Though the towns of Dare County are stretched over miles of sand, the state of the child conference is one place that unifies members of the community for one specific cause. On March 31, it will convene for the fourth time in 19 years to address the issues that affect teenagers.

“These conferences are to bring the community together,” said Deloris Harrell, co-chair of the conference. “We work hard to make sure it’s teens, the Board of Education, county commissioners, parents, business leaders and the whole community.”

The event started in 1988 and was held again in 1994 and 2000. In 1994, conference members decided that many teenagers had nowhere to go after school, and as a result, the Dare County Youth Center was created. The conference is also responsible for implementing Smart Start, a statewide program to prepare kids in school, and the Dare County Children and Youth Partnership.

This year, the conference will be called “How are the Children 2006.” The unique title was borrowed from an African greeting.

“It’s called (“How are the Children?”) because that is a greeting in Masai, a tribe in Africa,” said Loretta Michael, executive director of the Children and Youth Partnership. “They say, ‘How are the children?’ and the response is, ‘The children are well.’ We hope to say that in Dare County.”

Senior Shannon Davis was chosen during her junior year to be a student representative for FFHS. She has met with conference members once a month to help plan the event and discuss concerns.

“(The conference) always accomplishes great things,” Davis said. “The actual conference is open to everyone and encourages students and parents to come.”

Those who plan to go must pre-register. Harrell says the goal is to have 300 people attend. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the conference is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ramada Inn.

Aside from talking about community issues, author Naomi Haines Griffith will be a guest speaker.

“(Griffith) is an author, national speaker, and consultant on child care issues,” Michael said. “She is a well-known story teller, family system specialist, and she uses humor to challenge and inspire.”

Committees, which have met once a month for a year, will meet at the conference to present their findings on issues they have researched (See page B6 for related story).

Nicole Martin, a licensed professional counselor and co-chair of the committee on substance abuse, hopes members of Dare County can use this event to help resolve serious issues.

Martin said, “We can work together to make a difference.”