A community discussion about protecting youth, taking place in Elkhart County, focused on finding problems facing kids and working to discover solutions to help.
“We’re definitely seeing issues with mental health, some concerns about food insecurities and housing. So really, just wanting to see what are the young people experiencing, and ways that we can give them a voice so they can help us to advocate for themselves and their peers,” Children’s Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana Meisha Wide said.
Among issues addressed – racial disparity, including the rates that non-white kids are disciplined.
“Here in Elkhart County, black youth are about three to four times as likely to be arrested and introduced into a formal juvenile justice system … We have youth who are involved in the system well in through 20 and 21 years old. So it keeps a cycle going that is extremely difficult to get away from that,” The Source Program Director LaKeyue Williams said.
The meeting bringing in groups from across the state, with the Children’s Policy and Law initiative attending from Indianapolis.
The groups executive director says a major focus is having youth get involved in addressing the concerns, not just adults.
“You can’t change from the outside. You always have to start from the inside. And so if they’re experiencing it themselves, they have to be a part of that change, and so it’s a matter of us giving them the tools, equipping them with the resources, and actually making sure that they know that they’re capable of it,” Wide said.
You can find more information or get involved here.
————————————————
