T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Miller Middle School student Angeliyah French explains the possibilities of implementing a solution to mental health issues amongst middle school students. She and the group of kids she worked with were part of the Harvard Model Congress Global Leaders Program “Actionable Project” presentation on Friday at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC).

Fifty-nine Miller Middle School students presented solutions for Marshalltown issues during the Harvard Model Congress Global Leaders Program “Actionable Project” presentation on Friday.

The program is used to encourage leadership abilities in students through workshops, focusing on skills such as public speaking and identifying and addressing community problems. Three Harvard undergraduates were in attendance, and helped guide the students on their presentations.

In a Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center room, packed with parents and members of the community, the students presented solutions for pollution, raising money for and adopting animals from the Animal Rescue League (ARL), education and legal issues for immigrants, abandoned buildings and mental health.

Marshalltown Community School District Attendance Coordinator Elizabeth Medina-Harris said the students worked together in groups to identify a problem to tackle and how to solve it. Director of Instruction Shauna Smith said they did not help the students with the presentations.

“This is absolutely, 100 percent middle school minds coming together and solving problems,” she told the parents.

Students who tackled “Immigrant Legal Rights” drew a large applause from the audience. They said it is hard for immigrants to know their rights, attain citizenship and know what happens if they do something wrong. One solution is creating ways for them to study for applications, learn their rights and English.

“There are a lot of immigrants coming to the U.S. all the time, and it can be tough and hard for the struggle to live here legally,” Zepplin McCulley said. “Anyone who wants to live here within reason should be able to live here legally. Everyone coming to this country should know their rights. Furthermore, they should have access to ways to study for applications.”

The “Immigration Education” students said by educating immigrants, and teaching them how to speak English, they would have an easier time finding employment. Job training would also increase their employment chances with higher paying jobs.

“Abandoned Buildings” students said there are many abandoned buildings which need to be put to use. They suggested renovating the old hospital on Main Street since it has 300,000 unused square feet and 500 beds.

“Unfortunately, Marshalltown currently has no homeless shelters and we’re hoping to change that by renovating the hospital into a shelter for the homeless people,” Richard Levin said.

Not only would the hospital help homeless people, but also people in need and refugees. The students also suggested renovating the building into apartments, a hotel or an indoor sports complex.

However, they knew a lot of resources would be necessary for any transformation. The students said a fundraiser could be held to get the rights to the old hospital, followed by applying for government grants and bonds for the initial purchase and renovation.

The first issue presented was “Pollution Solution.” The students said they regularly see too much pollution around Marshalltown, and it should no longer be ignored. They suggested a fundraiser to buy and locate more trash cans throughout the town. While they knew there would be an increase in cost, trash bags and stuff in the landfill, there would also be less litter on the ground and cleaner water. Another solution presented was to host a contest – residents can fill trash bags with litter and bring them to the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce for an entry into a Chamber Bucks drawing.

Students who tackled the issue of raising money for the ARL said the nonprofit does not have the finances to meet the needs of all the animals. They would like to raise money through an animal fair fundraiser at Miller Middle School. An admission fee would be $5 and people can meet the pets at the ARL. Donations of food, toys and money would also be accepted.

“ARL Mission Adoption” students told the crowd they wanted to raise awareness so more pets could get adopted. The solution they devised was to increase the interaction between people and the animals at the ARL by bring the pets to the people, perhaps at the Marshalltown Public Library. That way, bonds can be formed and people can learn more about the responsibilities of raising a pet.

The “Mental Health” students want to reduce mental health issues because 40 percent of middle school students deal with something which might lead to more issues in the future. The solution they suggested was forming a partnership to bring high school and middle school students together through compatibility tests. Some students do not feel comfortable speaking to adults, so confiding in someone close to their age would be helpful.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.