Submitted by: Isaiah Fuhr

The annual Lawrence County Youth Summit, organized by Impact Prevention and the Countywide Youth Council, took place Nov. 3 at Ohio University Southern. 

The goal of Impact Prevention is to bring about a sense of community and to help guide youth in making changes in their respective schools for the better. The event seeks to unite teens from every school district in the county and allow them to discuss hot topics that are going on in the community. 

Overall, the event went very well; it started with a welcome by Amanda Cleary, a founding member of the nonprofit organization Third and Center, and wrapped up with a small talent show by the teams from each school. 

Eight members form our Countywide Youth Council: Isaiah Fuhr and Isaac Phillips, from Rock Hill; Alex Gnau, Gavin Simpson, and Sam Walker, from St. Joseph; Natalie Carter, from Ironton; Javin Damron, from Symmes Valley; and Veronica Poynor, from Tri-State STEM+M. 

These eight students attended weekly meetings to help prepare and plan for the event. During the day of the summit, students attended classes on various topics such as creating a positive self-image, social media’s effect on mental health and healthy stress management. 

During the summit, students were able to meet with people from different county schools through team building games and activities. 

The goal of the Youth Summit is that students will take these newly-learned skills back to their schools and promote a positive change. It is events like this that are crucial to the development of Lawrence County’s future.