Originally published in August 2021
How Kinston Teens Are Changing Their Community
At age 14, Chris Suggs was already losing friends, schoolmates, and family to drug and gun violence. Coming from a community that is the most economically distressed in all of North Carolina and with the highest rate of gun violence, he decided to provide alternatives for teens. Chris started Kinston Teens https://www.kinstonteens.org/ to amplify the voices of all youth in Kinston and to create civic engagement and community service opportunities for his peers.
So Much Going On!
On our visit in June, we met several of the Kinston Teen volunteers and interns who are involved in projects like mapping the area to find unregistered voters, Covid-19 education and vaccine clinics, food boxes for the hungry and environmental justice. They have made an impact on the lives of more than 4,000 youth with programs like a Youth Summit, community workshops, leadership development seminars, and assemblies at local schools.
Chris took us on a tour around the community. We saw multiple houses and businesses collapsing and boarded up. Then, we would see a cleared lot planted with flowers, roses and shrubs. These were lots that the Kinston Teens had acquired for very little money ($500-$1,000) and fixed up to be a place for young people to hang out.
We visited a house that Chris bought when he was 19, donated to Kinston Teens and fixed up for a Teen Hub. The house had been falling down and the city was getting ready to raze it (here’s the before and after picture!). Now teens can access internet and computer. There is a small food pantry and a large deck and yard where they can host events and parties. Across the street on another lot of theirs was a “blessing box,” with items like food, toilet paper and baby diapers. The City Council just turned over eight more lots to Kinston Teens, so they now own 18 properties.
Political Vision
Even though they are too young to vote, that hasn’t stopped them from having a political voice! Kinston Teens have lobbied their City Council and state government and even testified before Congress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80H0JnG8xMY in D.C. They attend all City Council meetings and school board meetings, well-informed on all issues that affect the teens. They are also very active in voter registration and Get-Out-the-Vote as part of our TAKE10 trainings.
On one corner lot in Kinston we saw their digital billboard with rotating messages about vaccines, food distribution, honoring graduates and Kinston Teen events. I could write on and on about the Kinston Teens, but I’ll stop here and let you watch a short video about their efforts. You’ll see for yourselves how impressive they are!
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