WAYNESBORO — Students in the RISE summer program spent time this past June studying issues that they felt were important for youth in the Waynesboro area. They narrowed their topics down to one issue and, on Friday, about 20 students presented the topic during a forum with candidates for Waynesboro City Council and School Board.
“The common thread was to expand the community center,” said Chanda McGuffin, co-founder of RISE, an advocacy group whose mission is to give voice and hope to the Black community. The educational wing of the organization provides after-school and summer tutoring programs for area youth working to build confidence and teach critical thinking.
The students presented their ideas to the candidates Friday. Among the ideas was expanding the Rosenwald Community Center on Port Republic Road by adding a bowling alley, a pool and a jump park.
“We would like to expand the community center with a jump park,” one of the students explained. “Because a jump park is a fun place for kids.”