Hollister
– For one day, at least, local youth will be unable to complain
that there’s nothing to do in Hollister. The Hollister Youth
Alliance is partnering with local community organizations to put on
its second annual teen rally this Saturday designed to encourage
kids to pursue a healthy lifestyle and s
tay away from drugs and alcohol.
Hollister – For one day, at least, local youth will be unable to complain that there’s nothing to do in Hollister. The Hollister Youth Alliance is partnering with local community organizations to put on its second annual teen rally this Saturday designed to encourage kids to pursue a healthy lifestyle and stay away from drugs and alcohol.
“We wanted to do a teen rally to show our community that our teens can get involved in a positive way, not just negative ways like gangs,” said Elena de la Puerta, Youth Coordinator with the HYA.
Nearly a dozen groups have been working with local teens to provide an afternoon of food, fun and games free of charge to any interested teenager. The event kicks off at noon and runs until 4pm, with free lunch, basketball and volleyball games, a car show, art wall, raffle and a battle of the bands for anybody between the ages of 13-19.
“We felt this was something really important for us to get behind because so many of our programs have been cut, and one of those of course was our teen program,” said Tina Garza, representing the City of Hollister Recreation Department. “So this is our way of letting teens know that they are still very important to us, that they can have fun and be a part of this community without turning to less safe activities.”
One of the most popular features of the rally is the battle of the bands, organized by YMCA Program Director Amy Boggs. Five local bands consisting entirely of teen musicians will play Saturday – The Gruzz, Ferris, Shadows of Affliction, Local Jalopy and Burning Madeline, who also performed last year.
“It’s hard to find things that teenagers will really enjoy, but they all seem to like the music even if they don’t play,” said Amy Boggs, Program Director for the local YMCA. “We let the kids in the band know that they’re representing the YMCA, and they respect our values, and help us get a positive message out to the teens.”
Last year around 100 teens came to the event, which was held in September. The HYA is anticipating that around 300 kids will attend this year’s event, as they have had more time to get the word out and don’t have to compete with the beginning of the school year. Nearly 20 students have been planning all aspects of the rally from fundraising to set up for a number of weeks.
“This is something I can do to occupy my time that doesn’t put me on the streets,” said 17-year-old Jose Mungues. “I hope a lot of other people will come, it’s fun.”
This is one of the biggest events of the year for the HYA, although they frequently hold smaller gatherings and get kids involved in community efforts like Small Steps.
“I think the community needs to understand how valuable these kids are, they have a lot of potential,” said de la Puerta. “They can do so many good things and they really want to, but we need the community to back us up.”
