Summit gives voice to teen problems

WILMINGTON — Eighteen-year-old Desmond Goss is like many students who came out to Saturday’s Teen Summit. Desmond says he is concerned about his community. “People may think that there are not enough people trying to make an effort, there are people trying to change the way the world is right now, and you have to start with your community and this is the best way
I can help,” he said.

Teenagers gathered inside New Hanover High School’s Brogden Hall to vent about the pressures they face at school. Many say they are ready to see a change in their peers. Recently five teenagers were arrested in the March 5 murder of Robert Marshall Jr. One of the teens was Antione Alston, a former Hoggard High School football player.

Alston makes the third Hoggard football player to be arrested this year. During Saturday’s meeting teens made their voices heard about the problems troubling them. Teen pregnancy, gangs, and the rising high school dropout rate were just a few issues put on the table. Community leaders offered solutions on controlling the problem.

Desmond believes students just like him are better because of Teen Summit. “When I come here I see that they’re a whole bunch of people that understand what I feel we’re going through, you can bond with them and try to make a better place. Maybe one day when I grow up I might want to do the same thing for the community that I’m in.

There’s no doubt that Teen Summit is an influence on the next generation.