Local Youth Town Hall Discussion to Tackle Tough Issues at Bryant High School

Online, June 10, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Four local teens from Bryant Alternative High School in Alexandria, VA will lead a Town Hall Event featuring 350 students, parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders and corporate America. The panel of 16 will lead the discussion on the significant challenges facing teens, how these challenges can be addressed and ultimately how our community can support and benefit from teens' strengths.

The Town Hall Event, which will take place on Tuesday, June 14th from 9am-10am at Bryant Alternative High School is a program of the BEM Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides "at-risk" youth from all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds the academic tools, resources, and leadership skills they need to produce extraordinary results. The event is presented by @15, a teen-led social change platform - sponsored by Best Buy - which aims to give voice to the hopes, concerns and dreams that teens have for their futures.

"I'm excited about the opportunity for my students to have a voice and start a dialogue about what is important to them", says Bryant High School Principal Larry Jones. "As a community it is our responsibility to make sure that we are providing teens with the opportunities and resources necessary for them to ultimately succeed and make positive contributions."

Students in the audience will ask questions and raise concerns that are important to them. "These Town Hall Events allow children's voices to be heard and their thoughts taken seriously by adults," says Ron Mitchell, Founder and CEO of the BEM Foundation. "The Youth Town Hall experience also connects youth with local businesses and community leaders to help inspire change and leadership."

The panel discussion will be moderated by a local media personality and will include four students, teachers, administrators, and representatives from Best Buy, Capital One, State Farm, Kinetic Health Alternatives, Clear, Comcast, Defense Acquisition University, George Mason University and The BEM Foundation, among others. Topics will include using technology responsibly, financial literacy, safety behind the wheel, health and wellness and dealing with peer pressure and bullying.

Bryant High School is a part of the Fairfax Country Public Schools and is located at 2709 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306.

About The BEM Foundation
The BEM Foundation is a non-profit organization using education and technology to transform the lives of youth in the community and across the country. The BEM Foundation's programs include Youth Town Hall Events, The Power Texting Mentor Network, a life-coaching tool to pair mentors with at risk youth through their cell phones, and Career Shadowing, which allows students to be immersed in the day-to-day activities of a career they are interested in, and provide inspiration for college. For more information visit www.BemFoundation.org, call 315.430.7584 or email [email protected]

About @15
Best Buy believes in the power of teens, and @15 is a new platform to connect with them, give voice to their perspectives, and invest our resources-including the energy and talents of our employees-to turn their ideas into action and support their efforts to lead social change. Teens bring passion and enthusiasm to tackling tough issues. They are also important to our business-they shop in our stores, and they're our future employees. There's a real opportunity to listen to and learn from what teens have to say. And through the @15 Fund, we'll put the philanthropic power of @15 directly into their hands. To learn more, visit www.at15.com.

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