Mayor's Youth Corps Challenges High Schoolers to Get Involved

Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino believes something has gone missing from the lives of young people: with increased academic and extracurricular demands on their time and energy, many kids have stopped simply playing outside, or heading out to explore what Babylon has to offer.

Without spending  time outside in their communities, Scordino fears local children and teenagers could become disconnected from where they live and their neighbors.

The mayor's observation inspired him to create the Babylon Village Youth Corps, a program now in its second year and designed to connect the dots between needs in the community and local teens who are able and willing to volunteer.

Scordino, along with a group of eight committee members, works with Babylon High School to recruit interested high school students, who are interested in providing community service hours for academic requirements.

"We have about 20 students right now, and they've done everything from helping out at the Babylon Beautification Fair at Argyle Lake, to assisting as docents at Conklin House events and the Mayor's Cup baseball fundraiser," explained Scordino.

Elderly village residents who may need help with snow or leaf removal , or other tasks, can request assistance from the program by contacting the mayor's office.

Scordino views the benefits of getting kids involved in volunteerism as larger than simply the physical help they can provide.

"When our young people work on things in their community, it instills a sense of ownership and pride. They might think twice about participating in vandalism or ignoring it when their friends do something destructive around town," he said.

A recent Youth Corps project, in which volunteers painted white fish symbols on village sewers that drain into local waterways and estuaries, fits into the larger idea behind the program: getting kids involved and raising their awareness about the place they live can help them consider the role of their own actions, and the consequences they might have on the local environment.

Scordino said they are still looking to iron out some logistical challenges, particularly how to set up a system of notifications when a request for help comes in, but he's hopeful the program will continue to grow and flourish.

For more information contact the mayor's office at 631-669-1212.