Cathryn L. Thorup, Ph.D*
Wildhaven Consulting
923 Main Street
Sandy River Plt., ME
04970-6213
USA
Dana Bates
Executive Director
New Horizons Foundation
O.P. 1
C.P. 12
Lupeni
Hunedoara 2696
Romania
Dear Dana,
For some time now, I have wanted to send you a note commending you on the first-rate youth development organization that you have established in Romania. The New Horizons Foundation brings together the art and science of youth development in a comprehensive model that merits examination by development professionals world-wide. Whenever I am asked to discuss best practice in the field of service learning, New Horizon’s IMPACT program is the example that I provide.
As you know, I visited the program in the fall of 2004 and had an opportunity to interview both participants and staff. Following a careful review of program materials and lengthy discussions with you about the conceptual underpinnings of IMPACT and key lessons learned, I featured the program in a publication released by the International Youth Foundation and the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation in 2005 entitled, What Works in Youth Engagement in the Balkans. When I was asked last year to give a talk to staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development at their annual Democracy and Governance Workshop, I used the IMPACT program to illustrate the way in which youth engagement programs can help young people develop the values and civic competencies that form the underpinnings of democracy.
There are three aspects of the program that bear particular mention. First, is the degree of thought that went into the initial program design and subsequent refinements. The result is a very sophisticated and innovative program designed to address poverty and apathy in one of the poorest regions of Romania through a graduated hands-on learning process that fosters both personal development and community engagement. Young people learn to identify issues of critical concern to their communities, while developing the skills they need to design a response and take responsibility for seeing projects through to completion. This includes raising funds and learning how to form partnerships with local government, business and civil society organizations in order to advance these projects.
The second aspect of the program that I want to mention is the striking level of commitment demonstrated by the young people that I met. They exhibit both dedication to the work they have undertaken and great joy in seeing it through to completion. Keeping the level of challenge at an appropriately high level ensures continued learning and sustained interest on the part of these young women and young men. Despite the stark backdrop of the extremely impoverished region in which they live, visitors to the New Horizons Foundation enter a world of color, energy, and great promise. Through their participation in the IMPACT program, these youth develop the critical skills and values that will sustain them through a lifetime of active citizen engagement.
The third aspect of the program that deserves special mention is the emphasis that New Horizons places on measuring IMPACT’s impact on social capital formation, personal development, and the acquisition of vocational skills. In addition to allowing you to pinpoint ways through which to further strengthen the program, the attention given to documenting impact and drawing out lessons learned will help others who are searching for ways to provide young people with the skills they need for civic engagement and economic well-being.
I wish you all the best in your efforts to expand the IMPACT program in Romania. You and your staff are making it possible for growing numbers of young Romanians to make a real contribution to their communities, while at the same time building their own skills and sense of accomplishment. The New Horizons Foundation is a true pioneer within the international youth development field.
