INDIANAPOLIS — Young people at the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis engaged with community leaders Tuesday night in conversations about improving the community.
WRTV's Amber Grigley attended the town hall where club members sat down with local officials to discuss real issues affecting their lives.
"Because of the deep talks," said Joshua Jefferson, a 6th grader. "Talks about safety and the poor and the wealthy."
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the conversations revealed the serious challenges young people face daily.
"I think the thing that you kind of take away from these conversations is that although these kids might be 12,13,14 years old. They're dealing with real-life issues and they're dealing with real-life problems at a very young age," Mears said.
Mears shared details from his discussion with one student who opened up about housing instability.
"He talked about how his housing situation is unsettled, and he's not sure where he's going to end up. And it's just a good reminder that, that, you know, that's something that that child is carrying with him," Mears said.
The town hall aimed to show youth the opportunities available to them in their community.
"Talking about school, talking about grades, and talking about sports and other good stuff that doesn't contain violence," said Riley Dyson, a 5th grader.
Dyson, who loves basketball, spoke directly about her concerns regarding community violence.
"It's not very nice or fun to watch somebody get hurt or just get, like just get treated unwell," Dyson said. "What can we do for teens to stay out of violence, and my reason and what I said is we could do after-school programs like YMCA Boys and Girls Club, or we could just do sports to stay out of trouble and stuff."
Jose Bravo with the Boys and Girls Club emphasized the importance of listening to young voices.
"I want them to know that, you know, what they want is basically what we're here to listen for, you know, anything that you know is going through their life, we're not going to find out unless they, you know, show us what's going on and speak up," Bravo said.
Other leaders joining Prosecutor Mears included IMPD Chief Chris Bailey, Lawrence Mayor Deb Whitfield, and additional community officials who rotated between tables to share meals and conversations with the youth.
