Folk singer Peter Yarrow was joined on stage by several youth delegates at the Delegates Luncheon during the Congress of Cities.

?The root to healing our hearts in our country is through our kids,? he said. ?Work with the kids and it will change the entire community.?

Yarrow, of the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, helped NLC celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Institute for Youth, Education and Families by performing standards like ?Puff, the Magic Dragon? while asking Americans to value their children.

Long affiliated with social justice movements, Yarrow has formed the character education organization Operation Respect to reduce intolerance and bullying among the young.

For details on the free Operation Respect curriculum currently in use in one-eighth of American schools, visit www.operationrespect.org.

The young people who joined Yarrow on the stage included: Lauren Thompson, Waco, Texas; Timothy ?T.J? Foster, Waco Texas; Chad Andresen, Peoria, Ariz.; Josef Ward, Gulfport, Fla.; Sarah McAvoy, Gulfport, Fla.; Danae Moser, Reno, Nev.; and Kirstin Fisher, Reno, Nev.

Reporting by Laura Turner; Photos by Steve Schneider