Bullying. Gang violence. Domestic violence. Drug abuse. Depression. Teen suicide. The issues grab the national spotlight after a tragedy, but the problems facing today’s youth remain, long after the media glare has dimmed.
Asst. Principal Freda Dismukes sees it every day in her hallways at Columbus Middle School, and it seems to be getting worse. She’s hoping this weekend’s free “Stand Up, Speak Out” rally will make a difference, equipping area youth, ages 12 to 17, with the tools they need to thrive.
The event, sponsored by the Lowndes County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Mississippi University for Women’s Cochran Ballroom. Last year, around 60 teenagers attended, but Dismukes, who serves as the sorority’s chaplain, said organizers expect around 300 this year.
Licensed professionals will be on-hand to answer questions and give advice. The majority of the seminar will be co-ed, but boys and girls will split into separate groups during a special segment focusing on date rape and domestic abuse.
A growing problem is bullying, which Dismukes said is becoming even more prevalent, with taunts beginning on Facebook and spilling over into the classroom. Everything, from gender to sexuality, is fair game to the bully.
And it’s not just boys doing the teasing, she said. Lately, girls are the instigators and Facebook often is their weapon of choice.
“We call it ‘mean girls,'” Dismukes said, Tuesday, referring to a 2004 movie by the same name. “It’s still bullying. It’s a trend. They’re just blatantly mean to one another. In the last three years, it’s become unbelievable.”
Some teenagers become depressed, whereas others turn to gangs for protection and acceptance, a story often unraveled in the principal’s office.
This is real and it’s happening here in Columbus, said Henry Williams, the keynote speaker for “Stand Up, Speak Out.”
Williams, 39, doesn’t hesitate when speaking of his past. He believes if he hadn’t become a Christian, in 2000 while in prison, he would be dead now — or in prison a fourth time. Instead, when he was released in November 2006, he vowed to turn his life around.
It is this story — his trajectory from drug dealer, drug addict and gang leader to college graduate and Kingdom Vision International outreach director — he plans to tell the teenagers. He believes sharing his experiences will help them avoid some of the paths he walked and teach them to keep moving forward, even in adversity.
“I’ve been a tough guy, bullying people,” he said Tuesday. “I’ve been through those things they’re going through. I’m going to be real with them. I can’t sugarcoat it. I’m looking for God to change their lives.”
Freda Dismuke’s husband, Rev. Leonardo Dismukes Sr., believes Williams has the power to reach youth, with his message. In his job as Columbus Municipal Drug Court coordinator, and in his role as pastor of Agape Love International Church, he sees the effects of issues like these firsthand.
“It is so desperately needed,” he said. “All we have to do is turn on the television or read the paper. … We can do all we can for kids, but by the time they reach high school, their minds are pretty made up as to what they’re going to do.”
Organizers of Saturday’s event say they hope to leave teens feeling like they have a voice and they have a choice.
“We want them to walk away knowing that we’re here, we love them, and they have support,” Freda Dismukes said. “We can’t sugarcoat this. We’ve got to help these kids.”
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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