The Power of Youth

Message From the President and CEO

By Alfonso E. Lenhardt, President and CEO

Few would dispute me when I say that youth are our most precious resource. They are the citizens of tomorrow, the future adults who will ensure that our schools are safe, our leaders honest and caring, and our society civil. We will count on them, when they are adults, to stand up for what is good and right and to help prevent crime.

Because our young people are so important, we must constantly nurture them and set the right example. We must demonstrate only the best behavior. We must volunteer and take our civic responsibilities seriously. We must watch out and help out each other. We must be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We must always provide the best character and morals for our children to emulate. We must praise our children when they do what’s right to reinforce their positive behavior.

The National Crime Prevention Council helps to start teaching children about safety and crime prevention at an early age. Our icon, McGruff, is a favorite of children, as are his safety-oriented activity books and other resources. McGruff Club teaches children in grades one through five about basic safety concerns. The new McGruff Neighborhood initiative combines McGruff Club with the McGruff Truck and McGruff House programs to ensure that children are always safe in their communities. And Youth Outreach for Victim Assistance and Teens, Crime, and the Community serve older youth and deal with more mature issues. NCPC’s programs are necessary and vital to the development of our young people.

Sometimes, however, it is a young person who provides an example for adults, and such is the case of Jordon Fonville, a remarkable high school sophomore in Central Arkansas who is the subject of a story by Nicole Nasiatka in this issue of Catalyst. Just 15 years old, Jordon took it upon herself to organize an educational antibullying campaign—with a special emphasis on cyberbullying—at her high school in Conway, AR. But she didn’t stop there. She went to the mayor and convinced him to declare a Bullying Awareness Day for all of Conway, and now she’s working to have a statewide antibullying day proclaimed by the governor. Jordon is a shining example of all that is good in our youth, and she is a great credit to her family, her school, and her community. She deserves applause and support from all of us. But we should not lose sight of the seriousness of her endeavor: bullying and cyberbullying can result in embarrassment, depression, retaliatory anger or revenge, and even suicide. Jordon, with the help of resources from NCPC, is shining a bright light on this terrible problem.

We are grateful for the good work that Jordon is doing, and pleased in the knowledge that her leadership will inspire others—not just youth, but adults as well—to carry the torch in the campaign against bullying and cyberbullying. We critically need more “Jordons” throughout America doing what’s right for the benefit of us all!