Collaborations, grants set stage for Youth Council's busy fall

A partnership with the Nassau County Police Department, grant proposals, and an exciting collaboration with a new local business are at the forefront of the Rockville Centre Youth Council’s agenda for this upcoming fall. After the successful open house on June 7 at the Rec Center to spotlight the mission of the council and its upcoming activities, the recognized non-profit has been making headway on many of its goals.

Liz Boylan, Youth Council liaison to the RVC Police Department, and South Side sophomore Robert Aldana are in talks with Rockville Centre Police Lt. Christopher Romance and other officers to start a chapter of the Nassau County Police Explorers’ program.

“In teaming up with police officers to provide education and experience for student council members, the Explorers’ program would show teens a different side to law enforcement,” Boylan explained. The Explorers’ program is already established in towns across Long Island, but Rockville Centre would be the first village to have a chapter.

Under the guidance of chairwoman Beth Hammerman, the Youth Council has applied for the competitive Best Buy @ 15 Community Grants Program, a national program that distributes funds exceeding $2 million to select non-profit organizations across the U.S. The council also applied for a grant from the Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Parade, which allots money each year to charities including one local group.

“Funding from the grants would be used toward continuing the current programs we are involved in, be they social events or community education programs,” Hammerman explained. “We will also begin to save for the development of a youth center,” she added.

Mike Caffrey, vice chairman of the council, agreed with Hammerman.

“We’re looking for a space for the youth center, but we need funding to realistically do it,” Caffrey said. In the meantime, the council is in the beginning stages of working with Revolution Yoga, a new business in the village.

“The owners of Revolution Yoga want to make their place into a cultural center and a multimedia art gallery for the community. They are interested in teaming up with the Youth Council to make this happen. We would use the collaboration as segue into building our own youth center,” he added.

Revolution Yoga owners met with Caffrey and Hammerman in early July to discuss the possibility of teaming up. The groups exchanged creative ideas, including using the available space in the studio to host independent films, an open mike night, poetry readings, and more.

“It was a very positive meeting,” said Caffrey. “We are going to have a retreat with Youth Council members to plan more ideas and then hopefully have some concrete events set up for the fall.”