CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion County Youth Council (CCYC) kicked off the 2017-2018 year with a meeting on October 4th in Clarion.
CCYC, established in 2009, is a leadership program that teaches students leadership skills through the hands-on experience of planning and completing projects based on issues they see in their community or in the county, such as bullying, poverty, environmental, and drug and alcohol related concerns.
With all seven school districts participating, more than 40 students were present to learn about CCYC, communication in leadership, and agencies that directly work with people suffering from hunger and/or lack of abundance of food, which is the student selected focus for the 2017-18 year.
The students are kicking off the year by planning different drives in their schools or communities for various groups that help with poverty and hunger. Student ideas include sock drives, food drives, toy drives, and collecting items for soldiers or individuals in nursing homes.
The goal is for each school to complete a drive that benefits their community by their next meeting on December 6th so they can celebrate the accomplishments completed by individual groups, along with collectively across the county.
Students heard from Mike Moore, a financial advisor, about key components of communication when relating their messages about poverty and hunger in their schools and communities.
Students later heard from a panel of individuals representing agencies that help combat hunger and poverty in Clarion County.
Jessica Kalkhof from Clarion County Community Action spoke about their food pantry and other services available for families in need; Renee Vowinckel shared information about the Salvation Army and the Pennies from Heaven program; Karen Reddick spoke about the Area Agency on Aging and how they help the elderly population in poverty or struggling to make meals; and students also heard from John Kerle, who spoke about Charitable Deeds, what they help with, and how they got started in the early 2000’s.
Also shared was information on the Shelter Task Force and the Redbank Valley Food Pantry.
Students asked questions about how they could donate or help the programs that are already in place with these agencies such as doing a drive, volunteering at an event, and visiting the elderly in nursing homes or personal care homes.
It is hoped that students went home with something new to share with their peers and ideas on projects they can do in their schools and communities in the upcoming year.
For more information, contact Amanda Cserr, CCYC chairwoman, at Clarion County’s Promise by calling 814-223-1590.
