KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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A group of teenagers in Eastern Jackson County is tackling difficult topics like suicide, drug use, and bullying through a teen advisory council called EMPOWER.
Isabella Hanover, Scarlett Sullivan, and Allison Weaver make up three of the four members of the council, which operates through the Eastern Jackson County Prevention Coalition.
"When we talk about prevention, we can't have successful prevention programs without having kids in there, it's just not possible," Markley Hyatt, MPS HRS said.
Hyatt is a prevention specialist for the coalition.
Each member of EMPOWER focuses on a specific topic. Hanover focuses on mental health.
"Coming from someone who's been surrounded by mental health issues their entire life, whether that's family friends, I've always wanted to be able to make people feel like they had somebody," Hanover said.
Sullivan focuses on bullying in schools.
"It's just me trying to, when I see people going through this, I'm like, hey, like, that's not okay," Sullivan said.
Weaver focuses on overdose prevention.
"Teenagers normally, they feel if they talk to an adult, they're just gonna go straight to like the police or something. But... some teens feel if they talk to someone their age, they'll just be more comfortable," Weaver said.
All of those issues, including suicide prevention, were selected by the teens because their peers are dealing with them in real time.
The group meets weekly to figure out how to make an impact. Their initiatives include placing anonymous mental health boxes in schools and having members carry Narcan.
Right now, the teens are preparing for a youth-led panel at Lee's Summit Cares Youth Wellness Day on April 19.
"Being in EMPOWER, it made me realize that I can speak out about these things," Sullivan said.
The teens are showing that you are never too young to be heard and to be the change.
"All of us notice that there's this problem that nobody wants to solve, so we will," Hanover said.
"I decided it's my chance, so I did it," Weaver said.
Students who want to get involved with EMPOWER can sign up on the group's website. A parent or guardian's permission is required.
The group is also looking for sponsors and monetary donations to expand their offerings. Anyone interested can reach out to Markley Hyatt at MHyatt@thecmhs.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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