BY BETTY SNIDER | HQMC MF COMMSTRAT
Julissa Sutgrey did not hesitate to volunteer for the teen council at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar.
Julissa, a 16-year-old high school junior, is the daughter of an active-duty Sailor and president of the Keystone Club, a leadership program offered as part of the Marine Corps’ partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America.
“I feel good about serving,” she said. “Knowing that I am able to talk to people and help them overcome challenges.”
Teen Councils Make a Comeback
Marine Corps teen councils have been inactive in recent years, but the Office of the Secretary of Defense wants to provide more support for military teens and is funding a Joint Services Teen Council.
The Joint Services Teen Council will hold its first meeting June 1-6 in the Washington, DC, area. The Marine Corps plans to send representatives from the councils at MCAS Miramar, MCAS Iwakuni, and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) staff met virtually with the teen councils at those installations earlier this year to open a dialogue.
“We are starting with our locations that have active teen facilities,” said Ijeoma Osuji, a Child and Youth Programs Specialist at HQMC. “We will be looking at ways to involve other installations that want to provide more teen programming but do not have a brick-and-mortar facility.”
The councils will allow military teens to build leadership skills, volunteer their time, team up to uplift other teens on the installation, and effect positive changes.
Miramar Teens Ask for Help with Bullying
At Miramar, teens asked for training for teens and their leaders on how to combat bullying.
Julissa said teens experience bullying mainly at school, and they would like to learn strategies to prevent or stop it.
She also said they would like to do some sprucing up of Miramar’s teen center and organize more community service opportunities for the teens.
Pendleton Teens Request More Field Trips and Better Wi-Fi
At Camp Pendleton, teens told HQMC, they would like to take more field trips, which had been scaled back during the global pandemic, expand the teen center’s hours, and hold evening dances. They also asked for more reliable Wi-Fi to help them complete homework and connect to peers on social media.
Iwakuni Teens Seek New Playground
At Iwakuni, four teens briefed HQMC. They asked for a playground for children ages 8 and older. The existing playgrounds are designed for younger children. They would like outdoor space where teens can hang out with friends.
They also mentioned the need for easier access to mental health support.
One of the teens at Iwakuni, Ava Line, is a 17-year-old high school junior. She said teens need more to do, and she hopes the council can help create the “ultimate teen center where everyone feels welcome and safe and never bored.”
Xochtl Seubert, also a 17-year-old junior, echoes Ava on the need for more activities that get teens to put down their screens. “Staying on the internet right after school (which ends around 1500) all the way to bed (2100 or so) can be unproductive.”