Rochester Youth Initiatives

Vision statement:
To foster understanding between the suburban youth of Rochester and the inner-city youth thereby making (1) the two groups aware of the problems facing the other; and through this dialogue, (2) seek solutions to some of these problems.

Need:
Upon talking to Mayor Robert Duffy, Mr. Victor Saunders, Director of Pathways to Peace, and Mrs. Nancy Johns-Price, Program Development Specialist with the Bureau of Recreation & Youth Services, City of Rochester, they all mentioned that if we are to make Rochester a better place, the suburban youth and the inner-city youth need to better understand each other, collaborate, and help resolve the problems facing them. This initiative is all the more urgent since the city is losing its appeal for many, due to the unresolved issues that the youth encounter.

Process:
My plan is to become a member of the Rochester City Youth Council to better understand the needs and the problems that the suburban and the inner-city youth face. Subsequently, I plan on introducing many of the youth from the inner-city schools, Brighton, Pittsford, Rush-Henrietta, Webster, and other nearby school districts, into the council so that they can understand these problems better and promote city wide involvement in their own schools. With this level of involvement, new programs to help the youth can be planned and executed.

Goals:
- To make the youth more aware of the problems facing Rochester
- To have representatives from at least 5 different schools become a part of the Rochester City Youth Council (Inner-City Schools, Brighton, Pittsford, Rush Henrietta, Webster)
- To get as many people/ organizations involved as possible in this project (Pathways to Peace, City Recreation & Parks, …)
- To thereby resolve some of the problems Rochester youth face, for example, help decrease the high school drop out rate and increase the number of students getting their GED/ high school diplomas