Local Youth To Appear on TV Show

Members of youth advocacy group to discuss affordable entertainment, curfew and event publicity

 
By Tim Willert

GLENDALE CITY HALL -- Four members of Glendale's Youth Voice will appear on the city's "Issues and People" TV show from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday.

The call-in show will be broadcast live from council chambers at City Hall on Charter Communications Channel 6.

Youth Voice is an advocacy group for local teenagers that has 12 members. The group's advisor, Debbie McMahon, will moderate the show. Members will discuss teen issues in Glendale, including fun and affordable places to go, police curfew enforcement and ways to better promote youth events and programs. A representative of Glendale police will discuss curfew laws.

The public is invited to attend the taping, or call 548-3344 with questions for the panel. Monday's program is sponsored by the Parks, Recreation and Community Service division.

Rob Jenkins, community services supervisor for Glendale Parks, Recreation & Community Services, said he would like to see more youth involved with Youth Voice.

"It should be a lot of fun and especially informative for kids," Jenkins said.

For more information on Glendale's Youth Voice, visit www.glendale'syouthvoice.org.

IF YOU WATCH

WHAT: Issues & People call-in television show, fearing members of Glendale's Youth Voice and Glendale Police.

WHEN: 7 to 8 p.m., broadcast live on Charter Communications Channel 6.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: Call 548-3344 during the taping with questions for the panelists.


Youth outreach kicks into gear

New program is designed to steer kids in right direction.

 
By Tim Willert

February 1 2002

DOWNTOWN -- The pace has been fast and furious since Rob Jenkins was hired in December to run Glendale's new Youth Outreach program.

"Once we came aboard, we hit the ground running," Jenkins said Tuesday, when he and community service coordinators Almira Agosto and Ara Arzuman were introduced to the City Council.

"In a month's time, Almira and Ara have done about four months worth of work to get things running," Jenkins said. The city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Division operates the program, approved by the council in April to offer referral services and case management to at-risk youth from low- and moderate-income families.

Jenkins, Agosto and Arzuman work closely with police, schools and other community organizations to identify young people who lack direction and might be headed for trouble, and recommend recreational, educational and employment programs to fill their needs.

"We have, obviously, a large number of young people in our community who experience a lot of pressure and stress in their lives," Parks Director Nello Iacono said Thursday. "Before they do anything that would be inappropriate, we'd like to provide them with an opportunity to follow a positive path."

The staff occupies office space inside the Glendale YMCA on Lexington Street, which offers recreational programs and a teen center.

"We encounter teens who are looking for activities, so we bring them in and introduce them to what the YMCA is doing," Jenkins said.

The new outreach staff intends to work with the Glendale Youth Coalition and the Glendale Youth Alliance, and has already hit the streets to ask kids what they're interested in.

"We're out there to refer kids for existing programs," Jenkins said Thursday. "We're not out to to recreate programs that are already available."

A kickoff reception is scheduled from 4 to 10 p.m. Feb. 8 to introduce the community to the program. Activities and live entertainment are planned, Jenkins said.

"The kids have been real receptive," he said. "A lot of the kids we've talked to say they're bored. They want activities."

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Stepping up to speak for themselves

Three Glendale students will address city officials about December trip to Sacramento youth conference.

 

 

By Gary Moskowitz

January 31, 2002

GLENDALE -- When Hoover High senior Amador Solis, 16, saw that Glendale city officials would frequently talk about youth issues without any Glendale young people present, he got involved.

Amador, a member of the Glendale Youth Coalition's Youth Voices committee, now wants Glendale to help him organize a teen club in Glendale.

Amador and Youth Voices committee members Matt Gangi and Paul Mignano all agreed on the need for a Glendale teen hangout while attending a three-day youth conference in Sacramento in December. Amador, Gangi and Mignano met with other California youth representatives and spoke with Gov. Gray Davis at the December conference.

The three youth representatives will speak to City Council, the school board and Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services early in February about their trip to Sacramento and what changes they'd like to make in Glendale.

Top on the three students' list of priorities is setting up a safe and fun place in the community where area teenagers can go on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Youth boredom leads to violence and things like graffiti around the city. We want to start a club in Glendale where kids can go to hear live music and just hang out," Amador said.

Matt Gangi, 18, a senior at Flintridge Preparatory Academy, said communication between city officials and local youth is essential to positive change.

"Eliminating after-school programs has led to violence. Kids need a place to go," Gangi said. "But school programs aren't always the answer either. We need to have somewhere to go and interact with each other."

Paul Mignano, 18, a senior at Crescenta Valley High School, said the idea for a teen hangout came from a Youth Voices survey of more than 1,000 area high school students.

"The No. 1 answer on that survey was that kids want affordable entertainment," Mignano said.

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