You can hear the smile in her voice as Mary Arnold, an Associate Professor in the 4-H Youth Development program at the Oregon State University, describes the Oregon Coast. You might come west through the mountains, she says, and when you get over the ridges, you’d be staring straight down to the ocean, and it’s the most beautiful sight you might ever see -- miles of coastline, breakers crashing right along highway 101. It won’t take you long to get to the coast; the mountains come down quickly to the sea here, and the effect is stunning.

From the President

What do you see? This edition is about seeing—not just looking, but truly seeing. We may walk by the same old shops, houses and people everyday, looking at them without really seeing them. Sometimes, taking the time to look deeply—using our minds as well as our eyes-- allows us to see things in a whole new light.

It takes a village to…build a community! The hours are long. The work is challenging. The results can be astounding. Community building requires input from all members of the community so that the outcomes reflect the rich perspectives from people of diverse age, gender, economic, racial and cultural backgrounds. These types of collaboration and partnership are frequently discussed but much more rarely seen. They are found in special communities where adults and young people of all backgrounds join together as equals to improve their neighborhoods.

“I’ve had the privilege for seven or eight years now of working with the Innovation Center, first as an adult partner in a youth-adult partnership in Maine, and since then as an occasional contributor to publications, like this newsletter, to tell the stories of the communities and individuals who are affected by this work all over the world. I always feel, after one of those conversations, like I've experienced a moment in the presence of grace, something clearly, cleanly hopeful.“

Take advantage of a special offer on the Innovation Center’s Reflect and Improve Tool Kit, 20% of the full retail price through April 2007. Also, through April, buy two or more tool kits of any kind and receive free shipping!

Declaration of Interdependence: The Fabric of Community, April 16, 2007

Philanthropy and the Challenges of our Time: Making a Difference at Home and Around the Globe, April 29-May 1, 2007

Children Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) 2007 Conference, May 1-4, 2007

Community Leadership Association's 2007 Annual Conference: Leadership Sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line, May 2-6, 2007

National Resource Center for Youth Services: National Pathways to Adulthood - Independent Living, Transitional Living Conference, May 9-11, 2007

Press Corner:
The latest articles by and about the Innovation Center,

Tool Kits: Reflect and Improve: A Tool Kit for

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Engaging Youth and Adults as Partners in Program Evaluation

Reports: Creating Change: How Organizations Connect with Youth, Build Communities,

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and Strengthen Themselves