Education Summit Focuses On Security
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Taking a somewhat different approach this year, the sixth annual Education Summit Tuesday tackled issues affecting school and community safety.
According to chairman John Ganyard, the goal is to put programs in place to help kids in trouble before problems start.
"This problem's ours and it's a problem in every community. ... Nothing's going to happen unless we get involved with the problems affecting our youth," Ganyard said. "We will succeed. We will protect our youth."
The Education Summits began in 1994 to bring together representatives from business, education and the community to develop programs that will help students become successful citizens.
Past summits focused on life and career skills and education-to-career programs. The Gold Card, which is earned by students who maintain a C+ average and a 95 percent attendance rate, was a direct result of an Education Summit.
Approximately 200 participants Tuesday at 2517 Restaurant were divided into groups to discuss five topics for an hour, and were then asked to come up with suggestions that could later be made into an action plan.
For example, one question asked, "How do adults and kids handle conflict, anger, disappointment, etc., and what can we do about it?"
Suggestions by participants included training in conflict management, peer mediation, input from the juvenile justice system, teaching of values and morality, emphasis on communication skills and forums for parents to learn how to hand conflict and anger.
Another question asked how we can revive a sense of community so we work together for the greater good.
Ideas for this topic included promoting community assets; bringing student councils together periodically; making it easier for people to volunteer in schools; encouraging inter-agency cooperation between schools, churches, and social agencies; and having businesses identify one person as a contact or liaison with the local school system.
The Education Committee of the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce will take the ideas of all participants and come up with some concrete program suggestions later this year. [[In-content Ad]]
Taking a somewhat different approach this year, the sixth annual Education Summit Tuesday tackled issues affecting school and community safety.
According to chairman John Ganyard, the goal is to put programs in place to help kids in trouble before problems start.
"This problem's ours and it's a problem in every community. ... Nothing's going to happen unless we get involved with the problems affecting our youth," Ganyard said. "We will succeed. We will protect our youth."
The Education Summits began in 1994 to bring together representatives from business, education and the community to develop programs that will help students become successful citizens.
Past summits focused on life and career skills and education-to-career programs. The Gold Card, which is earned by students who maintain a C+ average and a 95 percent attendance rate, was a direct result of an Education Summit.
Approximately 200 participants Tuesday at 2517 Restaurant were divided into groups to discuss five topics for an hour, and were then asked to come up with suggestions that could later be made into an action plan.
For example, one question asked, "How do adults and kids handle conflict, anger, disappointment, etc., and what can we do about it?"
Suggestions by participants included training in conflict management, peer mediation, input from the juvenile justice system, teaching of values and morality, emphasis on communication skills and forums for parents to learn how to hand conflict and anger.
Another question asked how we can revive a sense of community so we work together for the greater good.
Ideas for this topic included promoting community assets; bringing student councils together periodically; making it easier for people to volunteer in schools; encouraging inter-agency cooperation between schools, churches, and social agencies; and having businesses identify one person as a contact or liaison with the local school system.
The Education Committee of the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce will take the ideas of all participants and come up with some concrete program suggestions later this year. [[In-content Ad]]