Workshops at OSU bring area students together for discussions

Five teens sat together at a table and considered the statement written on a scrap of paper:

“White people make more money than colored people.”

Part of a workshop on labels and racial prejudice, the exercise was meant to get the teens to discuss ways people stereotype one another and ways to address racism in daily life.

It was just one of 14 workshops offered at the Teen Summit held Wednesday at the LaSells Stewart Center at Oregon State University. More than 160 students from Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Philomath, Monroe and Alsea high schools attended the summit organized by the Benton County Youth Commission.

“It’s possible for white people and colored people to make the same amount of money,” said Monroe High School freshman Demri Vazquez. “It’s just how you apply yourself.”

Corvallis High School sophomore Nia Whitfield said she was offended by the words written on the paper because they seemed to be based on an assumption that white people are superior. Whitfield said that after moving to Corvallis from the San Francisco Bay Area last year, she faced racial assumptions made by other students at CHS — that she was a gang member or an especially good dancer because she is black.

“It’s like something you can laugh at, but you also feel like, ‘Oh, is that what you really think?’” Whitfield said.

Vazquez, who said she does not encounter much racism at Monroe High School, added that people should stand up for themselves when they are stereotyped in this way.

“Never let anyone put you in a group or anything,” she said. “Most of the time it’s not true. If they don’t listen, you just have to ignore them because it’s not true.”

While the discussions continued, other teens took part in workshops on such serious topics as Latino gangs and college planning, as well as whimsical workshops such as salsa dancing and personal spa treatments.

Sessions throughout the day included presentations on forestry careers, nutrition and exercise science and teen sexuality.

In its 11th year, the Teen Summit provides Benton County high school students with a chance to identify issues that concern them, and to discuss solutions and healthy lifestyle choices.

The morning began with a keynote speech by Joseph E. Jones, a middle school counselor from Athens, Ga., and the director of Young Enterprising Stewards, a program that teaches youths to start and run their own businesses.

In his speech, Jones encouraged the teens to set clear goals for their future.

“Develop your sense of vision, your sense of purpose,” he said. “Keep your future in mind.