I am writing to express my appreciation for the Sun Journal’s excellent coverage of YADA (Oct. 1).

How many parents have heard the words, “Adults don’t take me seriously,” from their children? Not long ago my son went to the fish counter at a local grocery store; he stood there for five minutes. Finally, the clerk asked if he was lost and my son said, “No, but I would like a pound of haddock, please.”

That might seem trivial, but my son felt devalued.

As a parent, my goal is to find opportunities for my son to feel part of his community. We found YADA. He is thrilled to be part of open dialogues with adults in his community. My son, a freshman at St. Dominic’s, volunteered as a youth facilitator, he will co-facilitate with a teacher from Lewiston High School. He also attended a couple of YADA steering committee meetings where he helped the group by creating a MySpace account for YADA.

My son feels empowered and he is thrilled that the community is giving him a chance to voice his concerns, his ideas, and to collaborate with other teens.

Christine Bosse, Sabattus