About 60 Atlanta-area students met Saturday, September 9, to begin five months of immersion in regional issues and concerns. Their forum is the Model Atlanta Regional Commission (MARC), a program of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to involve the youth of the region in planning for the metro area’s future. 

Now in its ninth year, MARC exposes students to regional challenges including transportation, air quality, human services, land use, water supply and quality, as well as ARC’s role as the regional planning agency. 

Three Fayette County students are participants in the 2006-2007 MARC class: Rhyan Atrice and Victoria Bodkin, both from Sandy Creek High School and Hunter Hayes from Starr’s Mill High School.

“These students will learn from experts about issues we face everyday,” said Charles Krautler, director of the Atlanta Regional Commission. “We, in turn, benefit from hearing their recommendations and understanding a new perspective that reveals the uppermost concerns of our next generation of leaders.”

Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox was the keynote speaker at the September 9 kickoff. During this initial meeting, the students will also receive an overview of the region from Krautler.

At subsequent meetings, the students will participate in their own version of ARC’s Envision 6 land use planning initiative, test the water in the Chattahoochee River, examine workforce and housing issues and visit a senior center, MARTA’s Armour Drive maintenance facility and the High Museum of Art. They will work in committees to develop their own ideas for addressing regional issues. At their final meeting in early February, the entire MARC class will debate and vote on the resolutions the various committees developed. Finally, the students will present their resolutions to the ARC Board for consideration. 

The resolutions passed by the 2005-2006 MARC class called for:

• The clean-up of parks and natural areas through a volunteer program patterned after the successful "Rivers Alive" initiative that picks up trash and debris in Georgia's rivers, streams and lakes;

• The creation of a safer, more attractive shopping experience for older adults through "Easy Shop," a voluntary program for retailers who want to attract senior shoppers;

• A mass media campaign targeted to area youth to increase awareness of the importance of water conservation;

• Incentives to encourage commuters to purchase hybrid vehicles; 

• A program to improve SAT scores by making SAT prep courses and assistance more widely available.

MARC participants are sophomores and juniors. They were selected based on a combination of academic achievements, extracurricular activities, a written essay and teacher recommendations. 

“MARC is an important first step in finding Atlanta-area students with leadership potential and developing that potential by raising awareness, giving hands-on practice and instilling a sense of civic responsibility,” Krautler said. “We fully expect to hear from MARC participants again as the next generation of community leaders.”

Funding for the MARC program comes in part from Wachovia Bank and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

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