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Youth2, Youth Squared Where Saratoga’s future generation takes shape By Lawrence White
"The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth" ...John Fitzgerald Kennedy It is tough to be a young person today. They are looking toward a future of great uncertainty with a staggering number of urgent, flashingred-light issues with which to deal. It is more than any one person, young or old, can fathom, so it is easy to burn out emotionally when it is considered all at once. To counter this, a Saratoga Springs group, Youth2 (Youth Squared), offers young people a unique and constructive resource that encourages them to come up with their own ideas to help other kids and achieve positive results in tough times. It is quite impressive to
A group meeting to unite energy
see how well it affects everyone involved on all levels. The driving force behind Youth2 is founder Beverly Lazar Davis. She tells me, “This was a very personal beginning for me. Eighteen years ago, when I turned 50, I wanted to give something back to the community in Saratoga Springs. I wanted to create something meaningful and lasting that had a positive impact on young people.” “I reflected on the years I volunteered at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis starting when I was 13 years old. As a Candy Striper we were given a lot of responsibility that included delivering the mail to the patients and keeping their water fresh, but also transporting them through the halls to x-ray and so on. The experience may have made others
uncomfortable but working in the hospital helping others gave me a good feeling, and it stuck with me through the years.” Beverly continues, “I went on to earn a master’s degree in social work from SUNY Albany and became a licensed Clinical Social Worker
