If there is one thing local kids seem to agree on, it's that there's not enough to do in Duluth.
That message was repeated at a Youth Summit on Tuesday night at Central High School, where about 15 kids from across the city converged to talk about issues facing youth.
The city's last youth conference, which took place about 10 years ago, led to the creation of teen bus passes on the Duluth Transit Authority, said Shannon Watson-Borden, the coordinator of Tuesday's event.
"That's been a big contribution for youth; we're hoping this will spur more of those ideas," Watson-Borden said.
In addition to talking about Duluth's shortcomings, kids pitched ideas about what they would like to see in their city. Ideas ranged from teen dance clubs to arcades to extended hours at community centers.
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Matt Perry, a 10th-grader at Central, said he'd like to see kids' needs taken more seriously.
"Right now everything in Duluth is completely set up for tourism ... but we need more long-term activities for kids to do around town instead of just sea kayaking, which you maybe do once in the summer," Perry said.
Blair Gagne, the director of True North AmeriCorps, said it's important to include kids in discussions that affect them.
"A lot of times youth professionals think they know what the needs of kids are, but we can be really out of touch," Gagne said. "When you have that youth voice it really lends a whole new line of credibility to programs and activities that we do."
Information from Tuesday's summit will be distributed to city and school officials.
