Hello Friends!

For many of us, 2020 has been a difficult year. As a collective, we have experienced great losses, difficulties adjusting to our new normal, and growing pains. And yet, we have also been able to carve out small pockets of joy. We hope that peace and love are still finding you.

In this issue, we will share updates about the Seen in Quarantine Challenge, information on the YODurham text-line for young people, important Youth Listening Project Updates, and a couple other updates!

Seen in Quarantine Challenge - flyer header

Updates on COVID-19 Response

The Seen in Quarantine Challenge was a success!

Earlier this year, after COVID-19 began affecting our lives, we heard from young people that it was really hard to stay connected with their friends and community. The Office on Youth (OOY) responded by launching the “Seen in Quarantine” Challenge. We wanted to support young people in Durham to stay connected to each other in safe, fun, and engaging ways.

One of the values of our office is that youth are co-creators and decision-makers. With our values leading us, we asked young people: “How do you want to connect with other young people in Durham right now?” – it was our goal to make some of these ideas a reality.

A selection committee reviewed all ideas submitted and selected three. The OOY offered consultation, planning prep, and funding to support these ideas. And after many, many planning sessions, we had three successful events!

Check out the three winning ideas here.

We are so appreciative to the participants who trusted us with their vision and fully committed to this journey with us!

YODurham Textline sends out resources every week

Earlier this year we also heard that young people wanted to hear about resources available to them during this time of COVID-19.

We launched the YODurham Textline, a one-way text line for young people in Durham under 25 years. Subscribers get occasional updates about resources available to them in Durham.

So far, we’ve pushed out lots of different resources, ranging from food and employment assistance, social and emotional health, fun events, health and wellness, and lots more!

If you haven’t signed up yet, you can text “yodurham” to 919-213-0691 or fill out this short form to be added.

Team makes sense of data collected in youth listening project

Listening Project nears its final stage, and you’re invited to participate!

As you may remember, we were knee-deep in the Youth Listening Project before COVID-19 hit. We had held 13 listening sessions and spoke with over 170 young people, caregivers, and service providers.

Due to COVID-19 we canceled our remaining planned sessions, and moved into our “sense-making” phase, where we looked for themes in the conversations we had. Our youth-adult team then took everything we heard and wrote recommendations, that we will soon share with Durham’s decision makers and the public.

Our next step is “reflecting back”. We want to check back in with our past participants to ask, “Did we hear you right?!” before sharing our recommendations widely. So we’re hosting three virtual “reflecting back” sessions later this month.

We’re inviting you, as a member of this listserv, to join one of these sessions, even if you didn't attend any of the sessions earlier this year. You just have to be 13-24 years old, or be a caregiver of someone 5-24 years old, and live in Durham.

Click the flyer below for more info!

Once this last phase is complete, we’ll release our findings to the community in a fun and engaging way!

Flyer for youth listening project reflect back

Other info we want to share...

We’re currently coordinating a youth panel that will pick a theme for a digital zine we’re making with Nasher Teen Council alumni. We’ll keep you updated on this project!

If you are a Durham Public Schools student or caregiver, and would like to share your thoughts about virtual learning with the district, below are two ways you can do that. The next Board of Education meeting is on Thursday, October 8 @ 5:00-8:30pm

Email the Board directly at any time: [email protected]
Find links to live streams and public comment forms for upcoming Board of Education meetings: https://tinyurl.com/dpsboemeetings

We wish you all continued wellness and safety. We’ll keep you updated on our projects and new initiatives. Please reach out to us if you have questions or need support navigating resources.

Be well,

The Office on Youth team

Web: DurhamNC.gov/OfficeOnYouth
Instgram: @YouthSpeakDURM
Twitter: @YouthSpeakDURM