MyCom Youth Corner

Zahraa Alribeawi and Kathy Hall

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2016 MyCom Youth Voice Awards

The MyCom Youth Voice Awards honor Cuyahoga County residents, leaders and organizations taking action to support the needs of young people in Greater Cleveland. Nominations were received from across Cuyahoga County.

We have three MyCom Youth Voice Award winners from the Parma Tri-City area:

Zahraa Alribeawi and Noah Utterback were presented with Youth Voice Awards and Kathy Hall was presented with the Caring Adult Award.

Zahraa Alribeawi, a junior at Parma Senior High School is both gracious and articulate, using her voice to make a difference in her school and community. She is an invested member in the Tri-City Youth Plan meetings. Zahraa is a good student, musician and confident spokesperson. She volunteers at the local food pantry. She is able to engage both adults and youth seamlessly. Her energy is contagious. She was an integral voice in organizing a peaceful student protest involving students from all three high schools in the school district. Her voice is being heard and she is making a difference in her community.

Noah Utterback does not hesitate to advocate for himself and others. He wants youth voice to be heard and considered a vital contribution to planning and decision making. Noah is a senior at Parma Senior High and a strong advocate for youth. He joined MyCom this past summer because he wanted to use his skills to benefit youth. His “voice” is heard every day since he does morning announcements at Parma Senior High. Noah helped to organize youth at his high school for protests and rallies regarding the school district’s proposal to close two high schools. Noah readily spoke with news channels and newspapers and was quoted regarding the proposed cuts to arts and drama.

Kathy Hall is a tireless advocate for youth. She believes that all youth are important and that all youth deserve to have their voice heard .Kathy has worked with youth for over 40 years. She plays an important role with her church youth group as they meet every Wednesday night throughout the school year. She has volunteered at the Cedarbrook Summer camp in Madison, Ohio for years. Kathy is a trustee for the National Cedarbrook Camp Organization. She frequently states “It's all about relationships” and she practices what she preaches. Kathy was the Shiloh Café Program Assistant for five years. Our Teen group P.A.T.C.H. loved playing “Spoons” with her. She is a shining example of a caring adult.