POUGHKEEPSIE – Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado spent time with children in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday to advance programs to empower them.
Delgado and school district officials visited the Smith Early Learning Center followed by a lengthy tour of the future Nubian Directions Youth Center for Innovation.
Nubian Directions is in the process of restoring and rebuilding an old warehouse on the city’s north side for the expansion of programs for teens 16-24. Teenagers at Nubian are immersed in traditional education along with building trades skills and advancing technology including robotics, according to Mario Johnson who serves as the YouthBuild/AmeriCorps program director. Johnson has secured a tremendous amount of computers, virtual reality headsets, flight simulators, and other high-tech educational materials to encourage what both he and Delgado call the “Cradle to Career Initiative.”
“I think it’s important that we do a lot more to engage our young people,” Delgado said. “They need the opportunity to find their own agency, their own power, especially kids growing up in distressed areas.” The former congressman-turned-Lt. governor was briefed by the leadership of Nubian Directions who explained that the warehouse will eventually become the headquarters for the non-profit as well as the site of the classrooms and technology areas. There has been talk of making a portion of the building a “community room” to enhance relationships with the neighbors.
After observing a number of the students engaged in passive learning, Delgado said of the kids, “They need to feel support – they need to feel love and they need to feel like there’s actual pathways to build on themselves and pursue careers.” He also spoke to the group, mostly teenagers, and encouraged them to get involved in government. “They need to know that individuals at the state and the highest levels are working very hard to figure out how to provide those opportunities,” noting that the youth have the chance to shape the future of the programs.
