Teen Summit a success

Many Rock Hill young people were willing to speak their minds at recent summit.

Teenagers often know more about what's going on with their peers and what's happening on the street that they willingly divulge. The hard part is getting them to talk frankly and getting adults to listen to them.

Neither was a problem at the “Break the Silence Teen Summit” in Rock Hill on Monday night. Teens talked to a crowd of more than 200 people, young and old alike, at the Emmett Scott Center, and everyone there was listening.

What some of these young people had to say reinforced the belief that drugs and violence are all too easy to find in this community. But the speeches also highlighted the fact that many young people have found a way out of the downward spiral of dropping out of school, using drugs and joining gangs.

Many others testified that there are ways to avoid that kind of trouble altogether — especially with help from community programs, school groups and even civic organizations such as the Boy Scouts.

This discussion was sparked by the recent violence in Rock Hill, shootings that claimed the lives of two young men in separate incidents. Those killings served as a harsh wake-up call for a community that wants to take back the streets and reduce the level of dread and violence.

This is the second community meeting at the Emmett Scott Center in a month, and a march to protest the violence took place in between. This is an evolving effort; all involved concede that there are no easy solutions and much work remains.

But each event, each effort to break down the source of the problems, each effort to find ways to confront those problems represents progress. Each new community discussion builds on the last one.

Organizers have to be elated that young people are willing to participate. We're grateful that these teens are willing to share their insights into a world that often eludes their elders.

We hope the teens will remain committed and that organizers can find ways to channel their energy and imagination. After all, they have a big stake in the future of this community, too.