Summer Teen Fair Draws Hundreds
Youth attend first teen summer fair in Niagara Falls. |
When kids are carrying bags with your site's logo on them, you must have done something right. At least that's how Allen Booker, Program Coordinator for the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed site, sees it.
The "sack packs" were a giveaway at the first annual Teen Summer Fair of the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed last August. The fair focused on engaging youth in safe and positive educational activities and promoting alternatives to drug use. More than 360 people attended the event, where the theme was "I Got a Future and Drugs Ain't In It."
There is a lot of drug use in the city, according to Booker, and the fair was one way for the site to start getting more involved in youth programming and get more youth away from drugs and involved in community activities.
"Drug prevention is at the top of the list," Booker said when asked about the site's goals for reaching out more to youth, adding that future programming will be geared toward drug and gang prevention.
The city of Niagara Falls had "gone downhill," according to Booker, but the area where the Weed and Seed office is located is being gentrified. The office's central location and large parking lot provided a great space for the fair, where community-based organizations and vendors could distribute information and sign teens up for programs. The keynote speaker was Dr. Calvin Mackie, a national motivational speaker and an associate professor at Tulane University. Some of the groups that participated in the fair included the Alcoholism Council of Niagara County, Planned Parenthood, the University at Buffalo, and the Niagara Falls Police Department.
The fair was a mix of fun and games—with a moon bounce and an appearance by the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders—and people providing helpful information, such as explaining college scholarships and employment opportunities. Some teens also helped plan the fair.
Booker admits that a good number of programs are available to youth but that the word is not getting out to all teens, and that area teens have expressed interest in even more programming.
To that end, Booker has a particular type of programming in mind. "I want to see more leadership programs," he said. Even though the local high school has some leadership programming and functions as a Safe Haven, Booker sees room for improvement. He also wants to include youth on the Steering Committee of the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed site.
A number of teens have suggested to site staff that, besides more activities, what they are really interested in is working. Booker would like to capitalize on that interest and help some youth get internships and not just settle for minimum-wage jobs.
"I want kids to know they can do better," he said. "The teen fair is just the start."
For more information, contact:
Allen Booker
Weed and Seed Program Coordinator for Niagara Falls
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