Super Kids of the Metro
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Teens serving teens Volunteerism leads to future dreams
ROBERSON (THIRD FROM LEFT) AND FELLOW TEEN SERVICE BOARD MEMBERS SHOP TO FULFILL HOLIDAY WISH LISTS FOR PIVOT YOUTH. INSET: SWANSON (CENTER) AND FELLOW TEEN SERVICE BOARD MEMBERS SERVE AT JESUS HOUSE.
BY KRISTY BLOSCH . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
Serving at-risk youth Pivot: A Turning Point for Youth was established in 1972 to help kids facing challenges such as these by offering programs and services for homeless or displaced youth including emergency shelter and independent living services, education support and job assistance, life skills training, mentoring and prevention and interventional programs. Pivot created its Teen Service Board to empower metro teens to help other teenagers in need and to give board members insight to expand their social perspectives, empathy and compassion. Lilly Roberson and Cydne Swanson currently serve on Pivot’s Teen Service Board, and Norman Markland, independent team leader and Teen Service Board chair for Pivot, says both have been outstanding leaders and outspoken advocates in serving our city’s youth.
Imagine you’re a 15-year-old living on your own in Oklahoma City. You don’t know where you’re going to sleep tonight because your parents kicked you out. Maybe you’re able to find a friend whose family will let you sleep on their couch and lend you some clean clothes to wear, but you still don’t have any money for food or transportation. Night after night rest eludes you because you’re worrying about what’s next. You stumble sleepily through school each day, and your grades start to suffer for it. You don’t know how you’ll meet your basic needs, and you’re anxious about your future.
“Leadership and community engagement are integral parts of the Oklahoma City community, and these two students have engaged in a meaningful way that helps improve the lives and futures of other youth in our city,” said Markland. Board members hail from varied backgrounds and schools within the metro, but they come together to serve a common purpose. Some of the board members have been exposed to some of the same issues as the youth Pivot serves, including trauma, racism, poverty, marginalization and mental health challenges. But others haven’t and use the experience to more deeply understand what other young people are facing in their everyday lives. “We want to help educate students about how to advocate for those in need, and both Cydne and Lilly have shown a passion for making our community better in this way,” said Markland.
44 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / NOVEMBER 2020
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