The Spot Youth Empowerment Organization hosted its first State of the Youth Forum on Friday, Oct. 25, at Da’Vine Events in Cleveland’s St. Clair/Superior neighborhood. Signal Cleveland attended the event to get a better understanding of what is important to young people.
Audience members trickled after the doors opened at 4:30 p.m. Chairs and tables were placed throughout the venue, with refreshments lined up across the back corner wall. Just over 25 people were in attendance.
Teralawanda Aaron, founder of The Spot, told Signal Cleveland they invited six community leaders to take part in a panel discussion: Cleveland City Council Members Blaine Griffin, Kevin Conwell and Richard Starr, Cuyahoga County Council Member Meredith Turner, Common Pleas Court Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams and Advocate for Education Delores Gray Ford. Organizers said five of the six panelists were confirmed for the event.
At the time the forum started, Ward 5 Council Member Richard Starr was the only invited panelist present. According to Aaron, Council Member Kevin Conwell pulled out of the panel shortly before the event began due to a scheduling conflict. Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams was invited but did not confirm that she would be participating.
Local leaders who were in the audience stepped in to fill the void, including Kirby Broadnax, Democracy Collective facilitator, and Pamela Hubbard, founder of the Golden Ciphers.
The forum started with a moderator and audience Q&A session. The first question asked was, “Do you feel safe?”
The general response was “no.” A man in the audience expressed concerns about the negative behavior that is glorified in some music and media. A woman chimed in to say we need more love in the world and better connections with our neighbors to build trust.
As a woman in the audience began speaking about her concerns about sending her children to the park because of so many shootings in her neighborhood, shots could be heard just outside of the building. She continued to speak as an anxious murmur came over the room. From the window, people outside could be seen running down the sidewalk and across the street, looking for cover.
“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” the woman said as she continued to speak through the chaos.
Shortly after, police arrived on the street. The Spot youth leaders kept their composure during the entirety of the incident and continued the forum without missing a beat.
Some of the primary concerns the youth raised were safety, job opportunities and access to fresh produce. Antwaun Loyed, one of the youth moderators, discussed the importance of parents spending more time with their children.
“A lot of times kids go home and their parents are at work or gone. They get bored so they go outside and do bad things,” Loyed said. He emphasized the need to continue to show love for one another.
“Parents also need to show kids that they love them,” he said. “Tell them you love them.”
The audience responded with applause and yells of “yes!”
