Prince George's County Cabinet For Children And Youth Formed

Bowie MD

22 February, 2022

1:53 PM

Description

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The Prince George's County Cabinet for Children and Youth has officially been formed as part of the county's Youth Engagement Week. The Cabinet for Children and Youth will work to address and respond to the issues facing the county's children and youth ages 25 years and younger to include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for children and youth in the County. "The formation of this cabinet is yet another important investment we are making in our children and youth," County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. "We are working to ensure that Prince George's County remains a healthy and safe place for children to grow and thrive for generations to come. This cabinet will allow us to address the needs of youth in an impactful way while improving their quality of life." The first introductory meeting for the Cabinet for Children and Youth was held in January and meetings will be held quarterly. The cabinet is comprised of representatives from various county government agencies, Prince George's County Public Schools, community and faith-based organizations, county residents and youth. Cabinet members were selected by the Office of the County Executive to ensure that members reflect the diverse nature of the community, offer a wide range of perspectives and can make decisions that will help improve the overall quality of life for county youth, Alsobrooks said. The Cabinet for Children and Youth will issue a preliminary report with recommendations for improving coordination of services across different levels of government and community-based organizations by Dec. 1, 2022. The members of the Cabinet for Children and Youth are: Co-Chairs: Angela Alsobrooks, County Executive Dr. George Askew, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Health, Human Services, & Education Staff: Carla I. Plaza, Strategic Advisor for Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Health, Human Services, & Education Youth Members: Alvaro Ceron-Ruiz, Prince George's School Board Youth Representative DaeJanae Day, Youth Action Board Traviss Thomas, Peer Counselor, Santé Group Sakinah Rollins, 10th Grader, Past Participant, Office of Human Rights' Youth Leadership Academy Government and Non-Government Members: Rev. Peter Blue, St. Matthews Baptist Church Elana Belon-Butler, Director, Prince George's County Department of Family Services Gloria Brown Burnett, Director, Prince George's County Department of Social Services Dr. Ernest L. Carter, Health Officer, Prince George's County Health Department Lynn Celestin-Antonin, Assistant State's Attorney, Youth Services Division, State's Attorney's Office Dr. Beth Crawford, Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Family Resource Center Ann Marie Foley Binsner, Executive Director, CASA Prince George's County Inc. Dr. Monica Goldson, Chief Executive Officer, Prince George's County Public Schools Dr. Yolandra Hancock, Advisor, Prince George's County Board of Health Diedra Henry-Spires, Community Member and Consultant to Early Childhood Working Group Jennifer Iverson, Executive Director, Prince George's Child Resource Center, Inc., Chair, Early Childhood Working Group Samuel Iwu, Director, Prince George's County Office of Multicultural Affairs Dr. Kurt Newman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Children's National Hospital Stephen Makle, Youth Coordinator, M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George's County Roberta Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Prince George's County Memorial Library System Lupi Quinteros-Grady, President & CEO, Latin American Youth Center Patricia Strong, Interim Executive Director, One World Center for Autism, Inc. Eva Sumano, Education Manager, CASA de Maryland Tonia Wellons, President and CEO, Greater Washington Community Foundation Aspasia Xypolia, Director, Prince George's County Department of Housing and Community Development Sharon Zalewski, Executive Director, Regional Primary Care Coalition