BISBEE — If you want to keep teenagers out of trouble, give them something positive to do with someone positive to help them.
 Organizers of the first Bisbee Summerfest Youth Band Showcase met Wednesday to discuss final details for the show that will be held on Saturday in City Park in Bisbee and check out the T-shirts that will be available. Pictured are: (L - R) Caroyln Toronto, Bisbee Youth Club; Sean Trachtman, musician with Train Wreck; Elaine Pilo, Bisbee Youth Club; Caroline Gonzales, Bisbee parks and recreation coordinator; and Gabriel Robles, Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services substance abuse program. (Shar Porier-Wick News Service) |
Thanks to a small group of concerned adults that may change.
Carolyn Toronto, an artist and musician, and Elaine Pilo have been working to get the Bisbee Club, a loose-knit organization for Bisbee youth, up and running.
The club is an attempt to provide a substance-free environment for Bisbee’s at-risk youth in an area where many unsupervised youths hang out in the streets near the bars, Toronto said. The women work with youth between the ages of 12 and 15 and have engaged them in activities of music, art, theatre, filmmaking, poetry and outdoor recreation. As the kids become more sure of themselves, Toronto and Pilo hope the kids in turn will get involved in the community.
“There are far too many people in Bisbee who are tolerant of drug use,” Toronto said. “It’s pathetic. Kids get pain killers, pot and over-the-counter medications and get high in public. I’ve talked with the police, and no one does anything about it. So, we want to create positive role models with people not on drugs. People who can function in society and give them love. So many don’t get love at home. We have some awesome kids with lots of talent in this town. I feel a personal responsibility to help them.”
When Toronto heard about what Gabriel Robles, who is with Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services, had done for youth in Douglas, a collaboration began that will culminate in a first-time-ever-in-Bisbee event for youths.
The partners in that collaboration include the city of Bisbee via Caroline Gonzales, the city’s parks and recreation coordinator; Sean Trachtman of the well-known Bisbee group Train Wreck; and the Cochise County Substance Abuse Committee.
Robles saw how bands would perform in the Douglas city parks and thought that was something that needed to be perpetuated. But he began to recognize the youth were not getting support from the community, especially after the city shut them down. It may have been due to the volume level. But, he says, just because music is loud, that doesn’t make it bad.
So, Robles talked with his supervisor, and SEABHS got behind the effort. In a few months, the plan was hatched and the shows began with the goals to provide a secure environment free of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and show teens that a fun time can be had without such mind-altering substances.
“I saw the problems arise in Douglas. Before you know it, kids are addicted to drugs. It’s an epidemic,” Robles said. “If we help these kids now, we won’t have to deal with it later, and neither will they. I have a dream for the kids to enjoy life and express themselves without drugs.”
Gonzales explained how she got involved.
“Carolyn and Gabriel have had conversations with me on the youth of Bisbee and what we can do to provide a positive environment for our at-risk kids,” she said. “Carolyn got the idea of the Summerfest to encourage youth in Bisbee to create a band. She thought that workshops to assist and encourage youth to try musical instruments and learn about what it takes to be a part of a team in a band would be great for them.”
They applied for a grant from SEABHS and received $1,200 to put on an event Saturday in Bisbee’s City Park. The sounds of nine youth bands from Douglas, Agua Prieta and Bisbee will kick off the first Bisbee Youth Band Summerfest Showcase. The shows is from 1 to 7 p.m.
There will also be tables devoted to art, substance-abuse prevention and Toronto plans to help the kids make a living mural.
Robles got the word out to already-established bands in Douglas, where a similar program is ongoing, and invited them to play.
“We can educate them on substance abuse prevention and help instill good will between the youth groups of the different communities,” Robles said.
Trachtman said, “This is absolutely necessary in Bisbee. It’s long overdue. Speaking for myself, as a musician, music kept me out of trouble. You can be miserable as a kid without an outlet for your energy.”
The groups in Douglas were happy to come to Bisbee and share their music and talent. Robles sees a future where these groups hold benefit concerts to help various charities.
“These kids are happy. It gives them an outlet for their creativity. They now have family support and community support. Many of them are self-taught on their instruments. And it’s amazing to watch them. They have a lot of maturity on stage. They are entertainers,” Robles said.
Gonzales told the organizers that adults, as well as kids, were already talking about the event. As she placed fliers about town, she was told by several adults that they were planning to attend.
Robles added, “We hope this speaks interest in other communities to get involved, to keep it going for the kids all over the county.”
Bisbee Summerfest Youth Band Showcase will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday at City Park on Brewery Gulch in Old Bisbee. The event is free. There will be food and drink vendors in the park.
Comments