NP Youth Commission finding its voice

NORTH PROVIDENCE - A new program in North Providence is making sure that tomorrow's leaders are having their voices heard today. The North Providence Youth Commission, created this spring under the direction of Neil Anderson in collaboration with Mayor Charles A. Lombardi, is off to a running start.

Already the 14 students on the commission, who will not be formally inducted until Nov. 19, have passed a rigorous summer leadership academy, have spent time in the nation's capital with Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, and have begun planning their first major project targeting substance abuse among teens in their community.

The idea originated in Hampton, Va., which was named one of the most youth-friendly cities in America, by the Ash Institute at Harvard University. Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee visited the city and liked the idea of the youth commission that was in place. When he returned to Rhode Island, McKee called on Anderson to help put the commission in motion.

"It was established in the summer of 2007 when I was hired by Mayor McKee to develop a model," Anderson said. "The Cumberland Youth Commission has had some real victories. They helped the library expand its online tutoring program and develop a strategic plan that was supported enthusiastically by the town."

The North Providence Youth Commission is an adaptation of the program piloted in Cumberland. Lombardi visited the Cumberland commission and liked what he saw so much that he asked Anderson to work with him to develop a similar program in North Providence.

The process started at the end of the 2008-2009 school year with a day of presentations to classes at the high school.

"I thought it was the right thing to offer students the opportunity to have the youth commission become a reality in North Providence," Lombardi said. "This administration has partnered with the high school on a few projects. It's always my opinion that we need to involve students in our community and give them the opportunity to bring forward their ideas to their leaders."

More than 100 students showed interest initially, with 44 filling out applications and another 25 coming for interviews. The results were 16 commissioners, though since the leadership academy, two have left. Their over arching goal is to give the youth of North Providence a voice in local affairs. They serve in an official capacity as liaisons to the mayor's office and will collaborate with the town's leaders on certain endeavors.

"The basic premise is to build their capacities to sit at a table with decision makers and be a sphere of influence for them," Anderson said.

Every year, the plan is for the commission to tackle what it views as a major issue affecting the town. This year, the group is focusing on lessening the amount of substance and drug abuse in their town.

"We're planning a block party to raise awareness on substance abuse," said commission member Diana Morel. "We found out it's a big problem in our community and we're targeting high school students. It's still in the planning stages."

Each student has taken on an individual project in addition to the group initiative. Their individual ventures range from environmental efforts to planning family movie nights in community parks next summer.

"I'm doing youth volunteering," said Tianna Avelino. "It's proven that if students are asked to volunteer, they're more likely to do it. We're not really asked here. I think if we have an active group, we can get more students involved, feel better about ourselves, and see more results."

Melissa Mecchi said, "I feel like we're helping to change our peers' outlook. Some of them have negative images about our leaders and feel they don't do enough for us. We're helping to give kids a voice, which will benefit them in the future."

This positive outlook and confidence that the commission can make a real difference is one of the results of the Summer Leadership Academy and the Washington trip that the youth completed this summer.

"We learned how to be better public speakers," said Mecchi. "Aubrie (Pascale), the debate coach at Barrington High School, gave us tips on how to speak and make good presentations. A Cumberland high graduate talked about how to get good press and how to use what we can do to our advantage. We gained the skills needed to be good youth commissioners."

The Summer Leadership Academy was no small commitment. It required eight hours a week of training, which is a lot considering that many students work or volunteer at other places. After spending the rest of the year in school, a lot of students might rather spend their free time at the beach and with friends.

"I think that speaks volumes for those who made this a reality," Lombardi said. "They were willing to spend time and commit in order to do their share."

Part of this commitment was a three-day visit to Washington, D.C., meeting with Sen. Reed and using the skills they had honed through the Leadership Academy.

More recently, the commission attended the Rhode Island Kids Count Dropout Summit, sponsored by America's Promise Alliance, on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Providence Marriott. There, the students joined a variety of school administrators, local government officials, and other students to address the issue at hand.

"There were speakers giving their ideas and panels with youth from different organizations and everyone asked questions," Avelino said. "The adults really listened. They wanted to get everyone's ideas."

Even though the North Providence Commission has only been active for a few months, they left a great impression on the other attendees.

"About 10 different people that I didn't know came up to me to ask about them," Anderson said. "They really stood out. I was complimented left and right on their conduct and input."

If the current trend holds, the youth commission could soon become a voice with impact within the high school community as well as in North Providence affairs.

"When I look at this from the business perspective, there is no doubt in my mind that in the years to come, what we see here will be future business people in a leadership role," Lombardi said. "Their enthusiasm is enough for me. It's very touching."