Thoughts after reading the article about Bidwell
1. Mr. Strickland is an incredible man, whose dedication to young people is truly something to replicate (his dedication that is).
2. Bidwell's "successful" programs showcase the importance of money and who you know. These operating budgets and donations are in the hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars, many from big schools or corporations.
3. One statement that made me a bit uneasy was one of Strickland's favorite sayings, "We take people whom society regards as liabilities and make them into assets" (1). It almost seems like the youth are just part of a business transaction.
4. The success of this program was evaluated on the basis of the number of kids that went through the program, graduated, and got jobs. The article does not address the impact the program has on these neighborhoods- community impact. I do not believe an after school program can be deemed successful just based on the number of kids that went through the program and now are "assets," if as many kids or more are neglected because of the continuing culture of these "unresponsive to youth's needs" communities. The Bidwell program seems like it has had a positive impact on the youth participants' lives; however, fancy programming and wealthy connections does not translate to the model for positive youth development, especially on a community scale.
