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East Hartford Youth Services
Youth Task Force
In the summer of 2007, Mayor Melody Currey formed a Youth Task Force to address issues related to juvenile crime, violence and delinquency. The Director of Youth Services, Cephus Nolen, Jr., was tapped to serve as chair of the committee, which would also include Mayor Currey, Police Chief Mark Sirois, Superintendant of Schools Marion Martinez, Board of Education Chairwoman Mary Alice Dwyer Hughes, and Michael Moan, head of security for the school system.
A decision was made to hire a coordinator for the program, who would work as a liaison between all of the agencies working on the project. In July of 2008, Marc G. Bassos, was hired to fill the position of Youth Outreach Coordinator. His experience as a police officer for 23 years, and his community work with the youth, parents, and schools of West Hartford as well as with numerous local and state youth service-related agencies would be helpful in the new East Hartford initiative.
At the same time, the Police Department was able to secure grant funding to hire six "Outreach Workers". Under the supervision of the Youth Outreach Coordinator, these "street level" youth advocates would make contact with the youth by visits to the local parks, summer camps, schools and at special events. The "outreach workers" will not only make contact with the youth but will engage parents in providing information on the services available through the Department of Youth Services, as well as addtional programs offered by private youth agencies in East Hartford.
During the summer of 2008, three of the positions were filled to reach out to the community. The remaining postions were filled by September. The TEAM includes Joe Riley, Patty Uccello, James Westberry, JoAnn Cassello, and Bari Winner.
Besides identifying students who may be at-risk for matters of criminal activity, the outreach workers will identify those students and families who may need services for everything including parenting support issues, truancy, teen pregnancy, poverty ..... any issues that might prevent a child from reaching their ultimate success as an adult.
The combined efforts of the Town, the Police Department, the Public Schools and our Town residents to provide the best opportunity for young people in East Hartford to succeed and prosper will surely be attained.
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