FARMINGTON – Tips and tools to help adults and youth work together on community projects is the focus of a Jan. 30 workshop in Farmington.

Partnering for Change will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Learning to work together on social change projects in the community is a goal of the Maine Youth Action Network, Kathleen Beauregard of the Western Mountains Alliance said Friday.

“It’s a new kind of effort, one that respects the knowledge and ideas of our youth while giving them an equal voice. It will help adults see effective, respectful and valuable ways to work along with and collaborate with youth,” Beauregard said.

The workshop is offered to any adult who works with youth or wants to learn more about youth involvement, and to high school youth or motivated middle school students who want to partner with adults to create change.

The day will include scenarios to work through, as well as the tools to work with someone of a different age, said Chris Gorman of MYAN, who will facilitate the workshop.

A national trainer presented the program in Portland this summer, he said. The response to it helped them realize the need to go around the state with the training.

Many groups have the intention to do positive change but don’t know how to get started, he said. A lot of people also get confused on the difference between youth involvement versus youth engagement. It’s easy to get a youth to stand up and request funding but that’s not a true partnership that includes them in all aspects of the work.

“There’s no better tool than to know that someone has tried, knows what works and you can use their expertise,” Gorman said.

If someone in Calais wants to start a skate park, MYAN has the network to connect them with the resources and skills to get them going, he said.

Western Mountains Alliance has been working on strategies to encourage youth and adult partnerships and has worked to bring resources from the rest of the state to the western mountain area, Beauregard said.

“Engaging youth in meaningful activities that can shape the future of Western Maine will benefit us all,” she said.

While there is a charge of $60 for adults and $15 for youth to attend, scholarships are available and anyone who joins MYAN receives a 20 percent discount, Gorman said. Joining MYAN is free and includes access to e-mail news.

To register, contact Gorman at 874-0060 or [email protected]