By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
One of the final decisions the Barton County Commission made in its stay at the former JC Penny building in Great Bend was a fun one. Six Barton County Youth Crew members attended the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) Youth Conference near Dallas last year. Tuesday morning, Juvenile Services Prevention Advocate Tyler Morton sought approval to take eight members to this year's conference in Chicago on July 15-18.
"Ironically enough, our kids actually had a table with kids from Chicago last year during their sessions," he said. "They came back and said, 'Wow, we thought our problems were pretty big. These kids were talking about gun violence and maybe not making it out of school. Here we are talking about issues with marijuana.' Prevention is wide-scale. It doesn't just have to be drugs, alcohol, or vaping."
Leftover money from the Drug-Free Communities Grant allowed for more members of Youth Crew to travel this year. For many, it will be their first big trip beyond state lines. Eight of the 10 Youth Crew members who applied for the trip were selected based on a series of qualifiers.
"We talk about their attendance throughout the year," Morton said. "We talk about their leadership qualities, how many events they participated in, how many volunteer hours they put into the community outside of us."
Approximately 2,500 people attended last year's conference in Grapevine, Texas, including 500 youth. Ryan Leaf, the No. 2 NFL Draft pick behind Peyton Manning, was the keynote speaker last year. Leaf's football career was cut short, in part, due to his own struggles with addiction.
Juvenile Services Director Marissa Woodmansee said the national conferences give area youth the opportunity to hear from experts and professionals from around the world and bring that information back to their own communities. It also allows them to network. Barton County Youth Crew will host the statewide Youth Leaders in Kansas (YLINK) conference at Hoisington High School on June 12. A vape exhibit will be part of an open house at the school on June 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.