MEXICO — One teen and eight adults shared ideas on Wednesday afternoon about the proposed creation of a youth action network to grow constructive activities locally for teens.
Undaunted by the lack of participation by more youth after two meetings, organizers Rebecca Skibitsky of Dixfield and Cindrie Cormier of Rumford will take their idea to Mountain Valley High School to meet with about 15 students at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23.
“We’re going to go to this meeting on Wednesday and introduce ourselves, because they don’t know me personally,” Skibitsky said after Friday’s meeting in the former Teen Center at the Mexico Recreation Center.
“And the Teen Center has such a stigma” of being not cool, Cormier said of teen perceptions.
“We just have to change the stigma and I think they need to be told that it’s their responsibility to change the stigma.”
“Right, and that word ‘Teen Center’ might actually be scaring them away even though we said ‘Teen Center Takeover,’” Skibitsky said in promoting Friday’s meeting on Facebook. “If we can just get a small group of kids involved and start it.”
“I feel bad that no one came,” Kristen Provencher of Mexico said.
“They will,” Skibitsky replied.
“Oh, I know they will,” Provencher, a health educator at MVHS, said.
During the meeting, Skibitsky and Cormier outlined goals and encouraged feedback from attendees.
Skibitsky reading from a large chart, shared their action plan and a spinoff performing arts conservatory business to be run by teens to fund the network.
At issue, she said, is “a lack of constructive, engaging activities for youth.”
“They’ve claimed that there was nothing to do,” Skibitsky said. “We came up with a vision to create a center that appeals to everyone, supports positive development, it’s fun and long lasting.”
She said the idea is to think creatively, to create an action plan and then “go after it.”
“There should be stuff going on on the weekends, there should be stuff going on in the evenings,” she said. “We can do all of those things together.”
She said that she and Cormier decided to create a venue for a sustainable entertainment program where youth and adults work together to enhance the quality of life in the River Valley area.
“So we planned it out and I know we’ve been brainstorming all of these different possibilities and stuff for about a year now,” Skibitsky said.
She said they looked at other youth groups before choosing a different tact.
“Traditionally, a lot of youth groups will focus on problems like teen smoking, and then they’ll be reactive and try to target specific youth like the kids that are smoking,” she said. “They treat youth as recipients and develop programs that are run by professionals.”
“Our idea is all about positive youth development, focusing on the outcomes and being proactive, and we want to target all youth, not just the ones that are at risk.”
Entertainment ideas tossed around included open mic nights, variety shows, gaming and dancing, music tutoring and forming bands.
Greg Viger of Rumford congratulated Skibitsky and Cormier. He also offered his services to design a name for the organization whenever participating teens create one.
“This whole thing, once it’s designed, it’s going to grow,” Viger said.
The next meeting starts at 3 p.m. Friday, March 25, in the rec center’s basement room.
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- Rebecca Skibitsky of Dixfield shares insight on Friday into an idea that she and Cindrie Cormier of Rumford have been developing for a year to help area teens pioneer their own youth-centered organization at the Mexico Recreation Center and start a performing arts business with which to fund it.
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- Greg Viger, left, of Rumford, offers direction and praise on Friday to two local women who are trying to get area youth interested in forming a network that will grow activities for youth and the community on evenings and weekends. Listening at right is 13-year-old Jacob Miele of Rumford, who also shared insight into what teens his age are interested in.
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- At Friday’s meeting in the Mexico Recreation Center, Cindrie Cormier, left, of Rumford, explains how creating a youth action network run by youth with community involvement could grow constructive activities in the River Valley area. Listening, from left, is co-organizer Rebecca Skibitsky of Dixfield.
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