Thrive
Youth civic engagement initiative launches in Childs Park

The Childs Park Neighborhood Association is launching a Youth Rising Initiative to encourage young citizens to get involved in civic engagement and community leadership.
Tresalynn Morris, the association’s Wellness Champion, is spearheading the initiative. She said the goal is to address concerns such as community crime and traffic accidents. By engaging the younger demographic, the association aims to create a positive impact on these challenges.
“The initiative was inspired by a call to action to address the youth issues and do something about what’s going on in the neighborhood. We talked about it and we felt like we do need more youth activities in the neighborhood. We’re coming up with creative ways to get kids involved,” Morris said.
In shaping the Youth Rising Initiative, Morris attended other teen council meetings and community events, researched similar initiatives and spoke with local parents and children about their concerns and ideas.
“We envision it to be like a mini-Child’s Park Neighborhood Association led by the youth. They’ll have their own board. They will have their own meetings and they’ll come to our meetings,” Morris said. “We want them to advocate for themselves. We will be exposing them to workshops and different activities, getting their feedback on what they would want to see and basically trying to develop them as leaders in the community.”
Children and young adults ages 13 to 21 who live in the Childs Park neighborhood, which spans from 5th Avenue South to 22nd Avenue between US Highway 19 and 49th Street, are invited to join the Youth Rising Initiative. Morris emphasized the importance of involving young citizens in shaping the future of their community, noting that community service projects and collaborative initiatives will be implemented to instill a sense of responsibility and ownership among youth in Childs Park.

Young residents, civic leaders and community partners in the Childs Park neighborhood, which spans from 5th Avenue South to 22nd Avenue between US Highway 19 and 49th Street, are invited to join the Youth Rising Initiative. Image: Google Maps.
“We want to see our kids be leaders. We want to get our kids involved. These are important issues, so we want kids in the community and communicating with each other in a positive way,” said Morris. “We see and hear all the negative things, and we want to change the mindset that that’s what the youth are doing. We want to see the kids have positive things said about them doing positive things in the community and for the citizens.”
As the initiative gains momentum, community leaders are optimistic about participants in the Youth Rising Initiative creating their own programs and events, actively participating in civic affairs and taking on leadership roles to shape a bright future for their community.
The first Youth Rising Initiative meeting will be held in March, with the exact date still to be determined. For more information or to join, email youthrising.childspark@gmail.com or send a message to the Childs Park Neighborhood Association’s Facebook page.

Kari
January 23, 2024at12:07 pm
This is fantastic news and an outcome of many committed neighborhood volunteers as well as strong neighborhood leadership. Child’s Park deserves to be recognized for their ongoing accomplishments and this latest initiative. Great job everyone and we look forward to hearing more about this!
Tresalynn Morris
January 23, 2024at11:12 am
Thank you Bro. John! Interested participants can also sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSep6ZyBENlFQjC1wU51axCS4fOM7I4fgBQnXfOEDSNvAiniDQ/viewform
Brother John
January 22, 2024at3:08 pm
This is amazing! I’m thrilled about the launch of the Youth Rising Initiative by the Childs Park Neighborhood Association. Kudos to Tresalynn Morris for leading this effort.
I wholeheartedly support this initiative, aiming to engage young citizens in civic affairs and community leadership. Empowering our youth to address issues like community crime and traffic accidents is crucial.
I pledge my support to the Youth Rising Initiative. Creating a mini-Child’s Park Neighborhood Association led by youth is innovative and promising. I encourage residents aged 13 to 21 to join and actively participate in shaping our community’s future.
I look forward to seeing our youth become leaders and make a positive impact.
Thank you all for your service to our Community and My Neighborhood.
#YouthRising