Rancho Santa Margarita Interfaith Council Sponsors Youth Forum

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — A meeting of approximately 100 area teens gathered at St. John Chrysostom Church in the Cardinal Gym for a meeting of the Bigotry, Bullying and Bravery Youth Forum in September according to the church.

Anna Cwieka of the Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita sponsored the forum.

"The energy level was just amazing," Cwieka said in the Facebook announcement. "The teen leaders blew it out of the park."

The teen led event focused on helping teens identify when they were in the middle of a bigotry or bullying situation, brainstorm solutions for effectively dealing with these situations and 'try on' what it feels like to speak up and support others so that they are better equipped when these situations arise.

"One of our hopes for this event is that it would transferable and scaleable. We can do additional forums with one small group or 200 kids," Cwieka said.

St. John Church offered thanks to all who participated, lead, and organized this amazing and practical program.

For more information, follow St. John Chrysostom Church on Facebook.

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