ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — An interactive event hosted by Albany County’s Department for Children, Youth and Families was held at MVP Arena on Monday. The Youth Opportunity Lunch & Learn offered a morning of encouraging discussions, including with two nationally recognized speakers.
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Kane Smego is an international touring spoken word poet and hip hop artist, as well as an educator and speaker. He is the co-founder of a nonprofit and primary author of the YouTh ink Curriculum, which uses poetry and hip hop to help youth and adults transform themselves and their communities.
Ken Nwadike Jr. is popularly known as the “Free Hugs Guy” for his peacekeeping efforts and de-escalation of violence during protests. He’s also a documentary filmmaker and motivational speaker.
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“Coming up in south-central L.A. in the 90s, I can tell you the divide between law enforcement and community was massive,” Nwadike Jr. said during the event. “And being in a space like that where there was just so much confusion and contention in spaces like that between law enforcement and community, it lead to a lot of young people in those communities just naturally feeling like it was us versus them as it pertains to law enforcement. Growing up, I knew the only way to be able to create change in a space like that is [asking], ‘How do we work together?’”
The event as a whole was designed to encourage leadership, resilience and community engagement among youth. Both individuals attended the event to inspire young people with their knowledge on violence prevention, conflict resolution, youth empowerment, building strong communities and creating positive change…