Barton County Youth Crew’s recent End-of-Year Celebration recognized the group’s members for their many activities, while providing an opportunity to thank families for their involvement, said Tyler Morton, Juvenile Services prevention advocate.
“This is the only time each year that everyone is together at the same time,” Morton said. “Being acknowledged for their accomplishments is a huge deal for our members. In addition, our ‘Get to Know You Bingo’ event is fun to watch because some families are meeting for the first time.
“Throughout the evening, we reviewed the last year and set new goals for the near future,” he added.
Accomplishments from last year included: a float in the Hoisington Labor Day Parade; an all-youth-led booth at the Family Crisis Center Heal and Hold Fall Festival: participation in Trail of Lights and Mental Health Awareness Day; Lei Off Tobacco for the first time at Great Bend Middle School; hosting the Youth Leaders in Kansas (YLinK) conference in Hoisington; Christmas party; and bowling event.
“This year, we are focusing on having more youth-led projects,” Morton noted. “A goal is to have youth serve in different capacities such as planning events, hosting social media and recruiting new members.
“Our meetings are now on weekdays instead of weekends to attract better participation,” he added, noting the group is reviving its popular kickball event.
In addition to the 25 Youth Crew members, 75 guests attended the June 2 celebration. Those guests included Sherri Brantley, Kansas House 112th District representative; Andres Mata, youth engagement specialist for YLinK at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services; and Russell Spurlin, manager of Youth Leadership Upstream Kansas.
“We appreciate all the guests who took time out of their busy schedules to interact with our young people,” Morton commented. “This demonstrates that adults care about them and what they accomplish.”
Awards
Branson Holinde was selected for the Outstanding Achievement Award for his “attitude, attendance and willingness to lead projects,” Morton announced.
Janey Weber was chosen for the Next Generation Leadership Award for being the first person to tackle a youth-led project. Weber organized everything for a successful float in the Hoisington Labor Day Parade.
“Ten other Youth Crew members were recognized for their 15 or more community-service hours,” Morton commented. “When you get down to it, all active Youth Crew members deserve credit for wanting to make their community a better place to live and go to school.”
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.
