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Letter to the editor

A powerful place in a wild neighborhood

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published November 2, 2007

Much-publicized images of misbehaving young people that were recorded in a video of nightlife in Clearwater's North Greenwood neighborhood were shocking to those who don't live there, but tragically, are not uncommon in many urban neighborhoods scarred by violence, drugs and poverty.

However, a story in the St. Petersburg Times last week told another, more hopeful story.

An organization called Powerful Young Adults Inc. was organized in the North Greenwood neighborhood a couple of years ago to help provide an anchor and a lifeline for young girls growing up there. It was founded by Katrina George, a mother of four daughters who hoped to provide low-cost tutoring and a supportive environment for her daughters and other girls.

The group meets on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 in the North Greenwood branch library. The first hour is devoted to group discussion, sometimes with a guest speaker. The second hour is for tutoring and more conversation about issues and problems the girls encounter in their lives or in the neighborhood.

"In this environment, you either learn how to survive it or you get caught up in the negative. Our goal is for them to have tools to survive it," Ms. George said.

One of the most distressing parts of the loathsome video, Da Hood Gone Wild, is the behavior of girls and young women, who are seen fighting each other, roaming the streets and displaying themselves in outfits that leave little to the imagination. A group like Powerful Young Adults is sorely needed to teach girls who see that action in the streets that there is another, better way to live.

It is unfortunate that such a group is necessary in North Greenwood and other communities like it. In a perfect world, families would fill the need, teaching young people of both genders how to live successful, productive lives and providing a backstop against the negative influences so prevalent in such neighborhoods. The reality is that even more help is needed than groups like Powerful Young Adults can provide. Organizations throughout the area could step up and play an important role there and in neighborhoods like Ridgecrest and Dansville near Largo and Tarpon Springs' Union Academy area.

Powerful Young Adults is small, but its message is mighty. The group hopefully will grow and even expand to other low-income neighborhoods of Pinellas County where young women - young men, too - can only benefit from being given help with their education, a boost to their self-esteem, lessons in how to say no - and a way out of the life they see on the streets.

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 23:17:21]