Teens Take On Spokane’S Problems In ‘To Make A Difference’ Competition

Mon., June 1, 1998

Harrison Grafos University

The challenge: Find a creative and innovative solution to a pressing problem.

Several teams of high school and middle school students convened recently to do just this - tackle head-on some of the obstacles facing Spokane and our community in the “To Make a Difference” problem solving competition, sponsored by the Citizens League of Greater Spokane.

Instead of officials devising answers, the tables were turned as young people offered ideas and solutions to specific problems, and presented them to a panel of community leaders.

Organized in teams, they attacked such wide-ranging issues as drunken driving, racism, downtown revitalization, vandalism and the pothole quandary. They stood with poise, armed with multimedia presentations before the panel.

An impressed Mayor John Talbott said the participants “intensely care about (problems) in our community” and that he sees future leaders in some of them.

A Rogers High School team, made up of Shawna Dite, Heather Kaesemeyer, Christina Kujawa and Tiffany McKeown, took on the literacy problem, with their “Welcome to Our World” program involving Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute. They even gained a sponsor for their program from a local television station.

The Crosswalk team earned first place for its project to make school more relevant for students, citing the dropout rate for teens. Formulated by Kiley Anderson, Jamie Bollinger, Victor Houle, Diana Tann and Jason Wilbourne, the solution involves getting teachers more involved with students so both instructor and pupil “see each other as people, not the enemy.”

“Teenage Pregnancy,” presented by Adam Benham, Mike Kohler and Andy LeFriec of Cataldo Catholic School, proposed education for teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. They would also have teens teach other teens about alternative lifestyle choices, such as sports participation.

Dr. Charles Morrison, of the Citizens League, said that a community that opens up itself to the ideas of its young people, is one that will be assured of success in the future.

The hope is to pass on the ideas developed in the competition to community leaders who will work to implement some of them, thus “making a difference” in the community.

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