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Show Enthusiastic Youths Return From Conference Seven enthusiastic youth and two chaperones returned re-turned Sunday, Mar. 30 from a three day National Youth Development Conference Con-ference in St. Louis, Mo. Youth program directors and active youth porgram participants' from all over the country gathered together to-gether to exchange ideas about successful programs pro-grams in their communities. communi-ties. The Community Action Program coordinated the planning of the St. Louis excursion from Moab and generated $800 of financial finan-cial support from community com-munity businesses, organizations, or-ganizations, and individuals indi-viduals to send the representatives. re-presentatives. The youth were chosen from the re-commendations re-commendations of schools, Youth Service Bureau, Jaycees, C.A.P., and concerned individuals. individ-uals. A committee of Alliance Al-liance members made the final selection from these suggestions. The youth represented a cross-section of teenage groups and were chosen for their potential, po-tential, but yet undeveloped, undevel-oped, leadership qualities. qual-ities. Chaperones were Dwain Barker, a concerned citizen, cit-izen, and Peggy Page, assistant as-sistant coordinator for Community Action Program. Pro-gram. The youth participants partici-pants were Fred Foster, Shawna Halls, and Robbie Anderson from the Junior High, and Rich Carrigan (J-Teen Vice President), Debbie Wiseman, Gret-chen Gret-chen Roberts, and Raymond Ray-mond Salazar from the Senior High. According to chaperone Peggy Page, "Despite the fact that none of the youth knew each other well before be-fore the trip and had to suffer the discomfort of traveling in a VW van for two days going to St. Louis and two days returning, they got along splendidly together and have returned re-turned inspired to help start a community Youth Alliance and create activities activ-ities to fulfill the needs of all the youtm, particularity particu-larity those not able to relate to already existing activities." The youth participants learned that many other communities in the country have teen councils, consisting of representatives from all the different organizations organiza-tions in the youth community, com-munity, which help strengthen the common goals of the youth and create activities to close the gaps not fulfilled by other youth organizations. organiza-tions. It was emphasized that the creative abilities of our youth are a great asset to every community, commun-ity, and all to often are not fully utilized. The service of the youth could be mobilized to help the aged and the mentally and physically disabled, to tutor tu-tor students with academic academ-ic weaknesses, to become involved in ecology projects, pro-jects, to help redirect the energies of juvenile delinquents, and so on. |