While it’s difficult to look beyond the dismal news of the poor economy and tightening budgets that haunts us each day, good news does still abound.

Just this week, the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee released some enlightening statistics: The number of juvenile arrests in Washington state last year was the lowest in nearly three decades.

No matter where you live in Washington, this is a good sign for every community. The youth of this state will become the leaders we’ll depend on in the very near future. Promising news on the shape our youth is in is good news all around.

A good education and sound leadership are undoubtedly instrumental in keeping our community’s children from making poor decisions.

There are various programs in Kitsap County focused on keeping children active and boredom at bay as mischief often is a result of, “I was bored.”

While there are many opportunities for Central Kitsap youth that keep them from turning to crime, the planned Haselwood Family YMCA in Silverdale will be a beneficial facility for our community’s children. While it’s still a couple years from fruition, it, and other facilities and programs like it, is what Central Kitsap needs. And more of it.

The more involved we are in the lives of our local youth, the better influence we’ll have on lowering the juvenile crime rate in our state. Here’s to an even lower rate for 2009.