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A Message from the Chairman of the Board
Futures for Children continues to make progress emphasizing the Youth Leadership Program and Youth Leadership Summit retreats, and we are even considering an expansion of our service area to other locations. I recently attended a Youth Leadership Summit and participated in some of the activities with our students, visiting them and watching their interactions with each other. What I saw was American Indian youth developing self-esteem, self-confidence, and the ability and eagerness to work together to accomplish tasks. The Youth Leadership Program encourages students to contribute to their communities and fosters a commitment to civic engagement. Such qualities are important and applicable in many of life’s settings, including school. We strive to give our students the opportunity to develop these qualities so that they may become responsible leaders in their communities.
It was my pleasure to have visited the offices of Futures for Children in Albuquerque to participate in a very interactive meeting with its leaders and staff. During this meeting, we took many considerations into account regarding an expansion of the Youth Leadership Program to other sites.
For example, we considered how we may ensure that the quality of the program isn’t compromised if it is implemented at a distance. Even if our staff is unable to directly oversee the program, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of the curriculum and training so that they meet the same high standards. In addition, new sites should be evaluated to determine if they fulfill financial criteria and if they have the administrative and management capacity to expand the program. It is important to consider the new site leaders’ capabilities to implement and maintain a quality program, including the continuing ability to support the site through fund development.
As we considered these different aspects of expansion, we began to develop a set of criteria, similar to “accreditation” standards, for the program. I have been on the board for a number of years and have gotten to know the leadership team and staff in the context of board meetings and visits to program sites. So, it was a pleasure to watch them in action as they defined the qualities of an excellent program and considered how to evaluate and maintain those high standards. During the meeting, I witnessed the staff’s dedication to program quality, which spoke volumes for the organization’s ability to maintain high standards for all of our three current programs—Youth Leadership, Friendship, and Families in Action.
Recently, the Youth Leadership Program reached out of its traditional service area to include the Mescalero Apache community in New Mexico. We are developing this site as a test case for expansion. So, I’m glad to report that our steps toward increasing our service area are already in progress.
I also attended my first board meeting as chairman this April. I am very thankful for the great, productive conversation we had during this meeting. It illustrated that there is lots of work to be done, but also that there are committed members of the board with a solid collective sense of the vision for the future to move forward with that work. All committees to fund development, governance, and finance have engaging agendas for the coming year. I am encouraged that our members have the same vision as each committee focuses on its individual responsibilities. It will be my pleasure to chair such a marvelous board with such committed people.
Thank you for your support as we continue our efforts to support our American Indian children and families.
David Beaulieu, PH.D.
Chairman of the Board
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