On October 24th The Charles Brieant Center, led by Deacon Norman Fulton held their first Youth Conference at St. Mark’s Parish Hall in Mount Kisco to discuss juvenile crime, gun control and drugs. The entire day was a wonderful success. We were very fortunate to have as our speakers, Dennis Parker, ACLU Director; Michael Borrelli, ADA and Officer Joaquim Brito, Westchester County Police. Their words resonated with the students. Our small group leaders, all of whom are experts in Juvenile Crime, were outstanding, Lindsay Mitchell, Al Thompson, Courtney Clarke and Sarah Yergeau took the time to patiently and respectfully listened to the kids.
The conference highlighted a number of things. These students attended a Saturday conference to discuss community issues instead of focusing on sports, rap music, food or to see someone famous. The students care about social issues and it’s important that we listen to them.
The contrast between kids who are incarcerated and the students is startling. At the end of day the students were asked three questions. The first was, “what are the things that are good in you life?” Overwhelmingly, the number 1 good thing was family. The response from kids incarcerated is exactly the opposite. In the next couple of months, we’ll highlight other results from the conference. In early 2016 the students will go to Albany to discuss their concerns and solutions with our representatives and a photo op with the Governor.
