The Selma Youth Development Center once again graduated a talented, hopeful group of young people on Wednesday, the completion of another successful year.

The program, which teaches athletics, the arts and even a little broadcasting, gives youths a sense of pride and accomplishment. These accomplishments are always well received, as every year, young people finishing the program put their talents and newly learned skills on display during the last day of the program.

Each year, parents and other concerned citizens of Selma can attend the ceremony and find out why misconceptions about the state of the younger generations are simply not true.

These children represent some of the best parts of Selma: dedication, courage, talent, intelligence and ability.

While it’s easy to dwell on the negatives that sometimes appear in this publication and others regarding our children, it’s a little more accurate to pay attention to the positives that appear every day.

Selma’s children are everything we could ever need to ensure a bright future for our city. Programs like the Selma Youth Development Center provide the necessary nurturing and training our children need all year long.

We hope the city continues to support the center and programs like it, not only through much-needed funding, but with volunteer support as well.

Attend a PTO meeting. Volunteer at the YMCA, the Selma Youth Development Center, or even the Selma Police PALS program. All of these organizations, and a dozen like them, are good for Selma in the long-run and the short-run.