The Verdict is Out, Sedona Sucks for Teenagers by Sean:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

As a teenager growing up in Sedona, I feel like kids and families in this community are being forgotten. Every day I hear my friends say the same thing: “I can’t wait to turn 18 and move away.” That is not how it should be. A hometown should be a place that makes you want to stay, to build a future, and to feel like you matter.

Right now, it feels like the city spends more time and money on tourists than on the people who actually live here. We see money going into things that benefit visitors, while families struggle with places to live and young people don’t have safe, affordable places to hang out. Parks, sports, and youth programs always seem to come second.

There is also nothing for kids to do. Our parents talk about growing up in the Verde Valley and having a roller skating rink, a bowling alley, and even an arcade. We have none of those things today. Instead, we end up in parking lots or leaving town for entertainment. That makes it even harder to feel like Sedona is a place built for us.

The message kids hear is clear: Sedona isn’t for you. It’s for everyone else. That hurts. If my generation grows up believing we don’t belong here, then Sedona will lose us, and the community will lose its future.

I don’t want to leave. I want Sedona to be a place where kids feel supported, where families don’t have to sleep in cars, and where leaders remember that young people matter. I hope the city starts listening, because we are the ones who will decide what this community becomes next.

Sincerely, Sean TO SUBMIT YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

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