Paterson Youth Council Kicks-Off at Camp Bernie

The Paterson Youth Council (PYC) officially started the year on September 6th, and has already begun to plan events for the upcoming year. Since then, they participated in the September 11th Day of Service event, had a field trip to watch the New York Mets at Citi Field, and on Friday, September 17th, the Paterson Youth Council traveled to Port Murray, NJ for an overnight retreat at Camp Bernie.

The trip to Camp Bernie gave the students the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Paterson, and spend two days in wooded Warren County. While there, the group had no access to traditional 21st century entertainment. Instead, they spent the two days learning outdoor survival skills and participating in physical team building activities.

Manny Martinez, the adult liaison to the Paterson Youth Council, explained the significance of the Camp Bernie trip, “The purpose of the trip was for the group to have bonding time. They had no television, no computers or videogames—the only entertainment they had was each other. Before the students can learn how to unify their own community, they first need to be unified as a group. This team-building activity was crucial to the future successes of the Paterson Youth Council.”

The PYC, already in its seventh year, gives the young people of Paterson the opportunity to organize and speak out on issues relevant to youth in the city. The next big PYC initiative is the inaugural Civic Open Mic Night to be held on Friday September 23 at 7pm in the Boiler Building at 13 ½ Van Houten Street in Paterson. The event is open to all community members. The Open Mic Nights present our youth with opportunities to speak their minds and let their voices be heard. These events will have monthly themes dealing with issues that impact their lives on a daily basis. The first theme will be, “Roots and Culture: Where I’m from”. The Civic Open Mic Nights will continue to be held on the last Friday of every month.

For more information on how to participate in the Civic Open Mic Nights or how to become a member of the Paterson Youth Council, please contact Manny Martinez at MMartinez@njcdc.org.