Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeCommunity Summit is a chance for dialogue
Roxanne Cooke
Next Thursday, local adults, teens and city leaders will gather in one place to talk about the issues most important to them.
The 15th annual Community Summit takes place 5 p.m. March 27 at Calvary Community Church, 15116 Gary St. It involves several workshops on different topics — this year’s list includes graduation requirements, youth health trends and how to bridge the “digital divide” between youth and adults.
The Summit’s topics are meant to appeal to both youth and adults, said Sumner School District STARR Project Director Marilee Hill-Anderson. The subject matter centers on the health and well being of children, youth and families.
“The key theme that has been prevalent for 15 years in a row in the Sumner/Bonney Lake area is that kids long for safe, structured activities and places to be to hang out with their friends after school hours,” Hill-Anderson said.
Starting a YMCA in Sumner or Bonney Lake, for example, is one topic that both teenagers and adults have discussed. Students talked about it during recent youth forums, and a group of local community members and city leaders — the Community Center Task Force — has been meeting since last fall to discuss how to make a local recreational center happen.
The Summit’s keynote speaker is the CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County YMCA, Bob Ecklund. He’ll participate in an hour-long forum on how communities can pull together to make a YMCA happen.
“It’s timely,” Hill-Anderson said. “This is a perfect example of how youths and adults are saying the same thing.”
Other topics at the Summit stem from a series of youth forums hosted in the fall and winter at the district’s middle and high schools, said Sumner School District spokeswoman Ann Cook. At the forums, teens meet with community and business leaders for facilitated discussions on the issues they consider important.
“Kids are the ones who really talk to us about what’s important in the community,” Cook said. “Good things come of it.”
The creation of Sumner’s Sk8 Park, for example, was a result of feedback from young people at the forums and the Summit, Cook added.
“It really is one of the most profound parts of the Summit,” Cook said. “There’s tangible real world outcomes for young people. It’s not just a Summit where you sit and have information given to you. It’s a two-way dialogue.”
And the turnout is incredible.
Fifteen years ago, the first Summit drew 35 people, Hill-Anderson said. Last year, more than 300 showed.
People of all ages and from all walks of life attend, Cook said.
“I don’t think you could plan a better cross section,” she said.