Under the shade of the shelter at Stan-O-Gene Park in Neshkoro in late August, a group of teenagers gathered together and charted out goals for a new youth group supported by Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY). Kaycee Verdine, Cheyenne Hopp, James Hopp, Breanna Baljo, and Linzee Verdine worked with HCHY Neighborhood Liaison Jamie Flores to define their new group and give it a name.
“Some of the Neshkoro Kidz, started by Karen Holseth Brokema have started getting into their teen years,” said Flores. “They wanted to form their own group and so we got together to lay the ground work for that.”
The Neshkoro Kidz meet regularly for summer activities at the library and during the school year for evening events like past cooking classes. Now, the new teen group will plan some separate activities and they started by naming their organization. After working to identify what helps them make healthy choices in their lives, they chose NY4C, or Neshkoro Youth 4 Change.
The 4 in the name stands for the four things they believe are most important to them—friends/family, community, healthy choices, and the future.
Both Neshkoro Kidz and N.Y.4.C. are open to any youth who wants to participate. For more information, contact Jamie Flores or Meg McCullough.