Local Teens “Flip The Script” On Community Leaders During Special Summit
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – During a special summit held on Wednesday, local teens throughout Santa Barbara got the rare opportunity to sit down with some of the community's most influential people – putting those in power in the hot seat.
Inside the Faulkner Gallery, several tables were set up in preparation for the student-led discussions. Officials from the Sheriff's department, Santa Barbara Unified School District, City Council members, county Mental Health services, and others sat down to hear what the teens had to say.
It was a collaborative effort between CommUnify and the South Coast Youth Safety Partnership (SCYSP) to give the local youth the opportunity to "flip the script," to become the questioner, rather than the questionee.
"It's important for these spaces to exist," said student William Rodriguez. "There are things that these students want to say, but are just ignored completely because they don't have spaces like this to communicate those things with adults, with elected officials that do have that power."
The students received hours of training through workshops to gain tools needed for Wednesday's conversations. With their training, the students were able to question, probe, and chat with local leaders from Carpinteria to Goleta.
CommUnify says workshops and events such as these help youths build up their self-confidence, while they improve listening, communication, and collaboration skills that will keep them away from negative approaches such as violence.
"The flow that the kids are having during the conversations its genuine, and you can see in their faces that they're happy that someone is actually listening to them. Somebody of power is actually listening to them," said SCYSP Coordinator Maico Hernandez. "So this is beautiful to watch."
At these discussions, the youth are in the spotlight, along with the curiosity, ideas, and questions that will guide them as future leaders.
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