Applications must be in by 5 p.m. Friday

Recreation aide Vanessa Piña helps Juan Quevedo (left), 15, as he works on his résumé at the John A. Valenzuela Youth Center Thursday afternoon as part of his summer job search. At right is Robert Garcia, 15.

Federal stimulus money will fund an estimated 2,000 local youth jobs during what experts say is the worst summer in many years to be seeking employment.

Pima County will receive between $1.5 million and $2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pay for the jobs, said Dana Katbah, program manager with the county’s Summer Youth Program.

Job applications must be in by Friday at 5 p.m., she said. Applicants must also call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment to find jobs that best suit them, she said.

Teens know what’s in store for them when it comes to finding a job this summer.

“The economy is pretty bad,” Robert Garcia, 15, said. “Right now I am looking for a job – whatever is good.”

The Pima County program includes jobs in the public sector, such as in libraries and the Department of Transportation, Katbah said.

It will also cover salaries for youth working in the private sector at participating local businesses, she said.

“All the money is going for youth salaries, and we figure we can do about 2,000 jobs,” she said.

Jobs will run four to seven weeks for 30 to 40 hours per week at $7.25 per hour, she said.

More than 3,000 have already applied, she said.

“There are applicants who won’t get selected, but we are doing the best with what we have,” she said. “We can make a little dent in it.”

The federal youth job funding has been a godsend, she said.

“If we did not have the stimulus package, we would have had only 250 to 500 (youth) jobs,” she said. “It really saved us.”

Even with the stimulus package jobs, teens face a tough row to hoe this summer.

“I would think this is the toughest labor market for summer jobs we have seen for a very long time,” said Marshall J. Vest, director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.

“The unemployment rate continues to march upward, and business leaders indicate they are very cautious with regard to hiring people,” Vest said.

Katbah said it will be more difficult for teens to find a job this year than last.

“This is probably the worst year for youth jobs since I’ve been involved in work force development, but that doesn’t mean it is hopeless,” she said.

In Tucson, of 1,300 applicants and 600 people who were interviewed, 200 will secure summer jobs with the city Parks & Recreation Department, said Margaret Loquasto-Jaquay, youth program supervisor.

The jobs, paying from $7.81 to $8.71 per hour, include working at city KIDCO recreation, therapeutic recreation and sports programs, Loquasto-Jaquay said.

The city youth jobs program had far more applicants than last year, she said.

Teens face an additional challenge this summer as adults with work experience apply for jobs normally filled by youngsters, she said.

“With the economy, people are trying to find anything they can to hold them over until they find what they consider a real job,” Loquasto-Jaquay said.

Eegee’s is seeing some adults trying for entry-level openings that pay $8.20 per hour, said Rick Maes, training and development supervisor.

A couple of years ago, eegee’s moved away from hiring 50 to 100 teen summer workers and toward hiring employees who would work year-round, Maes said.

“The opportunities are there, but not so much if they just want a summer job,” he said.

The firm sees a 20 to 25 percent increase in head count when business spikes in June and July as the thermometer tops 100 degrees, Maes said.

The tough job market also means people are more likely to hang on to their jobs, Maes said.

Area teens at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave. are receiving assistance finding summer jobs.

Center staffers assist youngsters with résumés, job searches and other things that can help them find work, center director Gloria Hamelitz said.

Garcia, Alejandro Gallego, 14, and Juan Quevedo, 15, gathered there Thursday afternoon to sharpen their job-hunting skills.

“It’s really difficult,” Gallego said. “A lot of people are looking for jobs.”

Quevedo said his age prevents him from getting a job in fast food or at an auto supply store.

He is hopeful, but realistic, about his chances.

“I’m not really sure,” he said. “It is difficult. There are a lot of teenagers who want a job. But because of the economy I wonder if I get to have a summer job.”

Despite the challenges, teens can still find summer jobs, said Sean Lopez, Pledge-A-Job coordinator for the Pima County Community Services Department.

“If you have a young person in high school who is motivated and understands they need to sell themselves properly, they can still get a job,” Lopez said.

Piña helps Alejandro Gallego (left), 14, as he works on his résumé, while Robert Garcia, 15 also takes advantage of the center's support while looking for a job.

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JOB HUNTING TIPS

Here are some tips for teens seeking employment:

• Have a positive attitude and be self-confident

• Wear appropriate clothing that is clean, with no holes

• Have neat, clean hair.

