It is June and the graduations are being held all over our region. Speeches by students and faculty inspire fellow graduates and move parents to tears. A great deal of effort is put into celebrating the accomplishments of students. For the kids, it seemed like the end would never come! To parents and teachers, it went by in a flash. To those of us involved in HCI, well, it is too soon and yet, a time always filled with pride. We have had the privilege to work with students in a different and quite unique way, unlike anyone else in their lives. We adults in HCI became mentors, counselors, chauffeurs, chefs, and friends to the students. Every opportunity, whether it was an hour or several years that the kids had to talk, eat, work or play with any of the adult volunteers became special, endearing and memorable. We were hopefully those people who helped them through a crisis, taught them a skill or maybe will be forever in their circle of life. That is the best any of us could hope for when we offered to be part of HCI.

The 40 Developmental Assets formed the foundation of HCI and the outreach efforts to kids, parents and the community. With a focus on assets, all activities became a chance to teach AND learn for all of us. Adults came into this untrained and yet found the assets made sense and could be applied to anything we did in HCI or in our own world outside of HCI. For example, when adults held meetings and kids were in attendance, it was paramount that everyone had a voice and was respected. This may have been the toughest challenge for HCI, since it wasn't normal for kids to be in adult meetings, and adults are much too good at talking! SO, we all learned how to allow equal time for sharing ideas, respecting opinions and also learning to be less in control. What resulted over the course of the last 6 years was a graduating group of students who speak their minds, are totally comfortable with adults, and can take some powerful experiences with them on their next steps out into the world. For that, HCI is extremely proud.

Internal and External Assets are the building blocks for everyone, not just kids. How kids relate to their parents, bosses, teachers, and friends is key to how they feel about themselves. The negative or positive impressions that a community gives kids as to their personal value, morals, dress or interests become their realities. Good or bad. The same goes for adults. If only we could take back some nasty comment or awful action they we may have inflicted on a child, spouse or friend. Those memories last and replay over and over again, for everyone.

It is never too late to learn. We adults in HCI, whether in daily contact with students or just occasionally working at events or on projects, discovered the magic of assets. YOU CAN TOO!!!

For information on HCI or to send in your thoughts, visit www.hci-rtm.org or call our offices at 610-891-6286.