Perspective

Sue Swaim

It's a Tenth Anniversary Celebration

Almost 11 years ago National Middle School Association embarked on a journey to see if we could successfully launch a collaborative initiative to raise the awareness of and the commitment to young adolescents throughout our nation and beyond. We knew the middle level years represented the most critical period in education because so many decisions made during this stage determine whether children will reach their full potential. We also knew strengthening our commitment to providing quality middle level education for every young adolescent was a task we could not accomplish in isolation. Young adolescents thrive when students, parents, schools, and communities are working together to address their academic achievement and personal growth and development.

George Melton, a long-time middle level leader and NMSA member, first suggested the name of Month of the Young Adolescent to be sure we reinforced the importance of this particular developmental stage of life. As we brainstormed together we agreed it was important to build a coalition of like-minded organizations for this initiative to model the importance of working together to address the opportunities and challenges facing young adolescents and middle level educators.

Those initial brainstorming sessions were followed by many phone calls and small group discussions about such things as the overall rationale for such a project, key message points everyone could support, and ways schools and youth-serving organizations could become actively engaged in such a celebration. A lot of people graciously spent time tossing around ideas and "what ifs" as we explored all the possibilities we could imagine.

Ultimately, we decided the Month of the Young Adolescent should focus on the developmental needs and characteristics of young adolescents and how these impact parenting practices, health conditions, and educational programs for this age group.

Once we solidified the basics, I began making personal visits to executive directors and officers of a variety of organizations to explain the concept and ask them to join with us in this initiative. I had drafted an initial list of contacts, wondering how many would say yes and what was the magic number of collaborators needed to move forward. Each meeting brought more excitement because people responded in such positive ways, adding ideas and possibilities to be considered. Before long, every organization on my initial contact group had said "yes, count on us." We launched the first Month of the Young Adolescent in October 1996.

This year is the 10^th anniversary of Month of the Young Adolescent! Over the years this initiative has grown through the addition of new collaborators and special events such as the National Shadow Day and proclamation signings. We've added an active student voice to the celebration through student art work on the Month of the Young Adolescent posters and bookmarks and student writing for our "Expressions from the Middle" Web-based resource. In fact, middle level students submitted more than 12,000 student choices for favorite books to read as part of the 2006 student writing project.

It's fun to reflect on the journey we've taken and even more exciting to think of the possibilities that lie ahead. If you're involved in this year's Month of the Young Adolescent activities at your school and in your community, NMSA extends a heartfelt thank you! If this is something you're still considering, please visit the Month of the Young Adolescent section of our Web site at www.nmsa.org for supporting information and ideas to help you get started.

Our "unofficial" Month of the Young Adolescent slogan has always been Together We Can Make a Difference! The importance of that commitment is as true today as it was 10 years ago. We invite you to join our 10^th anniversary celebration. Only by working together can we ensure the brightest of futures for every young adolescent.