Candidates for municipal and state offices spoke directly to local youth Thursday evening during the Shaking Hands With the Future town hall event at City Hall. At the event, community leaders encouraged tomorrow’s leaders to stay true to themselves, work hard and stay out of trouble as they grow into the people who will move Meridian forward in years to come.

 

Thursday’s event also saw community leaders challenge today’s adults to not only decry crime, gun violence, drugs and gang activity, but to also be part of the solution by getting involved.

 

They couldn’t be more right.

 

Meridian’s students are blessed with a number of organizations and groups dedicated toward keeping them out of trouble and off the streets. The Carter Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, Meridian Freedom Project, Scouting America, mentorship programs and more are all working each and every day to mold the city’s youth into the successful men and women possible.

 

These organizations, however, rely on community support. Whether it’s through volunteering time, providing monetary support or providing professional services, every Meridian resident has something they can contribute to the cause, and there is no shortage of need.

 

Many of these groups also apply for funds through the city, and even those who cannot help on their own can contact their elected officials and urge them to support these organizations as much as possible.

 

Meridian is in the midst of municipal elections, selecting a new mayor and five City Council members to lead the city for the next four years. Public safety, infrastructure and economic development are all crucial parts of elected officials’ duties, and residents can, and should, demand candidates have clear, achievable goals in each instance.

 

But making sure our elected officials are on the ball is not enough. The problems facing Meridian impact the entire community and will require a community-wide effort to resolve.

 

If we truly want to leave Meridian’s youth with the vibrant, healthy city they deserve, we all will have to get involved. It’s the only solution.