• Hide tattoos and have no visible facial piercings when meeting with potential employers

• Get to know the company before you go

• Use eye contact and a firm handshake

• Relax even in a stressful situation

Source: Sean Lopez, Pima County Pledge-A-Job coordinator

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Pima County Summer Youth Job Program

• Application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.

• Online applications can be found at https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth.

• Applicants must also call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment

• Employers interested in participating may contact dana.katbah@pima.gov

Area youths seeking summer employment have until Friday to sign up for the Pima County Summer Youth Program.

About 2,000 jobs are available, paying $7.25 an hour, program manager Dana Katbah said.

The jobs typically last four to seven weeks and range from 30 to 40 hours a week.

Apply online at https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth.

Applicants who sign up online must call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment to find jobs that best suit them.

“We can’t help everybody,” Katbah said. “There are going to be applicants who don’t get selected, but we are doing the best we can.”

$800,000 skate park opens Saturday

Kevin Kirkley (left), 20, and Rudy Carrera, 20, enjoy the new skate park at Santa Rita Park, 22nd Street and South Third Avenue.

Skateboarding may not be Rudy Carrera’s life, but it’s darn close.

The 20-year-old works at a local skateboard shop, has taught skateboarding lessons and has been waiting nearly a decade for the new skate park to open near his home.

His wait is over.

The new skate park at Santa Rita Park, at East 22nd Street and South Third Avenue, is celebrating its official grand opening from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The event promises skateboard demonstrations, vendors, giveaways and music from four local bands: The Tics, Great American Tragedy, Subtle and Limbless Torso.

“I’ve been around skating my whole life,” said Carrera, who started skating when he was 11. “I hope I’m still doing it 10 years from now.”

Carrera has been using the skate park daily since it opened late last week. He was on hand Tuesday afternoon with a small group of skaters.

Not even the searing sun or 97-degree heat could stop them from taking advantage of the skate park’s 16,000 square feet of new concrete.

Three skating bowls are included in the $800,0000 park, as are a ramada, benches and nighttime lights.

Money for the park came from Ward 5, Ward 3, the Mayor’s Office Back to Basics, city of Tucson Community Development Block Grant, Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment and Pima County bonds.

Skate parks run by Tucson Parks & Recreation are protected from liability by the state’s recreation immunity statute. It states that people use a facility at their risk and can make no claims as long as it is in good repair.

A dirt patch adjacent to the park waits for the second phase of the park, which will be built after more funds are secured.

“This park is good enough to bring a good name to Tucson,” said Kevin Kirkley, 20. He previously lamented Tucson’s poor reputation among skateboard aficionados.

But he’s already seen that changing.

“There were some people from Chicago here,” he said, “and Oregon.”

Kirkley added he doubted the people came thousands of miles for the sole purpose of visiting the new skate park, but they were impressed when they found it.

Carrera said skateboarding forges instant friendships: “Even if you go to a different country, a different state, there’s already a bond between you and other people there and you haven’t even spoken a word.”

Tucson city codes prohibit skateboarding on roadways, central business district areas, all public library property and in a downtown zone surrounding and including El Presidio Park.

The most common calls regarding skateboarders come from business owners, said Tucson police spokesman Officer Charles Rydzak.

Businesses’ large loading docks and curbs are especially alluring.

“The park gives (skateboarders) a place to go where they won’t be bothered and they won’t be asked to leave,” Rydzak said.

Skating options include four other area skate parks: Randolph Center at 200 S. Alvernon Way, Purple Heart at 10500 E. Rita Road, Ott Family YMCA at 401 S. Prudence Road and Continental Ranch in Marana.

Tuesday’s skaters agreed Santa Rita was superior because of its location, its facilities and its cost – it’s free.

Freedom is definitely key when it comes to skateboarding.

“You get to do whatever you want,” Carrera said. “If you think about it and put your mind to it, you can do it.”

Kirkley agreed: “It’s freedom of expression. You do what you want. You’re not held back by anything but yourself.”

Jessica Lehman, 13, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers team, works on her food creation.

Beginner’s luck?

Maybe, but it’s just as likely that Amber Otero has a natural talent for making smoothies, and that Jessica Hernandez has a natural talent for organizing events.

Amber’s fruit smoothies and her teammates’ two sandwiches and a wrap took the top prize at the Teen Iron Chef competition held Saturday at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

What started just two months ago as a brainstorm to steer kids toward more healthful eating culminated in an event in which teens showed their culinary skills. Sixteen tweens and teens working in five teams crafted sandwiches, wraps and smoothies from food donated from several grocery stores.

