The City of Columbia hosted a north neighborhood meeting Thursday to talk about youth employment and recreation programs.
The north neighborhood meetings are part of the city’s 2016-2019 strategic plan to make Columbia a better place to live.
Carolyn Sullivan of New Chapter Coaching, a local consulting service, led the meeting. Sullivan asked residents to think about one thing they could do to provide summer resources for their kids to keep them out of trouble.
Sullivan said it’s important for residents to have a place to share ideas that can benefit their kids.
“My job is simply to create an environment where they feel comfortable to share their ideas and magic happens,” Sullivan said.
The meeting included four guest speakers who discussed a wide range of topics, from planting community gardens to helping teenagers find jobs and other resources like shelter and transportation.
Laura Crossland, a north neighborhood resident, said it’s important to her that kids in the neighborhood have a designated place to play.
“I’d like to see us get a place where kids would have an area to come to, to play constantly, not just everywhere in the neighborhood on everybody’s yard,” Crossland said.
Sullivan said the benefits for kids in the north neighborhood can be endless.
“We have in [Derby Ridge Elementary School Principal] Kristi Sinn someone who’s open to exploring programing that might happen here, you know that she might host, and I think anything can happen in this neighborhood for the benefit of the children here,” Sullivan said.
The next north neighborhood event is April 27. The Columbia Police Department Outreach Unit will host a town hall style meeting to answer residents’ questions and address concerns in their community.