Community Spotlight: The ARCh Youth Team
The Association for the Rights of Citizens with Handicaps (ARCh) is “a local organization founded by Waukesha County parents that provides...services for people with disabilities. It provides information and resources for their parents and caregivers. And it strives to make the community at large more aware and accepting of people’s needs,” says the organization’s executive director, Jennifer Horth. ARCh, however, is more than just a nonprofit; it also has a youth team dedicated to spreading ARCh’s message of dignity and respect. Kristen Lindahl, the Assistant Director of Operations at ARCh and an alumna of the ARCh Youth Team, describes the group as “teens... who are dedicated to making a change in the way that we view people who have different abilities through presentations, performances, and social get-togethers with teens who have disabilities.”
These presentations, performances, and social get-togethers (known as Teen Times), are all planned and executed by the students, with minimal guidance from Horth and Lindahl. When asked about the unique qualities of the ARCh Youth Team, Horth mentioned this independence. She said, “We try to make sure that it’s not adults doing it and teens are just there to be the bodies in the room. The teens decide what they’re going to do, they plan it, [and] they evaluate it afterwards…I think what’s different about it is the idea that it truly is the teens doing the work and gaining the rewards.”
Indu Konduru, a member of the ARCh Youth Team and a junior at Brookfield East High School, explained one of the rewards she gained from the team: speaking skills. Konduru said, “I’ve always been an introvert and an antisocial person, but at the ARCh Youth Team I’ve been able to speak more confidently and without regret. I would be afraid to speak up and voice my ideas in other clubs, but here, I can speak freely.”
Horth also added the resume builders the team provides when she said, “This is the time of year when lots of people are thinking about what they’re going to have to put on college applications and what they’re going to have to make them stand out in a scholarship pool of applicants, and the Youth Team can ring all those bells.”
Most people look at volunteering as a means to an end, a way to get into college or receive a scholarship. The ARCh Youth Team, however, views service as this and more—a way to change lives, even their own. When asked how the team changed her life, Lindahl said, “For me, it has shown me how much more there can be to a teenager’s life besides studying and exams and preparing for college. It gives teens something positive to do that’s also really fun.”
Konduru expressed her own change in perspective as well: “It really allowed me to think from other people’s perspective. I’ve only ever known my life and what I’ve done, but when I joined the ARCh Youth Team, I’ve started learning about other people and other experiences and how they differ from what I’ve lived.”
It’s apparent that the ARCh Youth Team has changed lives, but now the question is how they’ve managed to do that. When asked about the most impactful service the team provides, Konduru chose Teen Times, the social get-togethers for teens with and without disabilities. Lindahl identified the anti-bullying skits and explained further: “I think when teens get up and express personal beliefs that are so positive, it is really impactful to both students and adults.” Horth chose the ‘Life Shouldn’t Hurt’ community vigil. She said, “There is something incredibly moving about young people taking on the topic of abuse and neglect and weaving that topic in a dramatic presentation that moves everyone who sees it to wanting to do something about a topic which is really fundamental to the safety of everyone everywhere.”
To conclude the interview, Horth, Lindahl, and Konduru were all asked why teenagers should join the ARCh Youth Team. Horth mentioned the determination of the team. She said, “The Youth Team is 100% active. We might be adjusting what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, but we’re not standing around waiting until things are in-person again. So they can get involved right now and they can make a difference right now if they are interested.”
Lindahl cited the ARCh Youth Team as her “purpose” in high school. She said, “It gave me something to be a part of. And it was a positive thing. I think students could get involved to learn something new and to be able to feel that they’ve made something happen that was different in this world.”
Konduru referred to the passion and energy she feels within the group: “The people in school clubs aren’t as passionate about the message that they’re trying to get out. Most people are there because their friends are there or they need hours, but at ARCh, everyone’s here because they care about what they’re doing and they’re really passionate about it.”
To get involved with the ARCh Youth Team or ask questions, you can email youthteam@archchangeslives.org. You can also text RESPECT to 262-372-2724 or follow the team on Instagram (@archyouthteamofficial) for more information.