Also donated were prizes awarded the winners by a panel of five judges.

Hernandez, a graduate student in the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science, even managed to get donations for decorations and secure the pièce de résistance – a full-sized gong a la the “Iron Chef” television series.

“We were really pleased at how people responded with donations, and I think the judges were really impressed at how creative the teams were,” Hernandez said.

By design, common grocery items – none costing more than $3 – were used in the competition, Hernandez said, adding the mystery ingredient was cream cheese.

Getting kids to realize that they can make healthy lifestyle choices with foods around the house and come up with easy, tasty combinations was the goal, she said.

creations in T”I never ever made a smoothie before, so I was kind of nervous,” said 11-year-old Amber of the South Tucson Kids team. “It came out good. I would drink it.”

A team of three Tucson High School students showed the most flair in presentation skills, serving their wrap as a multisectioned insect that sported tiny dabs of sour cream and black beans for eyes.

In the end, the South Tucson Kids’ organizational skills and well-crafted fare won the day, said Mardi Burden, one of five judges.

“They had the biggest team, and we were really impressed at how they had every person on the team working in a really productive manner,” said Burden, a chef and owner of Cuisine Classique cooking school.

Nine-year-old Wesley Bell wanted to enter the competition, but was too young. Hernandez found a way to get him involved, making him one of the five judges.

“All the food was pretty good. It was pretty hard to pick,” Wesley said. “I liked the smoothie from the Red Hot Chili Peppers team.

“And that wrap that looked like a bug, that was really good,” Wesley added.

Joining Burden and Wesley on the judges panels were Tucson Unified School District board member Adelita Grijalva, Miss Native American UA Candace Begody and South Tucson Police Sgt. E.W. Cajas.

Smoothies, like the one made by the winning team, can be as simple as throwing some ingredients in a blender and seeing what comes out. But if you’re not quite that adventurous, here are a couple recipes to use as starting points.

Strawberry-banana smoothie

1 1/2 cups unsweetened frozen strawberries

2 small bananas, broken into chunks

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Blueberry-pomegranate smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

South Tucson Kids team members (from left), Amber Otero, 11, George Smith, 15, Angel Crowell, 15, Alex Otero, 13, and Lizette Varela, 17, work on their winning snacks for the Teen Iron Chef contest.

Are you a kid who likes to create edible concoctions?

Show off your skills at the Healthy Kids Day Teen Iron Chef competition Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

Teams of six teens will battle one another in creating a healthy snack within an allotted amount of time.

The winning snack will be chosen from a panel of celebrity judges, and prizes will be awarded.

The competition is organized by University of Arizona library science students, said Sol Gomez, librarian at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library, who is helping with the event.

Participants won’t know until competition starts what ingredients are available to them.

“They will come up with healthy snacks, something they could put together when they come home from school, that taste great,” Gomez said.

To register for the competition, call 594-5265.

Parent of Skrappy’s likely to get lease on downtown space

The parent organization of the Skrappy’s youth club is expected to get the lease for the warehouse at 191 E. Toole Ave. now held by the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Skrappy’s, which provides a drug- and alcohol-free environment for youths to socialize and take part in arts programs, moved into the warehouse March 3 with a right of entry giving the group limited occupancy of 49 people.

Tuesday, the City Council will consider terminating MOCA’s lease and approving a renewable three-month lease with Our Family Services, Skrappy’s nonprofit parent.

The lease terms are similar to MOCA’s, where the museum paid $1 per year and was responsible for all expenses with the building. Our Family Services will pay $1 for the three-month term, according to the lease document.

Skrappy’s move to Toole was a collaboration among Our Family, MOCA, the city and developer Jim Campbell, who is committing $250,000 over five years to do necessary structural work. Campbell plans to install a back door in the next 90 days.

The lack of a back door limits Skrappy’s occupancy now and also caused MOCA to abandon the warehouse for exhibition space in 2006. After the door is installed, Campbell plans to add a sprinkler system.

“We’re getting the building prepared to run workshops,” said Victor Quiros, community services manager for Our Family.

In the meantime, Tucson Youth Collective, a group of former Skrappy’s youths from a decade ago, has applied for Internal Revenue Code 501(c)3 nonprofit status to acquire the club from Our Family, which has operated Skrappy’s since 2000. The club was started in 1996.

“Once they get (nonprofit status),” Quiros said, “we will let them take on the Skrappy’s project.”

