County youth discuss change at summit

Three years ago, a survey of local youth revealed that some students in Lenawee County thought adults didn’t care about them.As a result of these findings, a group called Voices for Change Youth Summit was formed. The group was started by adults, but consists of about 100 students from the Adrian, Britton-Macon, Clinton, Deerfield, Hudson, Madison, Onsted and Sand Creek school districts. The students range from eighth-graders to juniors in high school. Students involved in the group from each district met on Tuesday for the third consecutive year at the Adrian First United Methodist Church to share ideas.“This is about having our students find the solutions to their concerns,” said Christine MacNaughton, executive director of Communities in Schools of Lenawee. “It is about empowering our young people.”Students broke up into groups of around 20 with several district representatives in every group. The students told their peers from other districts about the goals they’ve been working on over the past year.Students involved in the Voices for Change Youth Summit at Britton-Macon Area School said they are working on several projects, including a community skate park, updated sidewalks and longer lunch periods.“Some kids would just get their lunch and then have to leave,” said Stephen Price, a student at Britton.Danielle Roesch, a student at Adrian High School, said the school is serving new healthy food choices that were recommended by the group.“We were able to taste test the food and see what would be best for the students,” Roesch said.She said the group is in the process of revamping the courtyard outside the cafeteria.“It would be nice to use it for lunch and study time,” Roesch said.Projects undertaken by the Voices for Change groups in other districts include:  — Onsted Community Schools students created a lockdown bucket with “essential” items needed in case of an emergency. Most of the items were donated by the Onsted Fire Department.— Madison School District students created a formal dance for cognitively impaired students.— Sand Creek Community Schools students helped raise funds to remodel the junior high gym.— Hudson Area Schools students helped create Fantastic Food Fridays in which students can have lunch food from various parts of the world.— Clinton Community Schools created a Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter. The students involved in SADD have held an after-school program for elementary students.— Deerfield Public Schools just started a Voices for Change group which is in the process of gaining new members.One concern students had, MacNaughton said, is that they feel classmates aren’t aware of the group or of the changes they have made. Tuesday’s schedule included a breakout session to help the students learn how to market themselves.“We even had business cards created to help them with that,” MacNaughton said.Price said Britton-Macon schools came up with the idea of creating a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that may be shown during a lunch period.“That way, maybe even more students can get involved,” Price said.Students in Voices for Change are trying to work on some countywide issues as well. According to a survey completed by most students in the school districts, the No. 1 improvement they want to see is learning opportunities that include more field trips, more hands-on classes, more varied class offerings and more study halls.The No. 2 concern for students, according to the survey, is a lack of modernized buildings. Students said in the survey that they would like to see better locker rooms, larger gyms and more space in the hallways.“The students truly care,” MacNaughton said.MacNaughton said although it was adults who started the group, the students have really taken over.“They have truly worked hard on these things all year,” she said.

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