Peachtree City

is looking for up to 200 citizens from all walks of life to help study

a variety of issues relating to the city's youth.

Organizers

of the "Youth and Adults Working Together to Build Community"

study circle hope to have as many youth involved in the process as adults.

Participants

will serve on a small group called a study circle that will focus on a

particular issue. Each group will be led by a specially-trained volunteer

facilitator.

Those groups

will meet between three and five times beginning in January; a final meeting

to develop an action plan will involve all 200 participants.

The City Council

agreed to spend $8,500 to fund the process at a meeting earlier this year,

hoping that problems and solutions about various issues relating to local

teens could be hashed out.

The goal of

the process is to develop "creative plans to build on the community's

substantial assets for teenagers and create a network of activities and

resources," according to Jon Abercrombie of Common Focus, which is

organizing the process.

At the final

large group meeting, Abercrombie will lead the group to develop a plan

of action which he will write up and present to the group for implementation

at a later date.

Volunteers

are being sought from the business and religious communities, local schools,

elected officials, civic groups, older Americans, public safety agencies

and other citizens, according to organizers.

Anyone interested

in volunteering may contact Sherry McHugh at the Peachtree City Recreation

Department at 770-631-2542. An organizational meeting for interested persons

will be held Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Peachtree City United Methodist

Church, located at the intersection of Peachtree Parkway and Windgate

Road.

The study circles

will address a variety of questions, such as:

Are there

adequate and healthy activities for young people in Peachtree City?

Do local youths

have neutral places where they can spend time together?

Are the voices

and opinions of the community's young people valued?

Are the gifts

of teenagers and children used in community volunteer improvement efforts?

Back

to News Home Page | Back

to the top of the page