County Invites Youth to Attend Regional ‘Path to Promise’
Meetings and Provide Input on Innovative Plan
Poughkeepsie … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has announced the County will host four regional meetings for students, giving teens the opportunity to provide critical feedback on the innovative “Path to Promise” initiative to ensure every child in Dutchess County has access to the assets they need to become successful young adults.
Attendees will receive a brief overview of the County’s “Path to Promise” and the progress that has already been made; provide input about the service and programming needs specific to their respective geographic area; and help develop the County’s next steps in the implementation of the program.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Since the inception of our ‘Path to Promise,’ Dutchess County prioritized engaging with our youth, involving them in every step of the process to gain their important input and ensuring they help shape the initiative which will benefit them and future generations. We invite youth influencers from every corner of Dutchess County to attend our upcoming regional meetings to learn how they can spread the word about the ‘Path to Promise’ and help themselves and their peers succeed.”
Local youth, ages 13 to 19, are invited to the regional “Path to Promise” meetings on the following dates:
Northern Region (including Tivoli, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Clinton, Hyde Park, LaGrange and Pleasant Valley)
Thursday, September 12th from 4 to 6 p.m.
Red Hook Community Center; 59 Fisk Street, Red Hook
Southern Region (including Beacon, Fishkill, East Fishkill, Wappinger, Wappingers Falls)
Friday, September 13th from 4 to 6 p.m.
The Bee Hive; 291 Main Street, Beacon
Greater Poughkeepsie (including Town and City of Poughkeepsie)
Wednesday, September 18th from 5 to 7 p.m.
Hudson Valley Community Center; 110 South Grand Avenue, Poughkeepsie
Eastern Region (including Milan, Pine Plains, Stanford, Millerton, North East, Millbrook, Washington, Amenia, Dover, Beekman, Union Vale, Pawling)
Friday, October 4th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Grace Church; 3328 Franklin Avenue, Millbrook
Attendees will learn about, and give their input on, the “Path to Promise,” continuing to help guide the process that will benefit county youth moving forward. Teens can RSVP to the meeting nearest them by emailing pathtopromise@dutchessny.gov and providing their name and hometown; those who cannot attend but still want to be involved in the “Path to Promise” implementation, or those who have questions or suggestions, can also email their input to the same address.
The upcoming meetings are the County’s latest “Path to Promise” outreach efforts, spanning more than a year, reaching of local youth for their feedback. In addition to hosting a pair of countywide youth summits in the last 10 months, attracting hundreds of teens, volunteers visited numerous local high schools during the 2018-19 school year, discussing the “Path to Promise” and how the students could help shape the process.
Through that extensive outreach, the motto “Nothing About Me Without Me” emerged as a theme for the initiative – noting both the youths’ eagerness to be part of the planning and implementation of the “Path to Promise,” as well as Dutchess County’s strong desire to include them in the decision-making. More information about the “Path to Promise” initiative is available on Dutchess County Government’s website.
