TEEN SUMMIT 2000 CONFERENCE WILL OFFER YOUTHS CHANCE TO BE HEARD

Teens, especially those from South Cape Girardeau who believe there aren't enough activities for them, not enough is being done to fight drugs, they don't get enough support in school or from police, will have an opportunity to voice their concerns at a forum in which adults are listening.

The Teen Summit 2000 Youth Conference will be held April 22 at the Salvation Army. It will give young people from 12 to 19 an opportunity to share their ideas, hear a motivational speaker and show off their talents, said Dr. Harry Schuler, director of the Cape Civic Center and one of the organizers of the summit.

"We felt a summit would be the most effective way to try to get at what youths are concerned about," Schuler said.

The summit will begin at 10 a.m. with teens voicing their ideas in focus groups. Lunch will be served at noon, and from 1 to 3 a wrap-up session and address by motivational speaker Dwayne Bryant will be featured. From 7 to 10 p.m. teens may participate in a talent show.

The summit developed out of the Community Leadership Group, an organization formed to address the needs of the community, particularly in South Cape. One of the areas the group decided to concentrate on was youth issues, Schuler said. Rather than having adults trying to decide what concerns young people had, the committee decided it would be best to let teens speak for themselves, he said.

"Someone realized that you can do programming and activities for youths, but if they are not interested in them they won't participate," Schuler said.

Participants will be divided by ages into focus groups that will discuss four main topics:

* What kinds of programs and activities they would like to see provided in which they would participate.

* What can be done to get drugs out of the community, reasons why drugs are so widespread, and why are drugs used?

* How can the relationship be improved between the police department and the community?

* How can partnerships be created within the Cape Girardeau School District to ensure the success of students?

"Those are the topics that will get the discussion started, then there may be other questions and topics raised by participants," Schuler said.

Recorders will take notes on the discussion, the notes will be used in the wrap-up session to see what common threads run through all the groups, he said.

Ideas and comments from the groups will be shared with the teens at the summit and with agencies, organizations and churches that work with youths and may be able to implement some of the findings.

Bryant spoke at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast at Southeast Missouri State University in February. Schuler said Bryant is a powerful motivational speaker.

"As people leave, we want them to feel motivated to continue to do what is best for providing opportunity for youths," Schuler said.

The talent show will give youths a fun way to end the evening and parents an opportunity to see them in action, Schuler said.

Those who want to participate in the talent show should sign up in advance. For the summit, teens can sign up in advance or at the door. Registration forms for both the summit and talent show are available at the Salvation Army, My-T-Sharp, Jay's Salon, Joe's Beauty Salon, East Missouri Action Agency, Central junior high and senior high schools, L.J. Shultz School and The Men's Room.