Catalina HS project lets immigrants share their pasts & cultures

"Mexico has that spice and heat that makes you feel like home." Christian Ledezma, Catalina student

Some fled the ravages of war and political persecution. Others came for a chance at a life free from poverty and discrimination. These refugee and immigrant children ended up in the heart of Tucson, at Catalina Magnet High School, 3645 E. Pima St.

They tell their stories of struggle and survival through “A New Country, A New Life: Tucson Teens Share Their Experiences with War and Immigration,” created through Catalina’s Finding Voice Project.

“When I was in India, I used to go door to door with a bowl begging for food, but was often turned away with a grumbling stomach,” Catalina senior Mariana Madden, 19, wrote.

“I myself lost a parent. It was a death which no child should see – a sick, graphic, horrible death,” she continued. “After many years of waiting to be adopted, I finally came to America. There was no one who spoke my language.

“Things changed when I came to Catalina Magnet High School. I started to reveal myself and open the doors I had shut for many years.”

Madden’s writing is part of a poster project created last year through Finding Voice. Nineteen of the posters will be shown through April 29 in storefront windows at One North Fifth apartments, 1 N. Fifth Ave.

Students wrote of experiences with war, poverty and violence in their home countries, and shared their stories of immigration.

They worked in teams to create photographic portraits that reflect their lives, experiences and dreams.

Some are working with the Tucson Pima Arts Council to document the impact their art has on the public. It is one of three projects in Americans for the Arts’ “Animating Democracy” Art and Civic Engagement Impact Initiative. Others projects are in New York and Los Angeles.

Finding Voice is a literary and visual arts program, led by teacher Julie Kasper and photographer- educator Josh Schachter. It is funded by the Every Voice in Action Foundation and Tucson Pima Arts Council.

It was established in 2006 to help refugee and immigrant youth at Catalina develop literacy skills by researching, photographing, writing and speaking about social issues.

About 40 Catalina students are participating in the project this year. Most have been in the U.S. less than five years. One arrived seven months ago.

“Dreams and Change” is the topic students selected this year. Some are creating digital stories. Others are making a film. One is organizing a conference on immigrant rights.

Kasper said the class is “a small United Nations.”

“They bring so many experiences with them,” she said. “It’s painful experience but it will help them to be more open minded and make a difference in this world.”

Schachter said the art produced “has been like unwrapping a gift.”

“They not only discovered themselves, they are helping Tucsonans discover a Tucson they might otherwise not see,” he said.

Tam Le, 18, is making a movie about racism. He left Vietnam last year to help care for his grandparents here.

“I miss my friends, my country, my traditions,” he said. “People in my neighborhood stay in their houses and don’t talk to anyone. I think they don’t want to talk to refugees and immigrants.”

Patience Gelee, 17, moved here from Liberia. “People were dying because of the war. My mother wanted a better life for her children.”

She was happy to come to the U.S. “I was coming here to achieve my dream to become a doctor.”

Vianey Valenzuela, 15, and her family moved here from Sonora. They are working toward becoming citizens.

“People should have an opportunity to get the American dream of better jobs and a better life,” she said.

Suleiman Siddiqi, 16, and his family settled here a year ago through the International Rescue Committee. Before he was born, his family fled Afghanistan for India.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “I haven’t seen my grandfather or grandmother or aunts and uncles and cousins. I cannot go back to my country.”

He hopes his words and photos will make an impact.

“I hope, if people listen, if they listen to my voice, it will prove the American dream is alive.”

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IF YOU GO

What: Display of posters in Finding Voice Project’s “A New Country, A New Life: Tucson Teens Share Their Experiences with War and Immigration”

When: daily through April 29

Where: storefront windows at One North Fifth, 1 N. Fifth Ave.

Other photos and artwork are part of Tucson Youth Week’s “ARTivism Youth Art and Engagement” exhibit at Rocket Gallery, 270 E. Congress St., open through April 29; 4 to 6 p.m.Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays

Price: free

Info: findingvoiceproject.org; tucsonpimaartscouncil.org; tucsonyouthweek.com

TEMPE – The Arizona Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday against a proposal to eliminate the AIMS scholarship program, which provides tuition waivers to high school students who exceed standards on the test.

The board rarely denies requests from university presidents, but it did so by voting against the proposal. University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton and Arizona State University President Michael Crow sought to discontinue the scholarship beginning in 2010 because of tighter budgets resulting from state cuts to the university system.

ASU, UA and Northern Arizona University spent more than $27.5 million total in 2008 on the scholarships for 5,544 students, according to regents’ figures. University leaders have said the vast majority of those students would qualify for other scholarships.

