VIA THE GAZETTE:
Most teens have a common problem, says youth development consultant Nicki Sanders. No one seems to expect very much from them.
“We’re shocked when we see a teenager who’s doing well or who isn’t an underage parent,” said Sanders, founder of the Teen Toolbox life skills program. “Those challenges aren’t everybody’s reality. When teens have someone to guide and support them, they succeed.”
Sanders teamed up with the Prince George’s County nonprofit Butterfly Cares to provide a free back-to-school workshop on Saturday that featured success tips, activities and resources for youth and parents. She has also staged a number of job search workshops for the county’s park and planning system.
Sanders, who lives in Columbia, has worked in social services for the past 10 years. During that time she’s assisted families with such basic strategies as what to ask during a doctor’s visit, how to complete a school application or even how to draft a grocery list.
“I found that if adults needed these skills, their kids did too,” Sanders said.
Teens who appear angry, bored or unfocused might simply need someone to show them how to get from A to B, she says.
“School was easy for me,” Sanders said. “Everyone thought that since I got good grades, I could figure out how to get into college on my own.”
But she said she lacked direction and support.
Today, Sanders primarily reaches out to those youth who blend in with the crowd. These teens aren’t in youth detention, she said, but they’re also not the star athletes or top achievers.
“They could easily fall through the cracks,” she said.
She helps them identify their strengths and talents and develop a plan to reach their dreams.
Sanders knows how to make her point with young audiences, said Kevin Logan, founder of the Clinton-based Young Entrepreneurship Program that meets monthly in Surrattsville High School. Sanders, he says, uses examples from current hip-hop and film stars to get kids’ attention.
