Concerning Kids

The two-year Concerning Kids project began with informal focus groups and executive interviews with Metropolitan Detroit community leaders and people working on the ground on children's issues to determine the framework of issues that affect children, youth and families. This initial information was used to create the survey questionnaires. Three surveys were conducted and after broad media release of the conclusions from each survey, the Foundation partnered with non-profit advocacy groups to organise community discussions around the findings. The advocacy groups facilitated the discussions with the specific task of identifying priorities around the issues, and where possible, the action steps required.

Three sets of surveys and forums were conducted:

• Importance in Improving City of Detroit Schools: Education Survey - This survey was conducted in September 2002 and in November 2002, more than 350 City of Detroit residents met to discuss and agree on the top nine issues that were the most important to improving schools in the city of Detroit. Those issues included parent and community involvement, including parent outreach and training; accountability; focus on ways to close the achievement gap between students in economically poor communities and other students; quality of teaching and class size reduction; governance and finance; classroom technology upgrading; equity in resources; improved curriculum and professional development; and high expectations for academic standards and behaviour.
• Top Ten Concerns about Issues that Face Children: Parents and Kids Survey - Conducted in November 2003, the survey was followed by a town hall meeting in December 2003, where almost 400 Metropolitan Detroit area parents and kids met to hear about the survey findings and to discuss their concerns about those results. Residents shared insights and ideas about community issues. After lengthy discussion, participants collaboratively established a list of their top ten concerns about issues that face children in their communities. These issues included relationships and sexual concerns, such as rape, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); crime and suicide; respect and discrimination; family issues and self-esteem; drug and alcohol abuse; peer pressure; school and higher education; gun violence; abandoned houses; and having a voice and having money.
• Building Safe Neighborhoods for Youth: Violence and Youth Development Survey November 2002 - In November 2002, the Concerning Kids Series released the results of the violence, crime and youth development survey, third in the Concerning Kids survey series. A community forum was held in February 2003 at which Metro Detroit residents met to hear about the survey findings and to discuss how to build safe neighbourhoods for youth. Participants drew up ten action steps that could contribute towards safety in neighbourhoods. These steps included teaching peace as a preferred way of life; develop comprehensive ways of identifying and communicating the availability of youth programmes; lobby for youth programmes during lean budget times; strengthen parenting skills; reach out to school dropouts; implement the model programmes for parenting, life skills, and education; engage youth, have a dialog, and listen to them; increase partnerships of businesses, organisations, churches, schools, and government agencies; and positively impact media by encouraging positive images for children’s television and video games.

In the fall of 2004, the Center for Survey Research and Analysis conducted a survey of 1607 Metropolitan Detroit adult residents to monitor change since the original poll and to determine public support for ideas proposed at community meetings. This final survey in the Concerning Kids series provides strong validation for the Concerning Kids model that The Skillman Foundation has developed; the general public supports the proposed ideas in large numbers. It was felt that this process addressed a concern that community meetings do not always reflect the opinions of the general public.

Children, Youth

According to the project organisers, "the process of disseminating and sharing the findings of the Concerning Kids series has resulted in an important model of community engagement to determine priorities." With these indications of strong levels of support for the ideas raised in community forums and town hall meetings, The Skillman Foundation plans to continue to work with neighbourhood organisations to focus on encouraging positive youth development, building safe neighbourhoods for youth, and improving schools in Metropolitan Detroit. "Using the ideas developed by residents as a springboard, neighborhood organisations can collaborate with each other to continue to work on practical ways to address the issues of common concern."