March 1, 2000

Senator Byrd, WVU President Hardesty Announce Youth Summit 2000

WASHINGTON, D.C.... U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., and West Virginia University (WVU) President David Hardesty announced Wednesday that high school students from across the state will be invited to participate in a youth summit on school safety next month at the university.

"Throughout the debate and planning on school safety, we have heard from experts and from men and women in all walks of life.  This summit is an opportunity to hear from students, and to gain a better understanding of their views and their concerns," Byrd said.

"The Robert C. Byrd Youth Summit 2000 will give students the opportunity to play an active role in shaping initiatives that may be implemented in their schools.  The summit will provide an opportunity for these young people to voice their opinions on important issues, such as violence, drugs and alcohol, and the media =s influence on their lives," Byrd stated.

"Working around young adults as I do, I can think of no more valuable resource for ideas and solutions to issues dealing with violence than the future leaders of this state and nation," said President Hardesty, who formally announced the summit during his State of the University address on Capitol Hill.  "Hearing from our West Virginia high school youth who live and breathe these experiences daily will help school personnel and policy leaders immensely as we look for ways to keep our schools, communities, and our youth safe."

The Youth Summit will be held on April 8, 2000, at WVU, with students in other regions of the state participating through high-tech links.  Students will gather at sites in Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Keyser, Parkersburg, Shepherdstown, and Wheeling.

"While the main body of this forum will be at WVU, we plan to have participants from other regions of West Virginia utilize the distance-learning facilities across the state.  This will give students who may not be able to travel to WVU the opportunity to participate and interact via technology in the day=s events, " Byrd explained.

"During last summer's statewide school safety forum at WVU, one of the ideas that came from the participants involved finding out what students thought about school safety, and what initiatives students thought would be most beneficial.  I am happy to facilitate such a summit, and look forward to hearing from young people across the state," Byrd said.

Information from the initial symposium, called "Building Safe Schools and Healthy Communities: The West Virginia Response," can be found at Byrd=s Internet site, http://byrd.senate.gov.

The Byrd Youth Summit 2000 is produced in conjunction with