This past Friday morning (6/15/12) I had the wonderful opportunity to meet about 20 middle and high school age boys and girls who are participating in the Youth Ambassadors program at the Alcott Arts Center on South 18th Street (across the street from Prescott Plaza).
I'll post more extensively about the Alcott Arts Center in the future. In the meantime, you can check out what Chris Green and her amazing non-profit crew are doing by visiting the Alcott web site at: http://www.alcottartscenter.org/.
Here's a view of the Alcott Arts Center
from across the street at Prescott Plaza
OK, back to Youth Ambassadors. This very cool program was established in 2010 and "...is a work program designed to provide creative and educational activities that increase self-confidence and resilience in underserved, teenage youth." See their web site at: http://youthambassadorskc.org/. The program started in Argentine, but expanded into District 2 this year through a partnership with the Central Avenue Betterment Association (CABA).
After meeting these young men and women (who represented Bishop Ward, Central, Harmon, Sumner Academy and Wyandotte), I have no doubt that they will be future leaders of our community (or whatever community they choose to call home). We had a great discussion over a range of topics and they asked me a bunch of tough questions (more on that in a future post).
However, a question that stuck out to me was when one student asked what they could do to help clean up and beautify their neighborhoods.
Here were my suggestions to the students (and to all of you who read this blog).
There's not a whole lot we can do to beautify our district that's cheaper and easier than just picking up trash and debris in our neighborhood.
How about this...
- Pick up one piece of trash from your own yard or somewhere around your house and put it in your own trash can.
- Gather a small group of friends, get an empty trash bag and pick up trash on your block until the bag is full (then put the bag out with your regular trash).
- Contact your local Neighborhood Group and see if you can help organize a whole neighborhood clean up. See the map of neighborhood group on the UG web site and contact the Liveable Neighborhoods office to get the contact information for the leader of your local group.
Volunteers for Community Housing of Wyandotte County
(CHWC) clean up in front of a house on North 17th Street
as part of National Neighborworks Week on June 8.
Here's my challenge to everyone in District 2... let's make this the cleanest district in all of Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County!!! If everyone does just a little, we can make a BIG difference. Thanks.
~ Brian
bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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