{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Ahead of MLK Day, Sullivan County Students Answer Dr. King’s Call to Service","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":843,"description":"Martin Luther King Jr. Day isn’t officially observed until January 19, but in Sullivan County, the work of honoring Dr. King’s legacy is already underway.Later this week, high school students from across the county will come together for the fifth annual MLK Day of Service Youth Summit, an event rooted in Dr. King’s call to service, leadership, and community — and intentionally held ahead of the official holiday.Hosted on the campus of SUNY Sullivan, the summit brings together 11th and 12th graders for a full day of reflection, workshops, and connection designed to help young people see themselves as leaders and changemakers.“This is crazy to me — preparing for the fifth MLK Day of Service Youth Summit,” said Amanda Langseder of Sullivan 180, one of the event’s organizers. “It really just doesn’t seem possible.”A response to disconnected youthThe summit grew out of a conversation nearly six years ago among youth-serving organizations and county departments alarmed by what Langseder called a “startling statistic” — Sullivan County’s high rate of disconnected youth.“Those of us that work with youth became upset,” she said. “How can this be? How can youth not feel like they have a sense of community, and organizations and people that care about them?”That concern sparked a collaborative effort involving groups ranging from the Youth Bureau and Cornell Cooperative Extension to the Boys & Girls Club and workforce development agencies.“We asked, ‘What is it that we can do to change this situation?’” Langseder said. “How could we give young people — just preparing for takeoff in life — a community hug, a community embrace?”From the beginning, the effort was tied explicitly to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.“How do we connect young people to their community and to the idea of community service in the name of Martin Luther King Jr.?” she said.Five years in, the impact is visibleNow marking its fifth year, Langseder says the summit’s impact shows up in unexpected places —...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}