January is the month of beginnings. How about committing to do at least one activity this year to support our youth?

You can help our community to raise confident, caring young people in many ways:

• Get to know the teens in your business and those of your neighboring businesses.

• Give those young employees plenty of training, support and encouragement.

• Offer a job shadow or internship opportunity.

• Be a youth advocate. Know the issues that affect young people and speak out on their behalf.

• Support and encourage our youth in their positive decision making. Attend our community/parent series that will start in February to learn how.

• Recognize the young people who are contributing to our community and offer service learning opportunities at your business.

• Mentor a child! January is National Mentoring Month

• Advocate that your business develop incentives to volunteer with youth in our community.

• Through extensive research, the Search Institute has identified the 40 building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Visit http://www.search-institute.org/assets/forty.html to see additional ways you can help and call the MWV School to Career Partnership at 447-2350 for local volunteer opportunities and further information.

Check out a new website on workplace safety and labor laws for teens: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/index.html