SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — As the school year wraps up, several safety issues are top-of-mind for Sacramento County community leaders.
These issues include preventing youth violence, mental health issues and substance misuse since summer can mean less structure and fewer resources for some young people.
At a special event on Thursday, teenagers shared their concerns about these issues with influential adults and discussed solutions.
It’s not often that elected officials and leaders in law enforcement sit and listen to what teenagers have to say, but that’s what happened at the annual Student Voices event, held by local youth non-profit Impact Sac at Liberty Towers Church in the Sacramento County neighborhood of Foothill Farms.
“We care about their mental health and their safety,” said Impact Sac’s managing director Paris Dye.
Before the event, she says, teens came up with three areas of concern to focus on: mental health and suicide prevention, substance misuse and youth violence prevention.
Teens gathered at tables with elected officials, members of law enforcement and leaders of community-based organizations. Those in attendance at the event included Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond, former Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho.
ABC10 heard conversations ranging from how students felt during a school lockdown to how a teen felt violated when a police officer searched her bag after a K-9 smelled what ended up being just food in the bag, and how stereotypes negatively affect them.
Ninth grader London Todd-Langley shared concerns at a table with Lasha Boyden, the acting U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of California.
“Vaping. That’s, like, probably my number one concern at my school,” Todd-Langley told ABC10. “Mental health as well, I think, impacted a lot of the students where I go.”
Boyden wants young people to feel empowered.
“I was a youth when I decided that I wanted to get into law enforcement because I wanted to make a difference, and I just want them to know that they have everything within them to make a difference as well,” she said.
Boyden is the first African American woman serving in this role in the state of California.
“It was nice to talk to her, too, and especially seeing an African American woman up there definitely helped,” Todd-Langley said. “I like seeing people who look like me and can represent me well.”
As the end of school nears, community-based organizations tell ABC10 they’re preparing to support youth over the summer.
"We know that summer gets hot. There's a lot of youth that don't have anything to do. They're out of school and the violence goes up,” said Jairon Jackson, CEO and co-founder of the local non-profit Architects of Hope. “We’re going to be connecting and partnering with Impact Sac to do some summer leadership programs. We’re super excited to get kids engaged… so that’s our main goal and just bringing kids into a safe space, having something to do and having mentors and role models around them, that are doing the positive things — even if it’s just a couple of days a week.”
Shuntae Campbell works as a coordinator at Grant High School, with the Roberts Family Development Center’s Pacers Moving Forward College Prep Initiative.
“Over the summer, we really try to hone in on them. We keep them busy because we know, at the end of the day, there’s so many other things that they can be doing. So why not really pour into them over the summer?” Campbell said.
All these leaders say part of protecting teens is empowering them.
“Young people, when they don’t feel heard, they can grow into feeling like there is no reason. Like, ‘Why do I vote?’ So the power of voting starts when young people learn that their voice has power,” Dye said. “Really, like, right now is giving them practice.”
Tenth grader Tyrone Reed also sat at the table with Acting U.S. Marshal Lasha Boyden
“Everybody has different opinions and different options of how they feel about their own community and their own schools,” he said.
When asked if he felt heard on Thursday, he said “Yes.”
In terms of substance misuse, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho told ABC10 some 500 people died of fentanyl poisoning in Sacramento County last year. Of them, the number one and fastest-growing group of those dying are young people between the ages of 14 and 21.
“We have an educational program, and Impact Sac and these sort of prevention and intervention and education programs really help us save the youth,” Ho said. “It’s also important to give them a voice.”
His office is now accepting applications for the Crime Lab Youth Shadow Day.
"Don't miss out on this opportunity to engage with criminalists who are experts in the field of forensic science and crime scene investigations. Students will get a hands-on learning experience in blood spatter analysis; bullet trajectory; trace evidence; firearms and tool comparison; and drug analysis. Space is limited and on a first come, first served basis," a news release about the free opportunity, which takes places Friday, July 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. More information is HERE.
And Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s “Thousand Strong” paid internship program for high schoolers is now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 session. It offers participants 300 hours of paid work experience over a year and an additional 40 hours of workplace basics training. More information is HERE.
Watch more on ABC10 | Implementing CARE Court in Sacramento County | What We Know
