By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Youth Crew, with its mission of drug and alcohol prevention and helping young people create healthy habits, continues to grow in Barton County. Prevention Advocate Tyler Morton said there were 43 active members heading into the New Year. Interested parties can attend meetings in Hoisington and Ellinwood this month.
"For us, with the work we're doing and for the opportunities these kids are getting, we really want the quality there as well. We want kids who buy in. We want kids that have the messaging behind them. We want who are willing to take those extra steps."
Youth Crew is for students in grades 6-12. A goal of the organization in 2024 was more youth-led projects. That resulted in a float in the Hoisington Labor Day Parade. In October, the youth ran a booth at the Family Crisis Center's Heal and Hold Fall Festival with little adult intervention. A goal in 2025 is returning to the basics of remembering why the kids are in Youth Crew.
"Why is this hard to talk to our friends about?" asked Morton. "Why is this hard to stand up and say I'm okay being substance-free, or I'm okay participating in a prevention group? Why is that not more the norm than it seems to be?"
Six Youth Crew members attended the national Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) conference in Dallas in 2023, and eight members attended the conference in Chicago last summer. This year's conference will be held in Nashville in July.
Youth Crew will be holding a meeting at the Hoisington Activity Center on Sunday, Jan. 12 from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and another meeting at the Wolf Hotel in Ellinwood on Sunday, Jan. 19 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Anyone with questions about joining Youth Crew can contact Morton at (620) 786-4033, or by emailing [email protected]. Watch for important events on the Youth Crew Facebook page.