Valley Teen Helps Keep the Peace

Eager to offer her solutions to the problem of youth violence in America, Svetlana Borkin, a Valley Alternative Magnet School sophomore, is heading to Washington, D.C., next week to participate in the two-day “Voices Against Violence: a Congressional Teen Conference.”

The 15-year-old Van Nuys student, a Russian immigrant, will join 500 concerned students nationwide in sessions designed to help lawmakers draft a resolution on youth-violence prevention. The measure is scheduled to receive immediate consideration on the House floor.

Svetlana and Marilyn Coto, a Malibu High School senior, were chosen for the teen summit by the Youth Violence Advisory Committee, an independent group assembled by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks). Their selection was based on essays they wrote, in which they examined government’s role in violence prevention.

“I want to send a message to many schools to stop looking for blame,” Svetlana said. “We’re all responsible for this problem. We need to work together to solve the issue.”

Valley Alternative Principal Terry Morton believes that Svetlana is up to the job. “Lana has a good sense of what it takes to be a peacemaker. She can listen to others’ points of view and be tolerant of their opinions.”

Conference participants will be greeted Tuesday by Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), who is hosting the event. The teens will join youth-violence experts in an Internet town hall meeting and will learn about existing programs that address the problem.

“We’ve all been shaken to our bones with what happened in Littleton [Colo.] and Jonesboro [Ark.],” Sherman said. “We want to get advice from students, to hear their point of view about what we can do both in the area of creating harmony among ethnic groups and dealing with troubled kids at their schools.”

PROGRAM NOTES

Drawing on Experience: John F. Kennedy High School students interested in careers in environmental design are acquiring the skills and experience without having to leave their Granada Hills campus. Sixty-five freshmen are enrolled in Kennedy’s new Architecture and Urban Planning Magnet, which offers training in city planning, design and architecture. The students attend three special magnet classes a day, as well as their regular classes. Their first project involved measuring and drawing their homes. The hands-on program will also offer projects such as designing a skating rink, a San Francisco coffeehouse and a home addition.

KUDOS

Grant: Calabash Street Elementary School in Woodland Hills has been awarded $5,000 by the Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant Program sponsored by Operation Clean Sweep, the Los Angeles Board of Public Works and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski’s office. A portion of the funds will be used to purchase a school marquee with the remainder going toward playground equipment and materials for games and murals.

END NOTES

Colgate-Palmolive Co. invites local youth groups and scout troops to enter the corporation’s 27th annual Youth for America campaign, which will award up to $2,000 in cash grants for the most creative and well-executed community service projects. Entry forms are available by sending a self-addressed envelope to Colgate Youth for America Campaign, P.O. Box 1058, FDR Station, New York, NY 10150.

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