NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell unveiled on Tuesday evening a new Bronx community center dedicated to the borough’s youth.
The facility located in Belmont at 1932 Arthur Avenue will be the new home of the Options Program, a police-led initiative that uses technology, like virtual reality, to help give youth a glimpse behind the badge. The program puts users in a computer-generated world and emphasizes empathy and de-escalation techniques in an effort to showcase the split-second, life-changing decisions NYPD officers are forced to make. Moreover, the teaching promotes learning on both ends of the spectrum, allowing cops to develop a relationship with those they serve.
“This program achieves its results through direct, honest communication between the young people and the police officers who are here to protect them. Success here is measured by trust,” Commissioner Sewell said. “We ensure that we meet this goal not just by hearing them, but by listening to one another and learning from our shared experiences at the same time participants gain an appreciation for everyone’s unique and individual viewpoints.”
The Options Program is funded by the New York City Police Foundation and has been in operation for 5 years and is now also a part of the NYPD school safety division. The Community Center will be the second to open its doors in the Big Apple, joining the first location in Brooklyn before a third location also opens at the Law Enforcement Academy in Queens in the coming week.
“This expanded outreach is significant because when more young people have the chance to experience this program, we all benefit. These centers have become havens for learning, growth, professional and personal development and demonstrate our shared commitment to investing in something that pays off for us all,” Commissioner Sewell said.
The new center will also encompass a music room, which will educate children on how to play various instruments, in addition to other activities that the police hope will help keep at-risk youth out of dangerous situations and in a nurturing environment.
According to Commissioner, the skills the youth learn are then implemented back into the program, allowing for it to be continuously updated with the student’s work. Sewell cited an example of one young man designing storyboards for the virtual reality program while others use their videography skills.
The Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson also championed the new location in her district.
“This Bronx Options Wellness Center is a gateway to possibilities for our young people. A safe haven, a safe space, a recreation of creativity of innovative approaches, a place of imagination for our young people. Whether it’s art, it’s music, it’s video, it’s tech, it’s gaming, it’s all of that. We want our young people to have these types of options. Because we know the reality is so many of our young people are desperate for programs like this,” Gibson said.
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