Students, parents and community leaders are meeting at Ridgeline High School this week to discuss a campaign intended to help students lacking basic necessities.
According to a news release from The Policy Project, parents from Cache Valley have been working with the group to aid at-risk Utah high schoolers who lack basic necessities in an effort called “The Teen Center Project.”
The event will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school. The group intends to raise awareness and ask the Utah Legislature to provide funding for improved services—such as food pantries, laundry facilities and showers—at Utah schools, according to the release. Members of the community are welcomed and invited to attend.
According to local organizer Leah Spencer, Teen Centers, which can be created by repurposing existing or underutilized space within high schools, are the solution to helping these students.
“I work with students in need every day in high schools,” Spencer said in the release. “I see the need. I see that those needs are surmountable and that with the right resources, we could help these students have better life outcomes.”
There are students facing homelessness in Logan, Cache and Box Elder school districts, according to the release. According to one parent and community organizer, Christine Jackman, while Cache County is known for its friendliness and the willingness of its community members to care for their neighbors, the needs of the most at-risk students are silent.
“It’s time we start seeing those needs and doing something,” Jackman said in the release.
Teen Centers would dedicate areas of schools for these students. According to the release, Utah high schools could receive funds to build or improve services through a public-private partnership between the Utah Legislature and private donors, including the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation and the Huntsman Foundation.
According to the release, as Governor Spencer Cox recently set aside $20 million in his budget for The Teen Center Project, funding for the project is now dependent on the Utah Legislature.
“The Policy Project is asking the Utah Legislature to appropriate funds and create a bill to support Utah high schools as they work to implement Teen Centers in the way that best fits the needs of their individual communities,” reads the release.
Speakers at Wednesday’s event will include community organizers, parents, The Policy Project team and individuals who have experienced homelessness or poverty.
“Schools have long been on the frontlines of ensuring the basic needs of every student are met,” said Emily Bell McCormick, president of the project. “We must ensure schools are equipped to meet the growing number of students in need. Teen Centers will help our most vulnerable students graduate and prepare them to succeed as adults.”
The Policy Project is a nonprofit organization focused on “policy specific to women, families and minorities in an effort to move toward an equitable society,” according to the group’s website.
For more information, visit thepolicyproject.org.
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