By Peggy Alexander

On the floor of an empty hallway near the teachers’ lounge at Wilde Lake High School sat a father and his son.  Around them lay flyers, brochures and job applications they had gotten from businesses and non-profits at the Teen Job and Volunteer Fair on Saturday, March 3. Watching them busily going through the papers together, one could get a sense of shared excitement as father and son studied these community resources to plan together the son’s new involvement in a job or volunteer opportunity in the county.

At least four hundred parents attended the Teen Job and Volunteer Fair with their high school student.  Where else do parents and high school students have an opportunity to hang out together in a way that promotes mutual involvement in preparing steps for the future?  This is asset-building in its purest form:  the community inviting youth to share their resources and talents, parents supporting the value of meaningful activity which contributes to a sense of purpose and youth stepping out in empowering ways, showing their responsibility, caring and personal power.  We live in an age when family dinners rarely exist, communication is primarily over cell phone or on car rides to and from sports practices, and fast paced living is causing a breakdown in family and community ties.  We can truly celebrate those pauses in the daily routine when teens and their parents coordinate their schedules, show up together and explore community resources in order to expand involvement in daily life.

Thank you HC Drug Free for your vision of providing summer opportunities and meaningful activities for our Howard County youth.  The proof of your success is the doubling of attendance over last year with more than 860 youth attending this year.  Nineteen businesses, along side sixty-five non-profits, offered job opportunities as well as a range of volunteer opportunities to our young people.  The message was loud and clear that youth resources, their time, energy and skills are needed to have a thriving community.  Howard County is stepping out in a number of ways to make the commitment to youth and their gifts.

Laura Smit, the Executive Director of HC Drugfree, enthusiastically described the role of youth in making all of this happen.  She shared that they were part of the planning committee to generate ideas and promote the events.  They represented a range of youth organizations from Leadership U, NAACP and Howard County Connections.  The National Honor Society, under the direction of Lisa Silverman, prepared 1500 folders for the events.  Julia Ramirez and Nicole Nussbaum of Long Reach High School oversaw the very popular fashion show, Dress for Success, where the do’s and don’ts of dressing for an interview were demonstrated.

 Lauren Barr, senior at Mt. Hebron High School, opened the Teen Fair and gave a warm welcome to everyone attending this exciting community event.  When asked about her experience, Lauren shared, “Seeing the evolution of the Teen Fair from one year to this year is really incredible.  We were so proud of it last year and to see it grow to many hundreds of people demonstrates how needed such an event is to the community and how all our planning and hard work really benefited everyone!”

In addition to being the backbone of support for the fair, teens attended workshops on resume writing, interviewing skills and business etiquette.  A program for parents was offered by a well- know psychotherapist, Dr. Brad Sachs, on his new book,” When No One Understands: Letters to a Teenager on Life, Loss and the Hard Road to Adulthood.”

Laura Smit has a big vision for where she sees taking the Teen Fair next year.  In order to really celebrate youth and let them know they are valued, she envisions a teen expo where a wide range of resources, from job opportunities to vendors to health screenings, are available.  In addition, teens are asking for more internships and efforts will be made to engage businesses and companies to expand their offerings in this way.  An Office on Teens to oversee ongoing opportunities for teen involvement in Howard County is also in Laura’s overarching vision.  As Laura is someone who puts her passion into action, it will be exciting to watch and see how her vision manifests over time!

When I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in my community.  I had no idea what kind of impact I could have as a mere fifteen-year old, but I was determined to leave my mark.  In November 2005, I was fortunate enough to represent Howard County Connections at Search Institute’s Ninth Annual Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth Conference in Dallas, Texas.  I met people from all over the world and regaled in the stories of people who made a difference in their communities. I was inspired.

After returning home, I began to envision my project, my chance to make a difference.  It involved high school students having an active voice in the community.  I wanted to take a small step, to push in the direction of youth leadership and voice.  I have always believed that youth are not just the voice of tomorrow, but also the voice of today.  Our needs, wants, visions, and ambitions should be offered by us; we should represent ourselves. 

The Howard County Photography Project: A Portrait of a Community was a chance for high school students to express themselves through photographs.  After partnering with the school system, this pilot project was incorporated into the photography classes’ curriculum.  Instructed to photograph Howard County through their eyes, students had a unique opportunity to have their voices heard.  Displays of over 120 photos taken by students from all twelve county high schools left their mark.  

This final vision was possible because of the hard work and dedication of many people.  After countless meetings, hours on the phone, and planning, the project finally came together.  With the help of my dedicated planning team and my Co-Chair Meg Mekelburg, the photographs were displayed proudly at the Board of Education, the Columbia Arts Center in Long Reach, and the Howard County Public Libraries.   Professional and student photographers from across the county teamed up to judge the photographs.  Although judging was not the most important part of the project, it allowed students to be recognized for having a particularly strong impact and whose voices were clearly heard. 

When the Baltimore Sun featured the photography project on the cover of the Howard County section of the newspaper on Sunday, February 27, 2007 I not only had my “five minutes of fame,” but also felt that “warm feeling inside” when you know you made a difference.  With the help of this publication, my vision now reached thousands of county residents.  To put it simply, I was proud.  I was proud of my hard work, accomplishment, and my ability to finally leave my mark, even if it was just a blip in Howard County’s history.

Lisa has been an active leader in Connections for several years.  In addition to co-chairing the Photo Project, she is a youth trainer.  Lisa attends Centennial High School where she is the co-editor-in –chief of Centennial’s paper.  She also writes for the View.  She is a member of the school’s national honor society and foreign language national honor society.  She provides community service, volunteers at Howard County Hospital and is a member of Student Services Advisory Committee.

Thank you, Lisa, for your many contributions to life in Howard County!