The POINT's Youth Development Program

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

The Point Community Development Corporation is dedicated to youth development and the cultural and economic revitalization of the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. OJJDP support will help strengthen The POINT's Youth Development Program, which engages approximately 300 young people in grades 1-12 from the low-income community of Hunts Point in the South Bronx. The targeted population resides within Community Board 2 at the southern tip of Congressional District 16. According to the 2000 census, the Bronx had the third lowest median income in the nation at $29,228 and remained the poorest urban county in the country. In this same year, the median household income in Hunts Point was $17,040. The POINT offers academic assistance, literacy, comprehensive arts-in-education, environmental education and social skills building. The organization evaluates the program based on student attendance, academic performance, participation and proficiency in the performing and visual arts via public showcases and through peer and instructor evaluations. After-school hours between 3 and 6pm are prime times for young people to commit crime, become victims of crime; and experiment with smoking, drugs or alcohol. Studies indicate after-school programs reduce crime, prevent other risky behavior and teach valuable skills (Fight Crime: Invest In Kids New York). The POINT's overarching goal remains to help prevent juvenile delinquency by providing a safe and enriching out-of-school environment for at-risk young people in Hunts Point. NCA/NCF