StarTribune10.28.05

Success of Minnesota mentoring on stage in Washington
Aaron Blake, Star Tribune
October 28, 2005

WASHINGTON - Ten-year-old Michaela Huberty sees parallels between herself and two of President Bush's closest associates.
Just like First Lady Laura Bush, she wants to be a teacher and, just like Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, well ...

"Attorney General Gonzales started out as a kid, just like me," Huberty said, getting a good laugh Thursday at the White House Conference
on Helping America's Youth in Washington.

Huberty, a St. Paul fifth-grader who is mentored by Kinship of Greater Minneapolis, was one of two Minnesotans to take the stage at the
conference at Howard University.

University of Minnesota Prof. Michael Resnick described the challenges facing today's youth, and Huberty talked about how she's overcoming them,
before introducing Gonzales.

Huberty also met with President Bush in April at a roundtable discussion in Washington.

Resnick, director of the university's Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center, said the development of young people is jeopardized by
two main sources: their health and behaviors on one hand and on the other, the social contexts in which they find themselves.

He cited statistics showing that by age 17, a third of youths have contemplated suicide and one in 10 suffers from mental illness that can cause impairment.

He said others grow up lacking the ability to face conflicts without resorting to violence. He said deliberate strategies are needed.

"We are referring to an intentional, deliberate process of providing support, relationships, experiences, resources and opportunities that promote positive
outcomes for young people," Resnick said.

The president introduced Laura Bush, who hosted the event. He urged her at his State of the Union speech last year to lead an initiative to help young
people grow up to be successful adults.

"And since that State of the Union, she has taken me up on my request," Bush said, "and she has traveled the country to observe and find the best practices
and programs that are changing people's lives for the better."

Aaron Blake is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau.