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Ronneisha Johnson, 15, stood before a group of children participating in the Little Friends for Peace Camp on Aug. 21 in Mount Rainer.

"So, what are your biggest concerns?" the Mount Rainier resident asked.

One teenage camp counselor's answer: Violence. Another said spending money on the war in Iraq. One camper was concerned about substance abuse and crime.

Ronneisha then guided their responses to find solutions by asking questions like, "How do you think we should tackle this problem?"

Ronneisha and six other youths worked for the Dialogue Project, run by Mount Rainier-based nonprofit Actively Building Community, for seven weeks during the summer. The teens collected data about residents' concerns and ideas, which they then analyzed to find connections. They developed questionnaires and canvassed neighborhoods. At the end of the program the teens presented their findings to several community groups, including the Little Friends for Peace Camp, which teaches children about nonviolent conflict resolution.

ABC participants read a list of some of their findings, which found connections among the biggest concerns they documented, such as how a lack of gathering places can lead to teens hanging out on the streets, which in turn can lead to problems like loitering and police harassment. They also found links among unemployment, drug dealing, substance abuse, gangs and the war in Iraq.

"We realized these were major problems, and this leads to this," Ronneisha said.

"It wasn't about getting people to complain about this community," ABC coordinator Julie Barnet said. "It was more about what people face in this community, and how we can come together."

The teens spent the first few days of the project developing three sets of questions in order to focus on primary concerns. Then, in groups, they went to Mount Rainier, Brentwood and Hyattsville to pose the questions to people gathered at parks or bus stops, speaking to people of a variety of backgrounds.

Doneisha Bullock, 16, of Mount Rainier said she became involved with the group at the urging of her friend, Ronneisha, who was already involved with ABC during the school year. Doneisha said that after hearing so many residents' points of views and stories, she has changed her outlook on some issues.

Bullock said she wasn't worried about liquor stores in the community, until she heard residents' concerns that such stores can attract violence and lead to public drunkenness.

"I now see the effect it has on the community," she said.

In addition to collecting data and exposing the youth to different points of view, the project was also meant to help develop skills within the group, Barnet said.

"It was for the young people, themselves, to have the opportunity to learn about interviewing and talking to people," she said.

Participant Teara McCray, 16, of Mount Rainier said she gained more confidence in interviewing as the weeks progressed. In all, the youths conducted 250 interviews.

Teara said some interviewees previously felt their voices weren't being heard.

"They felt like because of their ages nobody cares, or because they weren't rich," she said.

Aside from the data collected, though, the major lesson the teens learned was that whether they were talking to fellow teens or to adults, they all shared similar worries.

"We just think some of the same stuff they think, so maybe we can all work together," Ronneisha said.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.