Friday’s vote assures high school upper-class students who meet AIMS scholarship requirements that they will receive funding for the time being. The regents could vote to eliminate it at a later date.

Regents asked university leaders to present options regarding the future of the AIMS scholarship – formally titled the Regents High Honors Endorsement Scholarship – to the Academic Affairs Committee in April.

Threat of its elimination and heated debate drove Regent Ernest Calderon to propose an amendment that would guarantee the scholarship for current sophomores, juniors and seniors regardless of future board decisions.

The vote on that amendment was a tie, with Calderon supported by regents David Martinez, III, Robert Bulla, LuAnn Leonard and Tom Horne, state superintendent of public instruction.

Regents Fred DuVal, Fred Boice, Dennis DeConcini, Bob McLendon and Anne Mariucci voted against the amendment.

Because the vote ended in a tie, the amendment died.

“If there are cuts to be made, this is not the area to make the cut,” Calderon said. “Preservation of the AIMS scholarship is paramount. I don’t know if anyone understands the amount of angst and anxiety among our high school students since the announcement. When you take away someone’s hope that is one of the cruelest things that can happen.”

Crow said that the universities aren’t taking away hope because other scholarships are available and “the AIMS students are not the highest performers based on objective measures.”

Horne took issue with that, pointing to data provided by the universities that in the 2007-08 academic year, the average GPA for AIMS scholarship students was 3.56 while the average GPA for students receiving other merit awards was 3.40.

NAU President John Haeger argued for a “wait and see” attitude toward the AIMs scholarship, saying one of the most intractable problems universities have is retaining students to the sophomore year and beyond.

“Of the AIMS students who came in 2007, the retention rate was 86.6 percent while the general retention rate is somewhere in the high 60s,” he said. “We’ve created a group of students who succeed in college, whether they succeed at the highest level (or not). And remember, these are Arizona students we are bringing into college.”

“It’s About Time” is the name of the Tucson Youth Leadership Summit set for Saturday at Desert View High School.

The finaugural summit, put together by Tucsonan Ron Blackmon, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the school, 4101 E. Valencia Road, according to Blackmon.

The summit is free and will give attendees the chance to network with a number of local agencies as well as participate in pertinent discussions with panels of their peers.

Topics include teen homelessness, domestic and dating violence and overall life management. For more information, call 545-5100 or go to desertviewhighschool.org.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association and Cox Communications are looking for a few Everyday Heroes who promote character building through interscholastic sports.

Nominations are being taken for coach, official, administrator, AIA student, scholar-athlete and scholar-activity participant of the year. Cox’s Technology in Education and Blue Cup awards will also be given May 23 at the seventh Everyday Heroes award show in Phoenix.

The awards are aimed at those who promote interscholastic achievement, sportsmanship and healthy lifestyles, according to a Cox news release.

“Each year we receive more entries than ever before and are in awe of the incredible ways that these role models contribute to our communities,” Cox Vice President Lisa Lovello said in the release.

The nomination deadline is Friday for athletes and March 6 for coaches and administrators. For more information or to download nomination forms, see the AIA Web site at www.aiaonline.org.

Scrappy's was founded in 1996 and had become a popular place for teens.

Skrappy’s, a club for teens, will be revived in its third downtown incarnation, possibly as early as next week.

Skrappy’s will become a neighbor and collaborator with the Museum of Contemporary Art.

It will occupy the white warehouse at 191 E. Toole Ave. adjoining the blue warehouse occupied by MOCA offices and artists in residents. MOCA leases both warehouses from the city.

“For now, it will be the after-school program we’ve done in the past,” said Victor Quiros, community services manager for Our Family Services. The nonprofit offers the Skrappy’s program, which gives youths a chance to socialize and enjoy the arts in a drug- and alcohol-free environment.

Occupancy will be limited to 49 people in a portion of the building until the warehouse is brought up to building code.

“We’re looking at the possibility of turning it into a permanent location,” Quiros said. “It’s hard to tell at this time (when Skrappy’s can fully occupy the warehouse).”

The new Skrappy’s home came about because of a pledge by the Downtown Tucson Development Corp. as it seeks a 20-year development agreement with the city to redevelop up to 75 acres in the eastern portions of downtown stretching from Sixth Street to Armory Park.

The company pledged $250,000 to Skrappy’s over five years in rent abatement or space improvement.

“We have found the location (for Skrappy’s) and we’re spending $50,000 this year to fix up that space,” said Jim Campbell, the company’s manager.

