Use Your Voice: A Town Hall Meeting
by: Lilie Chang/shine365.com
SHiNE and TEEN PEOPLE magazine's "Use Your Voice: A Town
Hall Meeting" just keeps getting better! Like that old saying goes, things
are better the second time around, and our Friday, July 28th meeting in The King
of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, definitely proved that to be true. SHiNE sends
a special thank you to the Junior Statesmen for bringing a busload of local
youths to the forum. A total of 450 teens participated in the event!
It didn't take long for the crowd to get warmed up. Good Charlotte, a local band
signed to Epic records (and huge supporters of SHiNE!) jumpstarted the event
with an acoustic performance of their hot single "Little Things." Soon
after, the floor was opened to teens that jumped at the opportunity to voice
their opinions about anything and everything.
And Good Charlotte, being the good sports that they are, mingled with the crowd
and moderated the forum. Comments about anti-violence, gun control, drug
prevention and the failing education system drew loud applause. It was
definitely an event where young people ruled!
Following the open discussion, teens separated into various groups for the
breakout session. They choose smaller, issue-specific groups such as education,
sex, health, reproductive rights and community involvement. These groups
developed points for why their issue is the most important teen concern, and
brainstormed about solutions. However, teens really got their chance to shine
when they presented their solutions to the entire town hall assembly. Some let
loose about the police brutality that recently occurred in Philadelphia, while
others sounded off on incompetent politicians and teachers. Needless to say, the
scene was pretty intense!
In the end, no voice was left unheard. Good Charlotte closed the meeting with
more music that rocked! While some teens lined up for autographed photos of the
band, others were leaving their painted handprints on an enormous anti-violence
pledge wall (that will stay in the SHiNE office at the mall).