|
PartySmart is an organization of young volunteers who care passionately about health,
safety, and respect within their communities. Each of us belongs to several communities, including social,
cultural, ethnic, educational/vocational, and geographic. We bring the strengths and values of each
community to share with the others. Our greatest strengths are our love and caring, our creativity and
confidence, our diversity of culture and experience, and most of all, our passion and dedication. Young
people especially bring a powerful passion to their causes. By bringing together resources and
connections, and by providing leadership and mentorship, PartySmart encourages our young volunteers to
undertake innovative projects to promote the health of their communities.
The health of a community depends not only on the health of the individuals comprising it;
its health depends also on their actively caring for each other’s well-being, and on their working together
to strengthen and earn respect for the community. A healthy community cares for, respects, and values its
members in all their diversity. Confident in its health and strength, it respects and welcomes others.
Each PartySmart project enables our young volunteers to promote health, safety, and respect in their
community, in ways that they decide are important.
Many of our volunteers belong to the electronic music and dance community (a.k.a. “the
rave scene”), a multigenerational social community without cultural, ethnic, or geographical boundaries.
The rave scene is an excellent source of dedicated volunteers of all ages who understand, through their
own participation, what it takes to create a healthy community. They bring a great deal of experience in
helping themselves and their peers learn to make responsible choices about risky activities such as drug
use, sexuality, and even just living in these challenging times. PartySmart actively recruits volunteers
from among those who are involved in the rave scene. These volunteers recruit others from among their
friends, to work on projects with them to promote health, safety, and respect within and for their
communities.
|
