The CITY Teen Leaders from the Community Improvement Through Youth Project in Broome County recently hosted the “Operation 4 Cooperation” Youth/Law Enforcement Summit in Binghamton. Through an afternoon of panel discussions and small working groups at St. Mary's Recreation Center on Hawley Street, Binghamton police officers and the CITY Teen Leaders came to consensus—they need to work together to improve the community and in order to do so, better communications are needed.
The summit gave young people and police a chance to voice their mutual concerns and brainstorm ways to build healthier relationships between youth and police. Proposed future events included: a basketball game, a cookout, a ride-along program, more police in the schools, a forum or assembly at the high school, mentoring by police officers, social events, a softball game, carnival days, job shadowing, miniature golf, flag football and a community picnic. At the end of this youth-led summit, youth, police and local residents signed a Community Resolution to continue working together to improve the community.
"Operation 4 Cooperation," will be the first of several community gatherings between police and youth. The goal? To help law enforcement and young people foster healthy, constructive relationships. "We started today to bridge the gap between what each side thinks about the other," said Interim Binghamton Police Chief Joseph T. Zikuski. "We must build on what happened here today. We can't let it stop. Both sides have to realize we’re all human beings."
“Operation 4 Cooperation” was sponsored by the CITY Project, Binghamton Weed and Seed, Center City Coordination Project (C3), Cornell Cooperative Extension Youth Task Team, Binghamton Housing Authority/Gang Prevention, Broome County Youth Bureau, City of Binghamton Municipal Youth Bureau, City of Binghamton Police Department, Berkshire Life House Program, and the New York National Guard Counter-drug Task Force.
The CITY Project, a project in the Dept. of Human Development, uses one of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Signature Programs, Youth Community Action (YCA) as a model for promoting civic engagement, workforce preparation, and asset development among youth (13-18 years old) in New York State’s Children, Youth and Families At Risk (CYFAR) Project. The CITY Project was designated as a 2007 Successful Urban 4-H Program by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) Urban 4-H Programs Task Force and is a National 4-H Headquarters Program of Distinction. Programs of Distinction reflect the high quality of 4-H youth development programs occurring in communities across the U.S. The Program of Distinction designation is coordinated through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).
For Further Information
CITY Project website: http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/city/