Southampton Town Plans May 29 Forum on East End Youth Risks, Needs
A subcommittee of the Suffolk County Youth Board Coordinating Council found that the youth of the East End are suffering socioeconomic and health issues equivalent to those of their counterparts in western Suffolk County.
Nancy Lynott, a member of the subcommittee who has worked as the youth bureau coordinator for Southampton Town since 2002, stated that, “Some perceive the East End as an idyllic place, void of such things as teenage drug use or pregnancy. But we found the incidence of youth-related problems is fairly consistent with the rest of Suffolk County, and in some instances, even greater.”
The Town of Southampton officially announced this week that a forum will be held to discuss the findings of this report and to gather information from community stakeholders, parents, school administrators and service providers. The meeting is open to the public and will be held on Thursday, May 29th from 6:30 to 8 p.m at the David Crohan Community Center, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders.
Southampton Town Councilman Brad Bender, who is the youth bureau liaison, said, “This forum is a huge step towards finding remedies to longstanding problems that affect youth in all communities including the East End.”
The event is co-sponsored by the youth bureaus of Southampton, Riverhead and Southold towns as well as by Legislators Al Krupski and Jay Schneiderman who represent the first and second districts in the Suffolk County Legislature, respectively.