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Welcome to the Cleveland Youth Council Web Site

Six young people from Cleveland High School and East Side High School banned together in the fall of 2003 and began what is known as the Cleveland Youth Council. With the help of adult advisors these young people submitted a proposal to the National Service-Learning Partnership at the Academy for Educational Development and were awarded $250,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Youth Innovation Fund Grants.

Since the fall of 2003 the Cleveland Youth Council has grown from the 6 founding board members to 21 members from the ages of 14 to 19 from both area high schools. They have traveled to numerous places around the country (Orlando, FL, Washington DC, Nashville TN, Battle Creek MI, Birmingham AL, Atlanta GA, Ypsilanti MI, Jackson MS) to participate in trainings and workshops dealing with youth media, youth leadership, youth philanthropy and several other topics related to social change.

Philosophy

Projects

Upcoming Events

Photos

Contact Info

Members & Partners

The text for this site was written by Tomeka Harbin of the Center for Community and Economic Development. The site was made ready for the web by John Heggen of the Delta Center.

From the beginning, the Cleveland Youth Council has been based on the premise of youth voice. It is embedded in its mission, “to establish a diverse representation of our peers, while creating a youth voice, and to encourage student led civic action,” and stands on its own as the group’s original vision statement. The Cleveland Youth Council’s ultimate purpose lies in solving problems in the community, by taking direct action and building long term capacity. As we believe in the potential of youth to provoke social change, we want to take part in the decision making process as a legitimate stakeholder.

Therefore, we promote the active involvement of youth, while attempting to create social change; young people have identified troublesome issues, studied their causes, and independently found proper solutions. However, we acknowledge that youth-oriented service-learning projects affect and benefit every member of the community, not only young people. Hence, the collaboration between adult community leaders and creative, energetic youth will be greatly emphasized in every civic activity.

Developing a Superintendents Board, Principal Advisory Boards, Study/Jam Session, Youth Rally Day, establishing youth representation on Community wide committees, participate in numerous volunteer activities. Current and urgent project for the Cleveland Youth Council is trying to develop a Youth Center!

Youth-led projects funded by sub-grants award by the Cleveland Youth Council

Project Lighthouse Coloring Book - Students in the Project Lighthouse Program, grades 6-8, studied the history and culture of the Mississippi Delta throughout the school year. They thought about all they had learned and created a coloring book about Delta Heritage. The coloring book is a way for young people to become educated about their community in a creative and engaging way. The group has distributed the coloring books to places such as pre-schools, elementary schools, and doctors’ offices.

Adolescent Offenders’ Program Teen Café - Youth in the Adolescent Offenders’ Program, ages 12-19, participate in this court mandated program for various juvenile offenses. Based on their personal experiences, they felt that youth in Cleveland are in need of constructive things to do in the evenings rather than turning to the streets. They piloted a Teen Café, held at one of the community restaurants. The Teen Café offered refreshments as well as programs: a rap session with the superintendent, karaoke, and poetry slams. Some of the youth in the program served as waiters and waitresses, earning small stipends as well as practical job experience.

Get on Board: Seeking Support for a Skate Park in Cleveland - Young people who enjoy skateboarding in Cleveland have no safe and legal place to do so. They have been arrested, yelled at and run off when they try to skateboard. The young people feel that skateboarding is a healthy and constructive way to spend their time as an alternative to negative behaviors, but they would like to have a designated and approved space where they can skate. They are actively researching what it would take to bring a skate park to Cleveland. This research includes interviews, traveling to other skate parks, and surveys to determine how many people would use a skate park. Once they have completed their research, the group will present a report and their recommendations to the Chamber of Commerce for review.

September 29 - East Side High School Homecoming Parade
October 13 - Cleveland High School Homecoming Parade
October 14 - CYC will be at Oktoberfest

Current Youth Members: Trevell Smith, Courtney Ulrich, Devontavies Brown, Joshua Trotter, Bethany Jenkins, Shaikenya Alexander, Matthew McCain, Andra Webb, Ruvini Omattage, Pamela Jackson, Kelsey Hardman, Jeffrey Cooper, Emily Lindner, Travis Freeman, Tiffany Daniels, Dayne Rickels, A’shelly Jackson, Mandy Webb, Rachel Herbert, Courtney Washington, Quintarius Webb

Adult Board Members: Eleanor Green, Rolander Harbin, Joyce Herbert, Barbara Washington, Ernell Webb, Equonda Jackson, Lisa Cooper, Gwen Butler

Consortium Partners: Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Delta State University, Cleveland School District, Cleveland/Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce, Bolivar County Community Action Agency

Andra Webb, Pamela Jackson, Edgar Meyer, and Tomeka Harbin at a youth evaluation workshop at Delta State University

Edgar and Delta State University students participating in Martin Luther King, Jr. day services

Mandy, Kierra, Andra, Trevell, and Josh at the 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade

Edgar receiving a certificate for participating in the DSU Youth Evaluation workshop (2006)

For more information, please contact Tomeka Harbin, Coordinator, at 662-846-4495, tharbin@deltastate.edu, or P.O. Box 3134, Cleveland, MS 38733