WCPO 9's Marlena Lang covers the west side. If you have a story that you'd like Marlena to look into or a news tip, email her at marlena@wcpo.com
For many kids, summer break is a time to relax and hang out with friends. However, for a handful of west side teens, they’re choosing to use their summer to improve their communities.
“I realized that I love my neighborhood, but it needed a lot of work,” said 12-year-old Basil Samples.
It’s all a part of Price Hill’s Summer Safety Community Action Team (CAT) Youth Program, which first began 15 years ago.
“They decided that they wanted to not only promote a safe and clean environment and community, but they wanted to mentor youth,” said Susan Bilz, the chairperson of the program.
WATCH: How the summer program helps kids improve their neighborhoods and stay off the streets
The group meets on Saturdays throughout the summer in different neighborhoods on the west side, cutting grass, cleaning out overgrown areas and picking up trash — improving the community and themselves.
“It teaches you how to be disciplined and make sure you’re doing the right things, listening; you need effective communication. As you can see, there’s a lot of noise, but we still have to be able to listen and communicate, so it teaches that,” said 17-year-old Kendal Woods.
But these aren’t the only critical life skills being taught.
The program also focuses heavily on gun violence prevention and mentorship.
“I partner with the sheriff’s Gun Violence Prevention group. I know firsthand how important boots on the ground working with youth is,” Bilz said. “A lot of these kids know firsthand. They’ve lost friends, they’ve lost family members. So they know how important it is to be involved in a positive way and to have something to do.”
And that rings true for Woods, who’s been in the program for more than 3 years now. He says the program has taught him invaluable lessons, some that he’s even passed on to younger participants.
“There’s different ways you can go about this. Just because life is tough or you got people in your ear, it doesn’t mean you have to go this route. There’s always an upside to life,” Woods said.
Have a story idea or tip for WCPO 9 west side reporter Marlena Lang? Email her at marlena@wcpo.com.
