Youth summit reaches new heights

By Mike Shands

Staff Writer

Concern for High Country children is alive and well if turnout for the 2006 Watauga County Summit on Youth is any indication.

More than 100 people convened June 19 at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center for the all-day event, which was sponsored by the Watauga County Extension and Community Association and the Council for Children’s Community of Advocates in Charlotte.

The summit allowed concerned citizens and representatives of dozens of agencies and organizations to identify areas of need and issues affecting children, create plans of action to meet those needs and identify individuals or groups to help carry out those plans.

“This is the start of a process… of making Watauga County an even better place for the youth of the county. I congratulate you for being here,” said Nancy Reigel, one of the summit’s co-coordinators.

Representatives of at least 21 agencies and organizations that serve children in the county attended the event. They included Watauga County Schools, Western Youth Network, the Children’s Council, the Children’s Playhouse, Watauga County 4-H, W.A.M.Y. Community Action, Parent to Parent, High Country United Way, the Alcohol/Drug Council, OASIS, Hunger Coalition, Girl Scouts and the Watauga Education Foundation.

Joining them were representatives of the Watauga County commissioners, Boone Town Council, county public library, county health department, department of social services, juvenile crime prevention council, department of juvenile justice, area physicians and therapists, faith community, law enforcement community, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, county parks and recreation and the Boone Service League.

They all began the summit with a learning tour of various statistics about youth in the county and state. They then shared observations about those statistics, listed needs or shortfalls in children’s services and developed areas of interest on which to focus during the remainder of the day.

After hearing from guest speaker Dr. Jolie Bain Pillsbury, a nationally recognized child advocate expert, those attending the summit divided into groups to formulate plans of action to meet the specific needs and shortfalls in local children’s services.

Some of those initiatives included a community center to serve youth; surveying area teenagers to find out what they want out of a community center and the kinds of activities they would enjoy there; and developing a center or program at Watauga High School to serve at-risk students by providing guidance, mentoring and role models.

The group discussing the area of child health and wellness suggested increasing the medical care available to area students, continuing the school system’s Be Active program to reduce child obesity, finding indoor locations for children to exercise during the winter and increasing tobacco-free places in the community.

Another group suggested giving youth a voice in the community by forming some sort of youth advisory committee or council that is separate from the school system and other organizations.

The final group discussed establishing a family resource system to gather and disseminate information to provide the public with parenting tips and information about various resources, services and youth activities available within the community.

Reigel said she was excited that each of the groups seemed to take on a life of its own with individuals stepping forward to lead initiatives and help make things happen.

“I thought the energy was incredible,” she said. “We started off with high energy as a larger group, then we broke up, and I saw people working for two hours – leaning forward, talking and sharing.”

Pillsbury, who has worked with children’s issues in dozens of states, agreed that the group’s energy was encouraging.

“I don’t often see communities come together this well in a day so it was a pleasure to be here,” she said. “My thought… is how easily the groups formed in the circles around the room.

Another one of the summit’s co-coordinators, Ron Redmon, said that he was encouraged by the turnout and the perseverance of those who attended.

“It really was an inspiration and the beginning of a brighter future for the youth of our county,” he said.

Organizers plan on holding a follow-up summit in about six months to help keep the initiatives going.

Reigel said that it’s not too late to become involved with the summit’s initiatives. Those who missed the summit can still become involved with a specific effort or obtain more information by calling her at 268-0637 or sending an e-mail to nancy@reigelridge.com.