THOMASVILLE — The Unity Keystone Club is in the planning stages of hosting their largest annual community service project, and they are reaching out to people in their community to help make this teen summit a success.

The organization serves as a component of the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Georgia, which will be the host to its 12th annual Teen Summit to discuss relations between the Thomasville teen community and law enforcement officers.

The goal is to have an open dialogue, frank discussions and honest pleas for understanding from both sides.

Teenager club members of the Boys & Girls Club and The Club Teen Center also serve as the voice of the Unity Keystone Club and the Thomasville Youth Leadership Council sponsored by the Thomasville Rotary Club and Morehouse School of Medicine. This council provides feedback and insights related to our club’s service to teens, teen health projects, programs we are offering, issues facing teens, teen trends and much more.

The Keystone Club and YLC will be seeking feedback via community teen surveys, interviews and focus groups.

The feedback provided by the teens is instrumental in making sure the club’s programs and services are aligned with the needs of its members, and that the club is doing all it can to make the Boys & Girls Club a positive place for teens.

Club members will be collaborating with the Thomasville Police Department and members of the community and other communities that are facing the same disturbing issues.

The summit will seek ways to bridge gaps and improve relationships between teens and law enforcement following several high-profile incidents around their community.

“This is the beginning of many opportunities when our teens will come together as a community,” said Saundra Austin, director of The Club Teen Center. “This is not just a black issue; this is a community issue that is affecting our teenage population in a way that is likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect.”

The upcoming teen summit is expected to serve approximately 250 teenagers of all races ages 12-18.

The teen summit will be held at the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Cub of Southwest Georgia at 219 Fletcher St. in Thomasville on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.

The summit will include law enforcement, teens, city officials and community volunteers from Thomasville and surrounding counties.

In a recent meeting with BGC staff members, Thomasville police chief Troy Rich talked about the “disconnect” that has developed between law enforcement and some members of the community, particularly young people, calling it a “crisis of law enforcement.”

Capt. Maurice Holmes has said that he has has discussion over the past several months and knows that the public, especially young people, has lost some trust in law enforcement.

“Without public trust, we can’t do our job,” he said. “It only takes a few incidents to create a huge issue.”

Sgt. Jabar Dunbar also said they hope to explain some police procedures and teach teens what to do when contacted by a police officer, explaining that the most important thing from an officer’s perspective is a subject’s hands and what he or she is doing with them.

YLC President Sabrina Swicord said that she hopes meetings like the teen summit will give her peers a new perspective, including an “a-ha moment” that will allow teens to see that there are better ways to resolve small issues other than fighting with police officers or using a gun.

All parents want the best for their children’s future, but the main hope from club member parents with whom Austin has spoken is to simply see their kids survive.

The purpose of the teen summit is to break up the room into groups for more detailed discussions about steps to increase cooperation and build trust between young adults and law enforcement.

A law enforcement officer or community volunteer will facilitate the discussions with registered participants with hopes of them being able to provide their thoughts, feelings, share their stories and their honest perceptions about law enforcement.

For more information about the upcoming teen summit or how to volunteer to be a part of the planning committee, please contact Austin at (229) 228-5155, extension 103 or at saustin@mnw-bgc.org.