> At 06:59 AM 2/19/98 -0800, Lori Sodorff wrote:
>
> >
> >If you are so concerned about building a facility that will facilitate
> >more people perhaps you should begin looking at a multi use facility that
> >will offer those young people who wouldn't be caught dead in a swim suit
> >a place to gether.
>
>
> I've felt for some time that Moscow was in need of a facility similar to the
> Boys and Girls clubs in the LC Valley. Has anyone ever researched the
> possibility of constructing such a facility in Moscow?
>
>
> Greg Meyer
>
A friend of mine who many of you should know has tried several times to
collect money through fundraisers and finding grants to start a youth
center. But there has never been much interest by anyone other than her
close friends. She wanted to start the center in memory of her son
Tammany. The idea was to creat an alternative place for ALL and ANY young
people to hang out without police suppervision. 'This in mind it would
have to be privately operated. We need to offer a judgment free zone for
all of our children. We need to offer them a place where they can find
refuge from the storm, perhaps an accepting ear to hear or shoulder to
lean on. I say accepting because it is not neccessary or always possible
for us to understand but we must be accepting of ALL!! Unfortunately if
we open a facility that is operated by the city, thepolice will do there
policing thing and then the facility will only be used by the 'goody
goods' when what we realy need is something to offer the children of the
streets.
Homeless teens is a BIG problem in moscow. It may not seem so on the
serface because they stay at this friends and that friends and not
actually on the street but, they are still homeless none the less. We
should be greatful for the many mothers and fathers who allow their teens
homeless friends to stay with them, for without them they truely would be
on the street.
So lets find a solution...and give our kids something to do. restricting
them from riding their skateboards or blades in certain areas is not the
answer. there already nothing to do in moscow but shoplift just to see if
you can get away with it, and many get enough for all, so lets spend a
little less time triing to figure out how to make the streets more
attractive and lets spend some serious time considering the plight of our
teens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's see some real visionary work going on. After all, are our children,
no matter who or what they are, are the future. So lets give them one!!