Harbor students seasoned at youth summit

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- A pair of juniors from Newport Harbor High School learned

this week that the voice of youth can and should be heard.

Kayley Harrington, 17, and Chelsea Lo, 16, were among45 teenagers

throughout the state selected to attend a four-day Youth Advocacy Summit

on Healthy Communities in Sacramento.

Harrington and Lo are the president and vice president, respectively, of

the American Cancer Society Club at Newport Harbor.

Jane Tackett, their American Cancer Society liaison for the past two

years, nominated them for the summit.

“They are everything good about youth leaders,” Tackett said. “It’s nice

to see teenagers doing good. So often you hear about teens wreaking

havoc, when for the most part they’re really all good kids.”

The summit, organized and sponsored by a group in Sacramentocalled

Capital Focus, sought students’ insights on major topics affecting

today’s youth.

“When we got there, they divided us into four groups -- juvenile justice,

social welfare, health care and education,” Harrington said. “When I

heard I was going to health care, I said ‘oh no.’ I thought I’d have

nothing to say. I didn’t know anything about health care.”

But Harrington quickly learned about the issues and found she had a lot

to say.

After initial group discussions on their given topics, students hit the

streets of the state capital.

“We interviewed different officials, lobbyists -- anyone with an

affiliation to our group’s topic,” Lo said.

After several days of gathering facts and debating the issues, each group

stood before the summit organizers.

Students voiced their opinions on what they felt were the three most

critical issues in each area.

Both Newport Harbor students said they were enlightened by the summit.

Lo learned how good students at Newport Harbor really have it, she said.

“Not everyone has the advantages we do,” she said. “And I saw that we do

have power -- youth power. This was a chance for youth to voice an

opinion and actually be listened to.”

Harrington and Lo said all 45 students agreed on one thing -- that they

wanted to continue to have these summits and eventually start a statewide

youth council.

As Harrington and Lo returned to the halls of Newport Harbor, they said

they are better prepared if a controversial issue arises.

“If there’s ever an issue coming up, we know how to get people together,”

Harrington said. “We can have a say in it.”