RALEIGH -- Parents and students visiting a Southeast Raleigh community center Saturday could chart a path from kindergarten through college and find ideas for extracurricular activities to sharpen athletic or leadership skills.
Thirty Wake County schools, after-school programs and nonprofit groups shared space at the Tarboro Road Community Center, offering a stocked buffet of information about city and county educational, recreational and community-service projects.
Dottie Brooks came looking for job opportunities for her 13-year-old son, Adonis. While she discovered Adonis is too young for a job this summer, she spoke to the principal at his middle school and found out about a tutoring program with bus service that her son might be able to attend.
"If that would happen, I would be blessed," she said.
She appreciated the chance to mingle at Positive Youth Development Day.
"In order to get things for children, you have to get into the community," Brooks said.
The first Positive Youth Development Day allowed families choosing schools for next year to talk to school leaders in a relaxed environment, said Octavia Rainey, who leads Raleigh's Positive Youth Development Task Force.
"We're bringing the schools to the children on a day when parents and students can come," said Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata. Participation by the schools and city and county agencies is "an example of great partnerships and does a lot to help us build bridges and make those connections we need to make and maintain," he said.
A group of students who are Youth Development Program neighborhood ambassadors helped plan the event and showed up to learn about education programs and community organizations.
Justin Boykins English, 13, said he wanted to figure out "what I want to do (and) where I can get it done." He attends Ligon GT Magnet Middle School and plans to go to Enloe High School.
Damonte Bennett, a 15-year-old Enloe student, checked out Wake Early College and got information about the Richard B. Harrison Library. Bennett said he was planning for college and was looking for information.
With the glut of school, community and nonprofit representatives, the event at times had more people waiting to give information than people seeking it. Representatives used the time to exchange information.
Rainey said she hopes for more parents at the next development day but dubbed Saturday a success for bringing together agency representatives who may not have ever had the chance to meet.
"We're very pleased with our outcome today," she said. The event gave school officials a chance to visit a neighborhood, she said, and parents saw how many schools local children attend.
Monica Lucas, library assistant at Harrison Library, used some of development day to connect with representatives from the high schools, Method Community Center and other organizations. She began discussions about how the library could work with them on book clubs, book talks and other programs.
Lucas said she would follow up with everyone.
