Please read the latest news, entitled N.D. Teen death rate sees spike, which also makes reference to our state poverty rate for teens at http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/06/12/news/state/157831.txt
Horizons has added a wonderful collection of materials to the McKenzie County Library. The book titles below will address community leadership, poverty reduction, entrepreneurship and self improvement. You will find them to be inspiring, enlightening and some will also be quite humorous! A couple curriculums, DVD’s, lessons for groups, and children’s books are included. Please request the McKenzie County Horizons library to check out these books titles and other materials:
The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus
Making Vision Stick
The Traveler’s Gift
Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Learning by John C. Maxwell
The Quilt Makers Gift
The Quilt Makers Journey
8 Challenges Facing Community Leaders
Who Moved My Cheese?
Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know
Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Lead…and Other Don’t
Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking To Build a Brighter Future
The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Rural Communities Legacy + Change: Third Edition
Your Field Guide To Community Building
The Magic of Thinking Big
Blink
The Tipping Point
The Power of Positive Thinking
Leading Without Power: Finding Hope In Serving Community
Everyday Creativity: Leader’s Guide, Workbook and DVD
6 Myths About The Future of Small Towns
Better Schools Through Public Engagement
Better Local Leadership: How To Start a Program For Your Town or County
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People–DVD
Establishing A Shared-Use Commerical Kitchen
Who, Me Lead a Group?
Vision To Action: Take Change Too Curriculum
The Entrepreneurial Community: A Strategic Leadership Appraoch To Community Survival resources material
The Leader In You: How To Win Friends, Influence People and Succeed In a Changing World
Do Something In Your Community
Energizing Entrepreneurs: Charting a Course for Rural Communities
Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations To Restore Home To The Future
A Framework For Understanding Poverty
Bridges Out of Poverty
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (children’s book)
Getting Ahead In a Just-Gettin’–By Wolrd: Building Your Resources for a Better Life
Stone Soup (children’s book)
Striving to improve living conditions for families and individuals who struggle with poverty. Searching for proven or emerging approaches to reduce the numbers of people who struggle on a daily basis–long term.
These were underlying themes for the business and political leaders and nonprofit organizations and government service providers, including many Horizons program volunteers and staff who attended the Grassroots and Groundwork conference in Minneapolis May 28 to 30.
For me the experience was eye-opening and inspiring, to say the least.
One of the most interesting things I learned more about was social capital. Social capital, the relational foundation of a community, consists of trust, connections (networks), and involvement (action).
Strength of communities rests on the relationships we have with one another. Research has shown that communities with a strong foundation of trust between and among different individuals and groups are healthier and thrive economically and educationally.
These types of networks are an important part of social capital in communities:
Bonding Networks — close ties that help people to get by. These connections are usually with family, friends and neighbors.
Bridging Networks — weaker ties that can help people to get ahead and gain opportunities. These connections are usually with people who are different from themselves, who have different types of networks.
Linking Networks — Links to organizations and systems that can help people gain resources and bring about broader change. These connections are usually with organizations that have resources, both within and outside of the community.
Take a look at the social capital in your community. It will help you learn a lot about yourselves today and into the future!
Retailer training necessary step in poverty prevention, addiction reduction
Determined to help the community in Watford City responsible for legal sales of tobacco and alcohol do so with integrity, the Community Coalition on June 4, 2008, pressed ahead with plans to present training and information to the Watford City Area Chamber of Commerce during, and possibly immediately after, a Chamber Coffee session.
“Preventing early addiction to tobacco in underage users can have a dramatic effect on tobacco use rates,” states Javayne Oyloe, Health Promotion Team leader for the Upper Missouri Health District. “Most people who start using tobacco are younger than 18 years of age, and this training will help concerned business community members reduce access to tobacco by underage users.”
Oyloe may be delivering the information and training as she does similar work in Williston.
One of the four best methods of poverty reduction is for youth (teenagers) not to engage in criminal behavior. Underage alcohol consumption is CRIMINAL behavior! not just because it’s against the law but because it brings about an 300% increase in the risk of addiction AND it vastly increases the likelihood of living in poverty.
An early age at onset of drinking (AOD) is a strong predictor of subsequent alcohol dependence (AD)
Don’t want to be poor? Don’t drink ’till it’s legal!
THE YEAR 1908
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1908. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
were condemned in the press AND the government as ’substandard’.
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.
Organized Barbershop didn’t exist.
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
That is, if humans manage to survive for another 100 years.
Courage. Most of us think first of veterans who go to war and people who run into burning buildings. Maybe we think of missionaries who tackle hard problems in third world countries. Or of giving a speech! I thought of courage the other night when I facilitated the McKenzie Co. Horizens meeting to reduce underage alcohol consumption. It takes courage to go public on the issue when the neighbors can tell stories on you when you were young! It takes courage when you have a kid that is possibly bigger than you are and you have to say no! It takes courage to disagree with your friends when they remember party fun and think you are just a spoiler. (Do they know how “partying has changed in the last years?) It takes courage especially if you think your kid will challenge you about your habits. It takes courage to risk donating precious time and getting hooked into another round of meetings. It takes courage to try to think up something you think your teens will actually enjoy instead of being bored-scarier yet- you might have to do it together! So…if any of the above are making you grin or squirm, you know what I mean by courage. When you think about the poverty-making bad decisions that young people can make when they are using alcohol, a little courage is a good thing.
Heard about compliancy checks? Read about them in the Bismarck Tribune article dated May 15.
Support for compliancy checks to be done throughout McKenzie County comes from the Community Coalition and the Horizons-Leadership to Reduce Poverty groups in McKenzie County. Please read the article below titled, Three keys to put the lock on criminal behavior.
If you would like to join the effort to help our youth abstain from tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, please sign in by clicking on the comment (or no comment) line below and leave us your name and phone number.
Thanks.
On Wednesday April 23, Raynette Samuelson, Activities Director at the Good Shepherd Home in Watford City was hostess to a Volunteer Appreciation Tea.
Raynette planned an afternoon of delicious foods, Hawaiian coffee, music, a meaningful message from Paster Lane and fashion show provided by Meyers Clothing Store for those who donate their time and talents to the residents and staff of the nursing home. Without these people’s generosity the residents would lead a quiet life. The volunteers offer music, spiritual, card playing, bingo calling, one on one time, ethnic foods, and to many stimulating activities to name.
A big thank you to all of those who brighten the lives of others.
If you are interested in sharing your time contact Raynette at the Good Shepherd Home, 701-444-2331.
I recommend you all read this and leave a weigh in through the ‘comment’ button below to say if you think this a good idea for our county. Money, Money, Money comes in handy when the income is available readily for you to spend on worthwhile projects. First click on the three words in a row, and read how Anamoose, ND is doing it. Thanks.