The programs and events that take place within the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau has, and will always affect the lives of the youth. These programs are formed to prolong the growth, education, and participation of the youth in our community. They're formulated to make us experience new situations that will help us better our decisions in the future. We are exposed to different diversities within these programs; a mixture of discrete cultures that we learn from.

The 2010 After-school Employment Program, is one of the programs in particular that is in jeopardy. Taking away this opportunity from us, deprives us of much more than a guarantee on payroll. Determination, hard work, and independence is removed from the list also. We learn so much, gain so many different experiences during employment. For grown ups, it just seems as another task that has to be done. However the youths of tomorrow sees it as an insight for the future.

Depriving us, the youths, form these many programs offered, leaves us with the notion of abandonment. Governor Patterson when you think of the world, and all the turbulence that engulfs it, do you think of the youths? Cutting funding, how does that affect us? Our community? And most importantly our lives.

Unfortunately, I have not been apart of the youth bureau, but a topic of this has hasten my footsteps to become a part of it. In addition, my interest of the 2010 After-school Employment Program is a factor that has evaluated my judgment.

I mean well when I say funding towards these programs should be continued. There is so much of an affect, that they have in our lives. Influences that will last for a lifetime.