Summit announced to discuss violence, drug prevention for youth in city

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new initiative is being launched in hopes of reducing violence and drug use amongst the communities youth.

Several people gathered Tuesday to announce the launch of Team CoMo, which aims to discuss solutions to help youth in the community steer away from violence. The summit will be held 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Community United Methodist Church at on 3301 West Broadway St. The event is open to the public.

Those involved with the initiative hope it will lead to providing mentorship, job preparedness, increase volunteering, donations and ways to create a better future for the youth of Columbia.

"We have ways that we can help at every level, and we are so excited to invite the community to participate and make Columbia better," said Tanya Heath, an organizer for the event. "If every single 120 thousand of us did something that would be three hundred people a day doing positive action to make Columbia better for our youth today, and tomorrows future."

The presummit discussion was open to the public with guest speakers the Rev. James Grey, the Rev. Charles Stevenson, Glenn Cobbins Sr., Julian Jackman, Lonnie Lockhart-Bey and Tanya Heath.

Grey emphasized that the community must help in order to accomplish the groups goals.

"We got to come together and solve the problem together. If we could just save one kid or two kids, we have done more than enough," he said.