YSU sponsors community-building event for youth

April 22, 2012 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Building leadership and community spirit among today’s youth, preparing them to be tomorrow’s leaders, was the focus of the first Youth Explosion on Saturday at Youngstown State University.

The event was sponsored by ACTION, YSU and Eastern Gateway Community College, in conjunction with about 15 local nonprofit organizations. It was about a year in the planning, said organizer Andrea Mahone, youth director for the city of Youngstown.

Some 150 high-school students from across the Mahoning Valley gathered at YSU’s Kilcawley Center to hear presentations from area leaders in government, business and civic organizations. They heard presentations about networking for success, designing dreams for their future, going the extra mile to empower their community and public speaking. There also was a round-table discussion about business opportunities in the Mahoning Valley.

At the end of the day, the teens were encouraged to sign on as junior board members or youth advisory members of one of the nonprofit organizations.

“The idea is to persuade them to take action and get involved,” said Penny Wells of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past. “We want to help these kids see that they have the power, right now, to make a difference in their community.”

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-33rd, was among those who spoke to the attendees first thing in the morning and said he believes in the philosophy behind the event.

“It’s basically to connect [the teens] with the community, to see all the great things we have here in the Valley,” Schiavoni said. “Ultimately, we want them to know that we have a lot of positive things here.”

Boardman High School graduate John Greco, an offensive lineman with the Cleveland Browns, also spoke to the attendees in the morning, and local country music singer Sarah Turner performed during the day.

During his presentation, speaker Matt Abramowski of Villa Maria, Pa., and ACTION, encouraged participants to “think critically and look for ways to make a change and a difference so that everyone has a better human experience.”

“You want to walk away from this today with something you want to commit yourself to grow in,” he said.

Jazmin Dandridge, 14, of Austintown and Krystal Brown, 19, of Youngstown said they came to Youth Explosion looking for that kind of growth and to learn about how they can help bring about change, both locally and globally.

Brown, a senior at East High School, said she wants to help work for positive change in her own neighborhood but eventually wants to travel to Africa and help people there as well.

“I just want to help and to show people that there is still hope,” she said. “People lose hope so easily.”

Even though she is just 14, Jazmin said she is concerned about the negative messages about this area being conveyed to young people.

“There are so many young people who don’t know about all the good that we have here,” she said. “I want to help them get a right mind and to be a better person.”

Both Jazmin and Brown said they also are concerned about the deterioration of family units.

“Families are tearing each other down when they should be working together to change neighborhoods,” Jazmin said.

“I just want people to see that Youngstown is a good place, and it can be a better place,” Brown said.