Children need and deserve a voice in the discussion
On Wednesday, June 28, PEI Kids hosted a public screening of the award-winning documentary, “PEI Kids: Generation Change,” at the AMC 24 Theater in Hamilton Township.
The film featured adjudicated and atrisk Mercer County youth discussing a host of issues including problems in the community and daily challenges they face.
State, county and local officials participated in the town hall-style event as youth were offered a platform for expression.
Having a voice, a say, an opportunity to participate matters, especially during teen years. Even as adults, at our jobs and in relationships, we desire to be heard.
Personally, a habit that seems to haunt me involves speaking louder as the listener fails to understand a point being made.
The premise tethers an idea that turning up the volume will somehow break through walls of disconnection.
Communication, that is, a meaningful exchange of thought, requires open hearts and minds. Nothing changes when parties enter into discussions with rigid ideas and no real desire for compromise.
Also, this idea that people, even youth, need a seat at the table serves as an ultimate truth. Almost a decade ago, a group wanted to help an East Ward community.
Several people selected a threeblock area of Walnut Ave. as a place to launch a cleanup project. On the morning of the event, these wellmeaning strangers showed up on Walnut Ave.
They were armed with brooms, garbage bags, flower pots and an assortment of other items, including good intentions.
One can imagine what occurred. Residents never came out of their houses as people swept the streets, collected garbage and planted flowers.
Weeks later, trash returned to Walnut Ave. and those flower pots were containers filled with dirt. The great Walnut Ave. experiment proved that people need a seat at the table as shareholders and decision makers, even when the project delivers something as wonderful as a playground.
Several days before the AMC 24 film event, PEI Executive Director Roz Dashiell and Juvenile Intervention Services Coordinator Rob Fiorello, spoke to me via conference call.
Dashiell and Fiorello spoke about the importance of inclusion when road mapping youth strategies.
“It is important that our young people have a seat at the table for these discussions because with their insight, we can start to consider the appropriate point of entry to bring healing around some of the issues that fracture our community,” Dalshiell explained.
Fiorello discussed the important one-on-one conversations with clients which changes the dynamic of communication.
“We want to provide opportunities that give our youth a platform to share their voice and tell their story. We have to listen and hear them,” Fiorello explained.
Big difference. Right?
No doubt city neighborhoods and communities endure unimaginable violence, underscored by Tuesday evening’s shooting of five teens.
A website post explains PEI Kids’ mission is dedicated to promoting and maintaining a safe environment for all children.
The agency’s Juvenile Intervention programs work with first-and second-time juvenile offenders and youth at-risk of juvenile justice involvement, helping them change the trajectory of their lives and build safer communities.
Perhaps you live an insulated life and have no idea about what’s happening in the City of Trenton. We have disengaged hundreds of youth, stopped listening as they deliver behaviors that scream for our attention.
Yes, some escape to Princeton University, Howard and Mercer County Community College but a significant number of our youth drown in despair.
Prepare yourself for hand wringing and talks of curfews after this recent shooting event although the smarter money’s on organizations such as PEI Kids, ISLES, A Better Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp Fire NJ, etc.
The East Trenton Family Reunion celebration involved a ritual where young people formed a circle then they were encircled by adults.
It’s time for Trenton adults to offer ultimate protection to our youth. We need a real discussion that allows city youth to speak with our promise that we will listen.
Seven13 films and Lawrence-based PEI Kids partnered to produce the documentary film which was moderated by Adrienne Bankert, ABC News National Correspondent, and taped at the Sam Naples Community Center in Trenton.
Youth were asked how they would solve community issues, including ways to improve relationships with law enforcement officer and resolve confrontation.
Bankert said, “Working on this project was a gift. It was definitely a learning lesson for the youth and for me. At the end of the day we all just want to be heard and appreciated.”
PEI Kids also provides support services for children in foster care and their families and free community workshops to prevent child sexual abuse. To learn more about PEI Kids, please call 609-695-3739 or visit www.peikids.org or www.facebook.com /peikidsnj