Bronx Youth, City Officials Discuss Teen Issues

By: Dean Meminger

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A series of fights between students in the North Bronx led local parents, students and educators to hold a talk Friday night about how to support the borough's children and prevent further violence. Borough reporter Dean Meminger filed the following report.

On Friday night, a group of teenagers in Williamsbridge, Bronx were not worried about a party or the movies, but were concerned with strategies to improve their neighborhood.

"Movies will come and go, but changing my community is something that needs to happen as soon as possible. Now is the time," said Bronx Youth Empowerment Program President Brian Melford.

The Youth Empowerment Program, or YEP, grilled public officials, community leaders and others on tough issues concerning youth.

"I want to know what's the mayor's office's plan on reducing the percentage of children going to bed hungry," said Ne-Ne Ali of YEP.

"It is our responsibility as adults to help navigate through those issues in their teens years. Not to chastise them, not to cast them to the curb, but to help them through their teen years," said YEP Executive Director Andy King. "And that is what the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program strives to do."

On major issue discussed was youth-on-youth violence. Recently, students on the campus of H.S. 362 had a big fight that resulted in three children getting hospitalized. One girl was arrested for having a 10-inch knife and five others were given disorderly conduct summonses.

Students said there is a need for more youth programs and conversations with adults.

"Come to understand each other, come to understand the entire situation, hear the different different points of views, of the conflict, and coming up with a solution," said a local student.

Dennis Walcott, the deputy mayor for education, was on the panel for the youth program and said such talks are important to showcase young people doing good in the community.

"The interaction with policy makers, union leaders, people who run businesses is also important," said Walcott. "Because it gives the youth an opportunity to put us under pressure, but it also gives us an opportunity to learn from us, and we from them."

The community plans to hold similar conversations in the future.