More than 250 people attended the event put on by the youth group, which plans to hold more outreach events this summer.
Staff photo by Michael Beswick - Springfield - Christopher Osario, 6, Nikesha Garcia, 12, and Taina Mendaz of Springfield stop by the Stadium of Dance at the Youth Empowerment Convention Saturday at Springfield Technical Community College.
SPRINGFIELD - They may only be teenagers, but James A. Villalobos and Terrance D. Mack have a vision for the city, and through their Springfield Youth Network, they are determined to make it happen.
“If you say there’s nothing to do in Springfield, just take a look at this gym,” Mack, 18, the president of the youth network, said. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
Part of A.W.A.K.E. Inc.’s Rebuilding the Village Initiative, the youth network sponsored a Youth Empowerment Convention Saturday in the Springfield Technical Community College gymnasium. They want to get the city’s youth engaged in the community, and to tackle issues of gang violence and bullying.
Villalobos and Mack decried the violence in the city, which has experienced six murders since the start of the year.
“I definitely think it all starts at home,” Villalobos, 15, said. “We need parents to be actively involved in their child’s life.”
“I hope the youth that are here see other alternatives other than the streets,” Villalobos said, adding the event allows them to connect with “some good organizations.”
Twenty vendors and civic groups were represented, including the YMCA, Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA), AIDS Foundation, Youth Social Educational Training, Caring Health Center project, and the Mass Alliance on Teen Pregnancy.
The family of Jaron Jerome, a 14-year-old city boy who killed himself in December, passed out information on suicide prevention that featured a picture of their beloved “Jaronamo.”
Dance groups from Stadium of Dance entertained, and guest speakers, such as Springfield City Council President Jose F. Tosado, spoke to the crowd of approximately 250.
State and city police also were represented. State trooper Michael Cutone spoke about the anonymous “text-a-tip” program to help solve crimes.
Villalobos and Mack are hoping to grow their membership through the event. The Springfield Youth Network meets every Tuesday at the MLK community center on 3 Rutland St. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Those who attended were asked what issues are bothering them, as well as their solutions. Mack and Villalobos said they plan to have a busy summer, and continue with more events like the one on Saturday.
“We’re proving the city of Springfield can come together . . . We’re going against all the nay-sayers,” Villalobos said.
When Villalobos took to the stage to address the crowd, he said too many people think violence is the answer to their problems, but it just creates more of them.
Courtney B.D. Stewart, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at New Leadership Charter School, joined the youth network because he was tired of the “suicides and the murders” and wants to put an end to them.
“I saw there were issues in Springfield and I want to be part of the resolution. I love Springfield. I’ve been here my whole life,” Stewart said.
Brother Johnnie Muhammad, of Muhammad’s Mosque No. 13, said he was impressed with the event.
“This is the stuff that needs to be highlighted. The good that is being done in the community, not always the bad,” Muhammad said.