Close to a hundred spectators gathered around a boxing ring last Friday to watch 10 men trade punches to raise money for a local program for at-risk Hoboken teens.
The Save the Youth Program (STY), which began last September, has provided over 130 youths – most of whom come from low-income and/or single parent households – with a place to go after school to learn about dance, music production, and business strategy. The workshops run on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The program was created by a federal grant of approximately $190,000 from the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, an arm of the Department of Justice.
However, the grant was not renewed this year, forcing organizers to seek out other funding sources.
Two teens speak out
“The program is designed to keep our youth off the streets and instill in them the discipline, principles, and knowledge they need to succeed in life and realize their own potential,” said Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) assistant director Carmelo Garcia last week. Garcia founded the program while he was the human services director for the city.
Garcia’s sentiment was shared by two teens who have been enrolled in the program since its inception.
“For me, it helped me stay away from bad influences after school,” said 13-year-old Tarek Montague. “It helps a lot of kids get off the streets, and for those who like music, [it helps them to] get closer to it and learn more about it.”
Agreeing was 17-year-old Jacqueline Algarin.
“The amount of knowledge I took away from the program, it inspired me to do more with myself,” said Algarin. “Students seem much more interested in things,” she added. “it inspires them in several areas of their life.”
How organizers plan to save the ‘Save the Youth Program’
According to Garcia, Friday night’s amateur bout, organized by Port Authority Inspector General Michael Nestor and Club H owner Craig Laskow (who donated the space), raised $15,000. That is enough to keep the program running though February of next year, with federal funding ending in December.
According to Garcia, only operational costs remain to fund the program. Those costs include instructor salaries, classroom supplies and the financing of field trips to New York City. He estimates the total cost to be approximately $120,000 over the next year.
In an attempt to continue the program beyond next February, Garcia reached out to the city’s current Director of Health and Human Services, John Pope, and School District Superintendent Jack Raslowsky, in the hopes of procuring funds through the district’s 21st Century Grant Program as well as from the city.
Neither Raslowsky, nor Pope, who were both awaiting a budgetary run-down for the next calendar year, would commit to funding the program just yet, though they were both quick to acknowledge the positive impact it is having on the youth who are enrolled in it.
In addition to the potential funding sources mentioned above, Garcia said that he and others in the community plan to hold future fundraisers as well, to raise money and awareness.
Three workshops offered after school
The STY program is held at the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club on weekday afternoons and consists of three separate areas of instruction.
The first is the Business Minds Thinking workshop, which promotes leadership qualities among students while giving them an overview of how business works. Organizers hope that this knowledge will remain with students in the years to come, and lead to possible entrepreneurial ventures and success later in life.
The second program is the music studio workshop where students can record, edit, and produce their own music tracks under the direction of two music industry professionals.
And thirdly, there is a dance academy where students are exposed to various forms of hip-hop dance, providing them with a creative venue in which to express themselves.
In fact, the entire program is centered around hip-hop culture. In an attempt to relate to teens through a culture they are familiar with, instructors expose them to a positive message to combat the negativity usually associated with hip-hop and rap.
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.