By Karen Cohilas - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Each day you watch the news, you're likely to see a story about a robbery, shooting, burglary or other act of crime. It happens all over the country, and it seems like increasingly those who are committing the crimes, and those being victimized, are teenagers.
Hundreds of kids from all over Albany converged on the Albany Civic Center Friday to learn more about the Stop the Violence movement. Delandis Lee says it's a message even more should hear. He said, "Great message. I think everybody in Albany should be here."
Learning about everyday life skills like cooking, and exercising, and how to choose alternatives to getting into trouble. "Most of us, we aren't mature," said Lee. "I mean, we can handle things the right way, it's just that we don't choose to handle things the right way."
City Commissioner Christopher Pike says one of the reasons kids don't handle situations the right way, is they lack a strong foundation. He said, "As anybody knows, that if you don't have the strong foundation, you have nothing to build on and so there's no character, there's no self respect and so that's why organizations like Stop the Violence are so important because hopefully, we're giving them something that they're not getting at home or other places."
Keisha Williams operates K.O.O.L.L., which stands for Keeping Obesity out of life's loop. She says idol minds and bodies can lead to kids getting in trouble.
She said, "Exercise changes the mentality, exercise changes the mindset and exercise gives you more, especially kids, more things to do to stay involved in the community." And stay out of trouble."
Willie Tyson says he does that by, "Being positive and keep in mind what's right, know that there's serious consequences for doing bad things." And rewards for doing what's right.
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