Community Corner
S.T.E.P.S: Leading the Way to Successful Living for Future Generations
STEPS: Southington's Town-wide Effort to Promote Success is a coalition of many sectors of our community working together to proactively bring about a positive effect on the development of the youth of our town today and in all their tomorrows.
"STEPS came about following a spate of five teen suicides over a four-year period several years ago in Southington," said Susan Saucier, director of Southington Youth Services and vice-chair of the executive committee of STEPS.
Saucier was one of a group of concerned people in town who then came together to consider strategies that might stave off emerging behavior patterns among our young people that were putting them and others at risk.
That initial group included John Myers of the YMCA, the Rev. Gordon Ellis of First Congregational Church, Harvey Polansky, then superintendent of schools, the Rev. Victoria Triano, director of pastoral care at Southington Care Center, and Kathryn Reinhard, of the Calvanese Foundation.
“STEPS is a philosophy of nurturing our kids, where all of us as a community seize the opportunity to show kids that they really matter,” Triano, treasurer of the program, said. "We make strides every day, but bringing about cultural change is a long-term process.”
“Early on, we had to get past the notion that because we are a great town we need not be concerned. Instead, we looked in the mirror, recognizing that we had to do more than have a few occasional guest speakers and activities programs running in town,” said John Myers, Chairman of the Executive Board of STEPS.
“We knew we had to go beyond that with a sustainable communitywide, proactive commitment that resonated with kids.”
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STEPS officially came together in October 2008, said STEPS Youth Prevention Coordinator Kelly Berkmoes.
Today, STEPS is an asset-based prevention coalition that is following the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Asset Model in a collaboration of leaders from every sector of our community, with an energized aspiration that our youth grow up to be caring, competent and successful individuals in a comunity that is a better place for youth.
Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Members come from such sectors including the Southington's school system, local government, healthcare professionals, civic and volunteer groups, United Way, faith congregations, fraternal organizations, Police and Fire Departments, the YMCA, Youth Services, Chamber of Commerce, parents, PTO groups and most important, our youth.
Each sector operates in its sphere in a well-orchestrated opus of advancing the philosophy that kids count and that it is all of us who can direct them in healthy paths to their successful futures.
STEPS is already a powerful illustration of an exciting, highly motivated commitment of those already involved in working towards a progressively better tomorrow for all of us, especially for those who might otherwise not reach their full potential as members of society and a bright future that awaits them.
Until next Sunday's in-depth second installment of the detailed progress of STEPS through the eyes of Sgt. Lowell DePalma, of the law enforcement sector; Nancy Chiero, education sector; and Diana Sheard, business sector and others, we urge you to check out a wealth of fascinating information at http://www.southingtonsteps.org/.
Meanwhile, April is Alcohol Awareness Month.
STOP Underage Drinking!
