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reason he did so was that teens needed a positive peer role model. He described a good LEAD teen as someone who would show common courtesy toward other people, who would stop an individual from oppressing another. and who would stand in the way of oppression. Terra Williams , 1669 Oak Patch Road, #219, stated that she was a volunteer in training for LEAD since turning 18 years old. She felt that being a volunteer was a way to give back to LEAD. She said that as a teen, LEAD gave her support that she would not have received anywhere else and taught her leadership skills, public speaking skills, and ways to build toward her “life assignment.” As a volunteer, she felt able to help other teens improve their skills and accomplish their goals. She said she had to learn to connect with the teens differently and to spread herself out among the participants, but that other volunteers were helping her adjust to her new role. She underscored that LEAD did not lose its connection with the teens it helped, but rather had teens remain in the program to help younger teens. th D. Cohen , 2115 West 12 Avenue, #6, explained that he was a member of LEAD staff and was Teen Center co-coordinator, group leader, and a homeless outreach coordinator. Additionally, he was finishing his studies at the University of Oregon in the Family and Human Services program and the Substance Abuse Prevention program. He said the group had been working on the teen center for a year. He listed some of the partnerships to which LEAD was committed, such as Centro LatinoAmericano, which provided meeting space, Juventud Faceta – a youth program for Amigos Centro de Servicios Multiculturales, Lane County Positive Youth Development Initiative, University of Oregon Family and Human Services program, and the University of Oregon Multicultural Center, as well as the Trauma Healing Project. He noted that Papa John’s Pizza was a sponsor for LEAD. Mr. Cohen related that LEAD held a forum in Spring 2005 at the Eugene Public Library to gather input on whether Eugene needed a teen center and what teens and adults would want from such a center. Since then, through bimonthly meetings, LEAD created a name, a mission, goals, programs, and subcommittees. He said a master’s student at the University of Oregon was currently creating a needs assessment for a teen center and LEAD raised $15,000 in private donations. He was confident in the work LEAD was doing and asked that others who shared LEAD’s vision to join in the effort. He added that his passion for the work came from his own experience of being an at- risk youth. He said if it had not been for the work of key mentors, he was uncertain where he would be at present, as he had spent his first three years in Eugene as a homeless youth. th Caleb Pruzanski , 470 West 27 Avenue, also spoke on behalf of LEAD. He stated that he was a board member and Teen Center co-coordinator. He said the name of the proposed teen center would be Nuestro Lugar, or Our Place. He underscored that LEAD was a non-discriminatory, diverse group of youth and adult mentors committed to a safe, supportive, fun environment that promoted personal growth, multicultur- alism, leadership, and empowerment. He averred that LEAD’s goals were very straight-forward: to help teens in all ways possible. He thanked the council for its help in setting up a meeting with LEAD. He added that LEAD representatives would provide testimony at every City Council meeting until a teen center was underway. Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, asked if a state of emergency had been called and this was why the three hearings were grouped together. He said he wanted to be specific in his testimony and questioned whether this was possible given that the hearings had been combined. MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 4 City Council Meeting