March 27, 2019 -- More than 200 youth selected from Youth Bureaus across New York State traveled to Albany to attend the Association of New York State Youth Bureau’s Youth Leadership Conference. The Westchester County Youth Bureau’s Youth Empowerment Council for Change met with elected officials such as Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, Senators Alessandra Biaggi, Peter Harckham, Shelly Mayer and Jamaal Bailey, key staff of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, to discuss the importance of Youth Bureaus and Positive Youth Development programs. Youth from three Invest in Kids programs, Family Services of Westchester, the White Plains Youth Bureau and the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, were also in attendance.
During the meetings with the elected officials youth described the varying needs of Westchester’s youth, and the plethora of supports offered through the Youth Bureau system including leadership training, substance abuse prevention, physical, social and emotional wellness activities, workforce development, educational supports, bullying and violence prevention. The youth made a compelling case for the need to maintain services that address food insecurity and hunger, racial inequalities and alcohol and substance use.
Eli and Hannah Tolz, members of the Westchester County Youth Empowerment Council for Change, advocated for more training opportunities like those that were offered at the conference, which included finance and budgeting, human trafficking, and internet safety and youth mental health first aid. Jack Greenspan and Sebastian Andrade, youth from the Westchester Youth Councils, discussed their interests in civic engagement and the meaningfulness of having opportunities to talk to their elected officials.
County Executive George Latimer said: “As a former New York State Legislator, I always welcomed the opportunity to meet with young people and hear their perspectives. I am confident that my colleagues in Albany heard their voices loud and clear. We are dedicated to fostering the ease of civic engagement and supporting youth as they identify and speak out on issues that matter most to them.”
Executive Director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden said: “Westchester’s youth couldn’t be any more diverse or articulate of the varying needs of young people throughout New York State. These youth provided the best narrative for the realities of their community, expressing the challenges of the youth who live in affluent neighborhoods and may have greater access to alcohol or controlled substances, the youth who couch surf due to homelessness or poverty.”
The conference also included a keynote speaker, Ken Nwadike of the “Free Hugs Project.” Nwadike was featured this October at the Association of New York State Youth Bureau’s 48th Conference in Tarrytown, NY. He also spoke in Albany to empower youth through his personal account of growing up in homeless shelters, and ultimately finding his passion-spreading peace across the country.
The Westchester County Youth Bureau welcomes any youth who want to participate on the Youth Empowerment Council, or other funded Youth Councils. For more information, please contact (914) 995-2745.