If you see local youths being hauled around in police cars or in the back of ambulances today, it is not because they are in trouble with the law or injured in an accident. Approximately 80 seventh and eighth graders are participating in the annual City Youth Academy sponsored by the City of Great Bend.
The students will get a behind-the-scenes glance at the different city departments, with some hands-on learning.
No doubt, they will gripe about the smell when they tour the Waste Water Treatment Plant in the morning. But they’ll also have some fun adventures, such as driving high loaders and riding 35 feet in the air in bucket trucks.
Spending time with our students in this way lets them know that we care about them, and that they are part of our community.
Mayor Mike Allison says, “We want to be known as the city that listens to our kids — and we want our kids to have so much fun growing up in Great Bend, that someday, when they are ready to settle down and start a family, we hope they will remember how much fun Great Bend was for them and will consider coming back to live.”  
By listening to our young people, the adults may learn something as well.
And, during the “idea exchange” with city leaders at the end of the day, they’ll probably say future Youth Academies should also tour the Waste Water Treatment Plant.