This Tuesday’s conversation at Iola High School organized by Thrive Allen County’s high school interns brought around 300 students together to imagine what could be different and how things could improve in their hometown.
It’s rare anyone asks teenagers for unfiltered opinions, so I was curious to hear what they had to say. I also wondered how I would have reacted as a high-schooler. What did I want to change about Iola back then? Is the list still the same?
Some things surprised me — their wishes for more history classes and dreams of a roller skating rink. Others, like more diverse restaurants, an indoor swimming pool, and more small businesses, made me nod in agreement.
But in speaking with Logan Stenseng, Thrive’s policy and strategic initiatives coordinator, after the event, I found myself agreeing most with Stenseng’s assertion that activities like these are important in and of themselves.
WE ATTEMPT to teach kids a lot in school. We teach them mathematics, reading, composition, history. Lately, there’s more and more focus on teaching technical skills like welding, wind turbine technology, and computer science. But how often do we teach them about how to be involved, and advocate for change, in their communities?
Stenseng told me he’s not sold on the idea that every kid from Allen County needs to “come back.” I agree. Last fall, I attended my 20th high school class reunion. Most of my classmates have left Iola, and many have found exciting careers and lives by doing so. Who am I to tell them otherwise?
Instead, as Stenseng believes, we need to focus on teaching kids how to engage in their community. No matter where they end up, it’s a valuable skill. Nationwide, communities need citizens willing to serve on library boards and city council, to coach little league and volunteer at soup kitchens. To vote, and to run for office. We need people to care.
This isn’t an Iola problem, or an Allen County one. It’s a national issue. More and more, people are disengaged from their communities and look at someone else to solve their problems. Instead of asking kids what they’d like to change, what if we did more to teach kids how to be the change-makers?
Iola High School graduates will go on to live in a lot of places. None of them will be perfect. Johnson County is great; it has problems. Texas is cool; it’s not perfect. Hawaii is warm and sunny, but it has issues. The list goes on and on.
THE SAME is true here. Thus my concern that we sell ourselves short when we stress how so few kids here see themselves coming back. As a high-schooler, I never imagined coming home. And maybe that’s not the point. The point is teaching kids how to better their community, wherever they land.
When we talk about practical education, civic engagement should be at the top of the list. And as Thrive’s interns showed us this week, that process often starts by listening.
