Appropriations Requests

Funding is requested to continue, expand and enhance the Irvington Youth Development Program in order to prevent young people from joining gangs and pursuing a life on the violent streets. This project will provide mentoring and intensive intervention components for the most at-risk children; educational and employment support services and a targeted effort for those youth who do drop out of school. This comprehensive initiative will prevent Irvington youth from joining gangs and pursuing violent and criminal lifestyles by educating and supporting them with methods proven to improve school attendance and performance and foster healthy behaviors, positive choices and productive lives. Reducing violent crime in Irvington is predicated on reducing the presence of gangs and eliminating their major source of recruits - Irvington youth.