Students sleep overnight on an outdoor basketball court.
Spearheaded by Plant City Vice-Mayor Jason Jones, the Plant City Youth Commission is a comprehensive program for high school students designed to empower and inspire them to become active leaders who will shape the future of Plant City. As a part of this program, the Youth Commissioners go on field trips locally, and as far away as Tallahassee, to learn how municipalities and governments work.
“Part of my plan for the Youth Commission is to teach the high school students about local government, but also to educate them about their community,” Jones said. “When they filled out their applications, the majority said one thing they wanted to learn more about in their community is homelessness. Camp Street Lights has been going on for quite a while. They have a great program. Instead of recreating something new here in Plant City, we decided to join up with Hillsborough County.” Hillsborough County Children’s Services hosted the event on November 21. A panel of speakers addressed 200 attendees about homelessness.
“I wanted to take part because I enjoy helping with community events and representing the Youth Commission in a positive way,” Youth Commissioner Julissa Santana, a sophomore at Plant City Christian Academy (PCCA), commented. “It felt like it was a great opportunity to contribute and connect with people. I was a little unsure at first about what to expect, but once I got there, everyone was welcoming and the atmosphere made it easy to get involved. I learned how much planning and teamwork go into community events, and how important it is to stay flexible and supportive. It also taught me more about engaging with the public in a positive way.”
Participants heard stories from some people who were homeless in the past, and stories about homelessness as a young person. “The students got to hear about what it was like to be homeless, and not just some numbers,” Jones said. “It really taught some compassion. It taught them to think about others and how to help others.”
As a part of Camp Street Lights, the students had the chance to experience a night of homelessness by sleeping on an outdoor basketball court.
“I see homeless people when I drive around,” Youth Commissioner Angela Garcia, a sophomore at PCCA, said. “I wanted to know why there are so many. I thought it would be a good learning opportunity. It was very educational. It taught me a lot about homelessness; how it is more than just not having a job. There is a spectrum of reasons. I also learned there are more homeless people than I thought there was; the numbers are in the thousands for teenagers and young adults in Hillsborough County.”
“It was a good experience, a good opportunity to learn about the community, and how we could help out and give back to our community,” Santana said.
