Delaware County leaders from different backgrounds gathered March 17 to figure out how to protect the county’s most precious resource: its youth.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce hosted a World Cafe-style conversation that asks the question, “What kind of county are we building for the next generation—and how do we build it better together?”

“Imagine Delco: Shaping the Future of Our County” invited people from across business, government, education, and nonprofit sectors to gather on a Tuesday morning at the Drexelbrook Catering & Corporate Events Center in Drexel Hill.

Three 20-minute discussion sessions were held with participants divided into small groups that alternated.

They explored meaningful questions about our children and youth, about the environment they live in today, the benefits they have and the obstacles they face, and how we as adults can help guide them into the future.

Participants offered stories about their own experience growing up and about the changing experience of being a young person today.

The insights that came out of the conversation are being shared directly with high school sophomores in the Youth Leadership Academy, who will respond to what they hear with their own perspectives and observations.

The result is a meaningful exchange between today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.

“Your perspectives will help to shape the conversations that our young leaders are having about their future and what the future of this community is,” said Trish McFarland, president of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.  

The event was facilitated by Michelle Martin, who also facilitates gatherings of the Chamber’s Leadership Delaware County and the Youth Leadership Academy.

“Today is not about solving anything,” Martin emphasized.

Instead, it’s a chance to be curious together, to think deeply about what is happening to our youth, and what should happen.

“Think about today as an opportunity to plant seeds,” Martin said. “We are here to understand and imagine, not to diagnose or fix.”

The conversations led to the following observations:

Failure

Kids need to learn about failure, and adults need to make it safe for them to fail so they can learn from it instead of putting pressure on them to always succeed.

Goal-Setting

 Are kids able to reach the goals you set for them?

Social Media      

• Social media can contribute to stereotypes, mental health issues, and stigma.
• How do we navigate social media and make it a safe space for children and teens?

Parenting and home

• What role model do parents create for children and youth?
• Parents should be supported.
• How do we create an environment that allows parents to connect with their children?
• Children are overstructured. Parents want their children to have good outlets, so they put them in sports and activities, but there’s no free play, no free-to-be spaces.
• There’s not enough time for parents and kids, and it’s hard to find a balance.
• Participants compared the present day to when they were kids, how at age 6 they would leave the house and not come home until dinner.
• These days, when teens do gather, adults assume they’re up to no good.

Different paths

• Kids get pigeon-holed. Not everyone is best suited for the path that leads to college.  

Find those alternate paths when necessary.

• There is no straight line to success. Half of us fell into what we do by accident. Are we sharing that journey with our children?

Owning it

• Young people want to take more ownership of decisions, activities, or community life.

“We give them all of these opportunities, but then we tell them don’t get too ahead of yourself,” one participant said.

• We want to control how they see the reality of the world, but on social media, they are seeing things we may not be having conversations about.
• We walk through the world very afraid of the future we are leaving for our children, so we’re trying to control them. How am I holding you responsible for my fear?

The participants closed their session by describing what held meaning for them in the conversations. 

1. Giving youth a voice at the table, allowing them to express themselves to give their own perspective.

2. The importance of revitalizing the village. There is not as much intergenerational relation-building so children and teens go to social media because that’s where everything is for them.

3. There’s a need to build or rebuild trust between youth and adults. If we’re not trusting, they’re not going to feel trusted.

4. Foster independence.

5 Model kind behavior.

6. Listen to the quiet ones and don’t assume they’re the problem.