Meeting young people where they are and creating a space where they can express themselves can be difficult, but a community group in Central is making that happen. 

The Central Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) is a body of students looking to make an impact on their schools and communities. Students come together to discuss what is happening in their schools and neighborhoods and to implement solutions. The group meets every Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Friendly Inn. 

The Men and Women of Central (MWC)  formed the group in August of 2022. MWC President Charmaine Jordan, MyCom Regional Coordinator Jerry Rugley, and Program Director and one of the Champions of Central Kareemah Rose guide the council’s meetings.

“We wanted to support youth in the community, and we wanted to do it in a structured environment.” Jordan said. “We wanted to provide training and education around civic engagement and volunteer work.”

The meeting must go on

On the day Signal Cleveland visited, a power outage at the Friendly Inn caused the meeting to move to the Outhwaite Community Center. Fewer students than usual joined the weekly gathering,  which always starts with a hot meal. Central resident Camilia Jordan makes sure the folks are fed, firing up her side hustle ‘Millimeals,’ to provide the food each week.

Once everyone finishes their meal, the work begins. 

Top concerns of the council this week are drug use and bullying.

Briana James, a freshman at Trinity High School, has noticed an increase in drug usage in school among some of her peers. 

“I see students smoking weed and vaping in the bathrooms, in the hallways, it’s everywhere.” James said. “I know a lot of them are sad or depressed, so that’s why they do it. A lot of their friends smoke, so they smoke too so they don’t feel left out,” she said.

Cory Wilburn, a freshman at East Tech, talked about the bullying he often sees at school.

“I definitely see it, and sometimes I try to stick up for the person being bullied.” said Wilburn.

His classmate, Jason Payton, added his thoughts to the conversation. 

“Sometimes I want to help people getting bullied, but then I think, “What if the bully starts to bully me for trying to help?” Payton said. 

Kareemah Rose shared a compelling story about being bullied in her youth and how someone stepped up for her. 

“There were girls who were always picking on me until one day another girl stood up to them and told them to stop.” Rose said. “A lot of times, it just takes one other person to speak up.”

Although no tangible solutions were devised during the meeting, the conversation created space for the students to have their voices centered and heard. 

Always room for more teens to join the conversation

The council is looking forward to expanding and continuing to tackle community problems. Advisor Jerry Rugley is very proud of the council’s work thus far.

“For Halloween this year, they wanted to work with young people in the after-school program.” Rugley said. “They decorated cookies, read them stories, and just spent quality time with them. They spearheaded that.”

“We pretty much allow them to go and do what it is they want to do, and we provide them with the guidance, supervision, and resources they need.” 

In their short time as a body, the council has applied for and obtained  a grant to provide food and hygiene products for the homeless. Now they look forward to more community service events and recruiting more members.

Teens do not have to live in the Central neighborhood to join the Central Youth Leadership Council. Transportation can be arranged for those who need it. Youth in grades 8 through 12 who wish to join the council can visit the MWC website. They will find more details and can fill out a membership application.