Kids at Skrappy’s will interact with the 26 MOCA artists in residence next door, said Anne-Marie Russell, MOCA’s executive director.

Skrappy’s, founded in 1996, had become a popular youth facility, especially with the concerts staged at its longtime home in the former Continental Trailways bus depot, 201 E. Broadway. But Skrappy’s has operated in scaled-down fashion or not at all since its eviction from the former Broadway Volvo dealership building at the end of July 2007.

Sunnyside Unified School District families and students are invited to voice their concerns and learn how to cope with the recession Thursday at a Town Hall.

The event, titled “Today’s Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Our Schools” will be at Sunnyside High School’s east gym at 1725 E. Bilby Road.

It will begin with an expo from 5:15 to 6 p.m. featuring community resources such as banks, credit unions, the Community Food Bank, the SUSD Family Resource and Wellness Center and Tucson Youth Development.

The Town Hall will follow from 6 to 7:30p.m. with a presentation of the school budget and challenges the district is facing.

The event is sponsored by the SUSD and the Tucson Citizen.

Nominations for young people who have made a positive difference in the Tucson community are being accepted for the 14th annual Outstanding Teen Citizen award.

Ten nominees will be selected and acknowledged as winners of the award and one recipient will be selected as the Metropolitan Education Commission’s prestigious Crystal Apple Award winner. All 10 youths will be honored at the 19th annual Crystal Apple Awards luncheon May 6 at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave.

Nomination forms are available by going online to www.tucsonaz.gov/mec or calling the Metropolitan Education Commission at 670-0055. Nominations must be in by 4 p.m. Feb. 20.

For more information, call Fran Embrey-Senechal, Metropolitan Education commission, at 670-0055, or Terry Nierzwicki, at 791-5934, Ext. 121.

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ON THE WEB

Nomination forms: www.tucsonaz.gov/mec

Gangs, drugs and lots of violence may sell plenty of movie tickets, but these things are not as enticing in reality for Tucson teens.

That’s the reason Tucsonan Ron Blackmon, 28, decided to organize a summit to deal with these and other issues after listening to area youths.

Entitled “It’s About Time,” the first Tucson Youth Leadership Summit will take place March 7, but the first planning meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday at Desert View High School, 4101 E. Valencia Road.

Teen panelists and forum participants as well as volunteers of all ages are welcome, said Blackmon, head of the group Tucson Youth Creating Positive Change. The response so far has been huge.

“They want this,” he said.

The idea for the summit came directly from one of Blackmon’s U.S. Army experiences. The former staff sergeant served two tours in Iraq that included a community forum in Baghdad.

“We all met in an old basketball gym to discuss issues that were necessary to work on,” he said. “It worked. I took the same concept and applied it to Tucson streets.”

Blackmon has so far gathered support from United Way, the Volunteer Youth Center of Arizona, Every Voice in Action Foundation, Flowing Wells High School, Sunnyside Unified School District and other schools and districts.

“One wants to bring a bus load of 120 students,” he said. “And that’s just from one district.”

The summit will feature youths ages 13 to 18 who will discuss everything from teen pregnancy to teen suicide.

The aim is to go beyond mere discussion by creating different teams of youths who will go out into their communities to make a difference.

Booths representing colleges, and youth-oriented and other organizations will also be featured.

“We’re calling it the ‘summit meets opportunity’ fair,” he said.

Tucson Police Department officers will be in the parking lot with McGruff the Crime Dog, kids’ fingerprinting and other activities. Jumping castles will add to the outdoor activities.

“We’re even going to have a little choo-choo train,” Blackmon said. “We want to bring families in.”

For more information, attend Monday’s meeting or call Blackmon at 301-4433 or e-mail rblackmon1976@yahoo.com.

Young Tucson filmmaker Samantha Visbal, 15, is the winner of Pima County Public Library’s Summer Video Shootout for her entry, “Something Wicked”.

The library announced Visbal’s win last week. Twenty Pima County youths received training and mentoring during the summer to create short films as a part the program, which encourages youth voices, creativity, participation in the arts and literacy, according to the library.

Through workshops and mentoring, each participant wrote, directed and edited a short video about books or the library. The videos premiered at The Loft Cinema, where each teen spoke about the program and answered questions from the audience.

Participating were The Friends of the Pima County Public Library, Pan Left Productions, Kino Weed and Seed and The Loft.

To see this year’s videos, go to www.library.pima.gov/teenzone/ trailers/.