Dutchess legislator launches ‘Project Color’

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Project COLOR. Photo provided.

POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Legislator Barrington Atkins (D – Poughkeepsie) has introduced a new program intended to help promote the talents of minority youth. Project Color was held this weekend in the gym at the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie.

Atkins, a licensed master social worker, said his new program was started due to “the increasing and persistent rate of violence that often involves the youth of Poughkeepsie.” Focusing on the city’s teenage males, Project Color seeks to grow into a support network for young men to address their needs and concerns. 

“Creating a safe space where we can all connect, relate, share, and find the similarities and differences in our emotional and psychosocial needs is of paramount importance,” said Atkins. The freshman legislator hopes to create awareness of the program so that the young men can channel their frustrations into more creative and productive outlets rather than resorting to violence. 

The inaugural event was attended by 19 participants.  Atkins enlisted additional facilitators for Saturday including fellow Legislator Giancarlo Llaverias (D – Town of Poughkeepsie), Avery Strother, a recent SUNY Albany graduate, and Ishmael Chisholm, a criminal justice major at SUNY Morrisville.  

The four moderators, according to Atkins, “tailored their discussions in a way to encourage positive yet realistic ideals and approaches to all of these issues. Our intended goal is to change the narrative about our youth.”  

Atkins was also critical of news outlets. “The media is generally eager to point out the violence or negative things happening in our community yet fail to showcase the amazing things that our youth of capable of doing. We aim to bring those talents, gifts, skills to light. If we can be examples and show our youth what they are capable of, then their expectations and goals can follow.”

Atkins is planning to continue hosting these gatherings.  “We want to show them, coach them, and grow them into the future leaders of tomorrow. Simultaneously we are showing them alternatives to violence. Living in an environment that has some violence doesn’t mean you have to be a part of it. “

Contact information for Legislator Atkins can be found here.




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