By Thelma D. Jones
SWNA’s community meeting on Monday, June 23, 2025, at 7 pm at Arena Stage will proudly feature SWNA’s Youth Activities Task Force (YATF) and Education and Scholarship Task Force (ESTF), among other youth organizations or organizations with youth-serving components. This will be an exciting youth and college financial aid fair type program like the well-attended and successful youth and education program held last year at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Approximately twenty youth-serving organizations, including MPD, have been invited to allow attendees the exciting opportunity to speak to the organizations’ representatives, receive literature, register local youth for programs, learn about college scholarship offerings, learn about volunteer opportunities, sign up to volunteer and, if interested, donate to the SWNA Task Force.
Each invited organization will host a table and briefly speak about their organization’s mission, programs, and services so that the community is more aware of the various opportunities available. The forum will also provide opportunities for collaboration to enrich our community youth and college-bound residents.
Opening remarks will be by invited guests Hana Sharif, Artistic Director, Arena Stage, Charles Allen, Ward 6, DC Councilmember, and Brandon Best, Ward 6, DC State Board of Education.
One of the outcomes of this meeting will be a brochure which will include a listing of youth-serving organizations or organizations with youth-serving components to be disseminated in the community and included on the SWNA website.
Please share this information with others who might be interested. We greatly appreciate your support and contributions. For more information on the forum, please email YATF Chair Thelma D. Jones at thelma.d.jones@outlook.com or ESTF Chair Lisa M. Matthews at ncmdesignslmm@yahoo.com.