis for
the country. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit, conduct disorders, suicidal thinking, and other serious psychological problems
are striking more and more children and youths. (Center for Disease Control, 2014)
Youth M.O.V.E Saginaw has been working hard to address stigma,
as a community we are bringing attention to youth mental health as
it will effectively support youth, empower parents, and encourage
families in their unique lives, so May 7th 2015 we celebrate the
unique lives of youth across the county, state, and nation who

live with mental health challenges.

Teen Years
Everyone tells you,
they're the best years
of your life.
The thing they don't tell
you,
is they are all full of
strife.
From a child to a teen,
in less then a year.
It's a lot to deal with,
you have to grow up
fast.
As a child you're free,
as a teen you feel
locked up.
A child has no worries,
A teen has a lot.
You learn the meaning
of love,
you discover broken
hearts.
The worries of being
accepted,
are the hardest part of
all.
What's the "best"
about these years.
When as a teen,
you live in fear.

#YMS

MSP Trooper Joseph McMillan

#Light Up The City!

Michigan State Trooper Joseph McMillan attended a Youth MOVE
meeting to discuss his experience as a police officer. We will say
that there was a lot of tension in the room due to the stigma of the
law enforcement system. Trp. McMillan answered some tough
questions and was able to help our youth understand that Officers
are human, and humans make mistakes. He also spoke on the
MSP youth Leadership Camp please visit www.michigan.gov/
msp. His goal is to continue to merge the relationship between
officers and youth in the tri-city area.
Trp. McMillan discussed a cool event which YMS participated in
last year, Light Up The City. This is a partnership between community organizations along with businesses such as Consumers
Energy who supply the initiative with energy efficient light bulbs.
The Task at hand is to turn lights on in your neighborhood, shed
light on crime, build relationships, and to raise awareness on violence. Thank you Trp. McMillan for visiting us!

Moving Forward
When I think about everything that has taken place in my
life I can do nothing but MOVE forward in life with gratitude towards God. I realize that life is worth living including its challenges. Looking back I think about the saying
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger well Im living
stronger and enjoying it.
This year I will be graduating High School, having an
open house, and attending my Prom! I look forward to
what God has for me, this experience has taught me to
reach out to other youth who may experience traumatic
experiences and connecting them to the proper resources in our community.

Uniqua Wicker YMS

My goal is to take not only the experience of being shot

at prom but theres more to Uniqua that will help youth of
this generation get through the struggles of teen-life.
When you think no one cares, no ones listening, theres
always some one to relate to your story, reach out!

May Mental Health Awareness Month 2015

We would like to send a special Youth MOVE Shout Out to
the Art Lewis Show WSGW 100.5FM for having us on the
show to raise awareness about childrens mental health and
youth issues in our community.
We definitely enjoyed our time at the station Mr. Lewis.
Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day is celebrated by ]
Youth MOVE Saginaw each year by raising awareness to
youth who may be struggling and celebrating those who may
live the challenge each day.
Your experience counts and dont be afraid to ask for help!

View www.youthmovesaginaw.org for a list of resources!

Kendrick K YMS VP

Youth MOVE Saginaw

I have the privilege of leading a powerful group of young
people in this community Youth MOVE Saginaw. Understanding our community dynamics it is important for our
community to collaborate in this time of great need for
youth who are being lost in the cracks. I volunteer my time
to create youth voice in different forums throughout Saginaw County. In other generations youth voice has been
shut out be stating stay in a child place or kids are to be
seen and not heard, well youth have a lot to say. We
have a powerful potential in our youth and we must have
the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we
may direct their power towards good ends.

Marcus Beemon-YMS Coordinator

Youth MOVE Saginaw Youth

Board Members:
CEricka Moten-President
Kendrick Kilpatrick-VP
Amber Rimmer-Secretary
Keontae Owens-Treasurer
Juamark Ryans-Youth Leader

Supportive Roles:
Sparkle Beemon-Outing Cord.
Christian White-Social Media

Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw (Motivating Others Through

Voices of Experience) promotes both youth leadership by
having ongoing youth led trainings. YMS operates in leadership development programs using strategies that include
peer support, organizing, action research, policy advocacy, and philanthropy. Nationally these engagement sectors serve as a scientific study on youth engagement,
leadership, and development to bring learned lessons to
advance the field of youth development. We translate findings of youth development/leadership into curricula, publications and presentations.
Youth M.O.V.E. Saginaw also offers restorative justice
and anger management group sessions to youth who may
have offended the law. These sessions are typically 6
months long with the consideration of holidays and other
special events YMS may be involved in at the time.
One of our goals is to increase the involvement of youth in
their own community and to be knowledgeable of what is
going on in their lives. We train youth to provide training
on youth guided care and other topics that are important
to youth such as; bullying, teen dating, strengthening families, sexting, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Through
our voices of experience we relate the curriculum or
presentations to our own personal lives making the training relatable and more influential. For more information
www.youthmovesaginaw.org

Our Program

Contact Us

Youth MOVE Saginaw is a community based youth organization outlined to teach

Give us a call for more

information about our services and products.

youth leadership skills to be able to advocate for systemic change to for youth in
their community, state, and nation.
Youth MOVE teaches youth in this community to develop a Positive Peer Culture
by offering training around cultural responsiveness, youth voice , strategic shar-

Youth MOVE Saginaw

308 N. Washington St.
Saginaw MI 48601

ing, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Bullying, policy making, and leadership development.

(989-798-5679)

Youth MOVE meets bi-weekly for two hours on Tuesdays usually from 4:30p-

movesaginaw@gmail.com

6:30p at St. Marys Center for Hope Downtown Saginaw. We encourage these
meetings to keep youth engaged in the process. Youth also meet new friends who
are trying their best to stay positive in this community.

Visit us on the web at

w.youthmovesaginaw.org
FB Youth MOVE Saginaw
TW @movesaginaw

Youth MOVE Saginaw

308 N. Washington 48601 Saginaw MI
Suite B3

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