The public is invited to help to solve an ongoing issue: guiding the children of the community away from negative influences and onto a path to success.

Saturday at 10 a.m., community leaders, business owners and neighborhood folk will gather for a sit-down forum to brainstorm about intervention at the childhood level — intervention that accompanies local children from childhood to adulthood, from schooling to job training to employment.

“We want a committee to come together to see what we can do to make (Beaufort County) a better place and we want to show other places how it’s done,” said Claudia Stokes, president of the Beaufort County branch of the Southern Christian Leader Conference. “I guess you can see, we’re starting here, with Beaufort County.”

Stokes believes the way to help local children is by first identifying the issues children face in Beaufort County, which the forum will address Saturday.

Stokes said the SCLC has already reached out to local youths, getting their take on the challenges they face.

“These young folks, they’re asking for help and I just feel like that we will personally be held accountable if we don’t reach out and help those who are asking for it,” Stokes said.

Representatives from law enforcement, the school system, Legal Aid and business plan to attend Saturday’s forum, to make the first step in building a program from the ground up, Stokes said.

When asked who should attend, Stokes was clear.

“Everyone. This is something we can all be a part of,” Stokes said. “Youths, adults, senior citizens, business owners, employers — that’s why it’s called unity, in a community. We can do this if we work together. But it takes teammates.”

The Community Forum will be held at Washington Housing Authority, 908 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, at 10 a.m.