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Connections

Coming Up On Connections: Thursday, June 30th

Teen Empowerment

First hour: Getting to know the local Caribbean community

Second hour: Examining programs designed to help at-risk kids in Rochester

In Rochester, the Caribbean community tends to feel forgotten. Its members are wondering: how much do you know about Caribbean geography? History? Heritage? As certain industries grow, such as tourism, others like human and drug trafficking threaten to destabilize that region. We'll look at how the local Caribbean community is trying to connect and become more well known in Western New York. Our guests:

  • Earl Barnes, president of the Rochester Caribbean Alliance
  • Joel Frater, Rochester Jamaican Organization
  • Martine Rose, organizer of the 2016 Rochester Jerk Festival

In our second hour: More than half of Rochester's children live in poverty, and Rochester ranks No. 1 in child poverty rates among cities in comparably sized metro areas. The Urban Institute finds that Rochester is in the top 10, nationally, among cities for black-white disparity in employment and homeownership. What is going to change those numbers? We'll examine several programs aimed at helping at-risk youth get their first job, keep that job, and graduate from school. Our guests:

  • Eddie Casado, participant in the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection program and graduate of East High School
  • Meghan Wagner, director of the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection Jobs Institute
  • Shanterra Randle, program coordinator for the Center for Teen Empowerment
  • U’Nisia Calloway, student at Young Women’s College Prep and youth employee at the Center for Teen Empowerment
  • Antwan Williams, director of youth services at RochesterWorks!
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.