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COMMITTEES: Alternative Youth Activities Executive Committee Members |
YOUTH BOARD The Healthy Youth Development Initiative has created a board of youth to give their opinions, ideas and suggestions. Our first meeting had 15 youth, and that group will be strategically expanded to ensure that an even greater variety of our county's youth are represented. We have found our community's youth to be creative, honest and resourceful. The Youth Board meets twice a year or more during non-school hours. The meetings are at various easily accessible places. Between meetings, youth are contacted with updates and questions via e-mail and phone. Some youth have expressed interest in specific committees and issue areas, and others have a general involvement. The youth are asked real questions with real consequences for the community, so they take their role seriously. They give the Healthy Youth Development committees information on how kids perceive the new commercials, where kids go to get help with problems, what kids perceive as a safe activity, how and when kids pay attention to healthy messages, and other things the adults in the initiative need to know. So far the youth have brainstormed solutions to a local problem and provided information on the need for appropriately trained youth activity workers. They have also given suggestions on the best time of year to start a new youth project and ideas for the new website.
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