(Ehe ^ la rtla n b (©bseruer A Martin Luther King Jr. Special Edition — Jan. 13, 1999 Teens’ Solution For Combating Youth Violence May Be In Our Own Backyard B y S enator G ordon H. S mith Today we celebrate the life o f a m an whose passion for equality has gone unm atched in the thirty years since his death. Dr. M artin L uther K ing Jr. w as a m an o f integrity and honor w ho lived and died in pursuit o f his dream . He m ade trem endous strides to change the consciousness o f A m ericans, and his efforts will be forever re m em bered and cherished. I think if •Dr. King would have had an oppor tunity to w rite his own epitaph, he w ould have used the w ords he once spoke...” the believer in non violence has deep faith in the fu ture.” Just as Dr. K ing did, I firmly believe the key to creating a peace ful future for all A m ericans is in the hands o f our younger generation. U nfortunately, there is often more focus on what kids are doing wrong, instead o f the positive contribu tions that they are m aking to their fam ilies, their schools, their com m unities and their ow n lives. I m ake it a priority to listen to w hat the young people in Oregon have to say and I recently m et with a group o f high school students in Portland tohear their concerns about youth violence and their ideas for safer schools and neighborhoods. I was impressed by their thoughtful solutions and their determination to create a safe haven within their own communities. I was even m ore in spired at how sensitive they were to the economic and em otional needs o f their classmates. They pleaded for adults to be com e more involved with kids, to focus on spending tim e w ith them rather than money, and reminded m e that not all kids take guns to school, join a gang or defy their parents. The majority want and need adults to be involved in their lives, to serve as role models, offer advice and give them a voice in decisions that affect them. They also stressed the importance o f having som e where to go that w ould nurture these wants and needs. I w as fortu nate enough to visit such a place. Following my conversation with the students, I had the opportunity to tour northeast Portland’s Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) and was im m ediately struck by how this community center m eets so many o f the needs identified by the stu dents. SE I’s purpose is to help inner-city youth realize their full potential. They work with schools and parents recognizing that - de spite the attention given to violence in schools - the m ajority o f youth violence occurs outside the class room. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (N CIPC), less than one percent o f all homicides committed by school-aged children actually occur in school. This fact rein forces even more the necessity o f after-school programs that provide safety, education entertainment, aid and comfort to students. Everyone who participates in SEI’sbasketball camp or after-school program can find the com panionship they may be seeking, improve their academic, athletic and artistic skills and estab lish m entoring relationships with adults. Throughout the day, I talked with students and adults about how I, as their Senator, could h elp them achieve personal and academic suc cess. A m ong other suggestions, they recommended placing more counselors in schools, offering an ger m anagement training before and during middle school, providing peer and adult m entoring, student m e diation, more funding for arts pro grams, and m aking after school programs like SEI the norm , not the exception. I took those suggestions very seriously and I am hoping to incor porate them into legislation that 1 am working on with Senator John Kerry o f M assach u setts. Our plan to edu c a te A m e ric a ’s c h ild re n w o u ld make available the tools for change so that every as pect ofpublic edu c a tio n w o u ld function better and strengthen every e le m e n t o f the system. I f w e do not want to lose a gen eration o f A m eri c a n s, w e m u st dem and nothing less than com pre hensive education refo rm effo rt - one that will im prove not only the lives o f our chil dren while they are in class, but out o f school as well. I am hopeful that as we continue to talk about treating one another with respect, providing the best opportunities for our youth, and find ing our way to a community sym bolized by peace and reconciliation, we will be guided by the hearts and minds o f young people. Our role, as C ll Solutions To Create A Nonviolent World 'Listen with an open heart. 'Meditate on Peace. •Contemplate the Quiet of Nature. -Practice Non-Judgement. •Take responsibility for my actions. ■Forgive myself and others •Commit to serve the nature of Nonviolence. When Martin Luther King, Jr. said "I have a dream," it was a challenge to each of us to join in making our communities better for all people. That's why you'll see Portland General Electric involved in many programs that help education, healthy families, arts & culture, the environ ment and diversity. A t PGE, we're more than the power company, we're also your neighbors. community members, parents, and government is to provide them the tools for success and then let them, in turn, teach us. As Dr. King so wisely said, "It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. W e are all caught in an inescapable network o f mutuality, tied into a single gar ment o f destiny. W hatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Celeb th e spirit of the dream. Brenda A ddy takes part in the H om ow o African Harvest Festival. PGE is a ma/or sponsor o f Portland General Electric this com m unity event C o n n e c t in g P e o p l e , P o w e r a n d P o s s i b i l i t i e s