Welcome to the beginning of our series; Unwrapping Our Values! We plan to spend the summer giving you are an idea of the values that drive our organization and programs, one at a time. We hope you enjoy learning more about the driving force behind Second Shift.
1. Connection – We believe that every human grows, thrives and heals in relationship. We seek to promote connectiveness, belonging and relationship as a source of healing and trust-based continued support.
Connection is our first value and our main objective. It is our “bottom line” goal. We strive to see that every youth we serve finds connection at some level.
We all need one another. Science tell us that human connection, relationship and love are foundational needs for human survival. We know that when children do not have relational connections they do not develop appropriately. And research shows us that if an adolescent has no supportive stable connections, they will not succeed in the task of becoming an independent, contributing, thriving adult.
For a child who has experienced trauma the sense of belonging, acceptance and support found in relational connection brings healing and the ability to overcome those obstacles created by that early trauma.
What would you do if you had no one? How would you survive if you could not turn to family or friends? Life becomes much harder when we lose the supports that surround us. The young people we work with often have no one at all in their corner. For an at-risk adolescent it isn’t just about getting a ride to work or having help with college apps. It is about survival.
Without connection at-risk and aging out foster care youth face homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, human and sex trafficking and are in danger of repeating the cycle of abuse and neglect they came out of. Without connection they will drift and do whatever it takes to survive.
Like a lighthouse, a caring and stable adult will be there during the inevitable storms, lighting the way to safety, stability and sustainable adulthood.
Our sponsors, mentors and home providers become the beacon of light that our youth need to make the successful journey through those storms.
By Tammy Spence LMSW, CCTP Executive Director