How local youth programs work to keep kids safe as missing teen cases rise this summer
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Any time an alert pops up for a missing person, the community goes on high alert.
When kids and teenagers are involved, it becomes an even greater priority.
This summer, a number of teenagers in the Coachella Valley have been reported missing.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office alerted the public to a missing 14-year-old girl in Palm Springs, Isabella Paola Rojas.
In late July, News Channel 3 also reported on a missing 17-year-old in Cathedral City. He was found safely.
Keeping kids engaged is one of the key ways to keep them off the streets and away from risky behaviors.
One of the programs doing that is the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City. Inside, on any given day, you can typically find dozens of teenagers and kids using the space to build connections, skills, and find themselves.
"Our goal is to help you find your gift," said the club's CEO, Scott Robinson. "And if you find your gift, you're connected, you know, and the world is a pretty wonderful place."
Whenever he hears the news of a missing juvenile, it hits hard. "It breaks my heart because there's many different levels of where it could be, from mental illness, to just conflict within the family unit, [or] not having a safe place to have a mentor."
According to the National Child Protection Task Force, more than 350,000 missing children are reported annually in the United States. More than 90% of those cases involve kids who are endangered runaways. Every child that is reported missing is at risk of being exploited, abused, or trafficked. That's the reason why the Boys and Girls Club strives for prevention by surrounding the kids who frequent its facility with positive role models from a young age.
"What we try to do as a prevention model, catch, catch them at a younger age, help them find sense of self, build their self-esteem and give them a place, a safe place where they continue to learn and grow," Robinson said.
He admitted, not every teen that comes through the club's doors is able to be saved from choosing the wrong path. But, even then, he said his staff helps those children find a way forward to steer them back to the right path.
Many of the children there came from families that needed extra support. Robinson said roughly 60% are single-parent families who might not have the time to do homework with their kids or provide them with extracurricular activities.
It's programs like the Boys and Girls Club that fill those gaps, and it was clear to see how much of a connection the staff built with the kids. From sharing friendly matches of ping pong to fist bumps and high-fives, the dozens of teens who showed up clearly wanted to be there.
"It makes me so proud because I know where they could be," Robinson said with a smile. "They could be on the streets. We have all kinds of programs to prevent them from doing horrible stuff. And they're here... they're choosing to be here."
For more information on the programs the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City provides, you can visit their website by clicking here.
