ULSTER COUNTY NO NEED TO LEAVE
Ryan, in State of County address, tells young people they can succeed locally
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan on Thursday told high school students from across the county that contrary to what they may be told, there is a future for them in the county.
Standing on the stage in the auditorium of his alma mater, Kingston High School, Ryan also told the more than 100 young people in attendance that they are the future of the county. And he outlined a series of initiatives designed not only to get them more involved in the community today but help them find rewarding, good-paying jobs in the future.
“Twenty years ago, when I was sitting in the seats you are now ... I was told if you wanted to succeed, you needed to leave,” Ryan said in his first State of the County address. “You needed to go away to college, you needed to move to another city to find an exciting job, really that path
to success wasn’t here.”
Ryan said that while the county’s economy has improved since IBM left in the mid-1990s and since the economic downturn of 2008, four out of 10 Ulster County families continue to live paycheck to paycheck and many continue to believe the way to a better future is to move elsewhere.
“I’m here mostly to tell you today that the idea that you have to leave Ulster County to succeed is bullshit,” he said, drawing laughter and applause from the more than 100 students and others from across the
county gathered for the event.
The event was attended by roughly 200 people, including elected state, county and local officials and marked the first time in the county’s history that an Ulster County executive used the State of the County address to speak directly to young people.
Students from across the county were brought to Kingston High School to hear Ryan’s remarks. And Ryan said he intends to hold forums in each of the county’s nine school districts, similar to the town halls he has held in municipalities across the county.
Telling the students that it’s up to them to move Ulster County to “that next
level,” Ryan detailed a series of programs he said were developed from conversations he’s had with young people in the community that will offer pathways for them to become more involved in the community and map out for themselves a future close to home. The programs include: • “1,000 Jobs in 1,000 days,” which Ryan said will be led by the county Department of Economic Development and will focus on young people and those transitioning careers. The program will prioritize emerging industries and will pair applicants to local businesses.
• Tuition assistance, provided through a $249,700 grant from the New York
State Energy Research Development Authority, for Ulster County residents attending the Green Careers Academy at SUNY Ulster.
• The Green Youth Fellowship program, which will place and pay high school and college students in green businesses throughout the county. The goal is to provide young people with a workforce pathway to keep them in the county by connecting youths with local businesses and nonprofits in the county. Funding for the program is included in the county’s 2020 budget, Ryan said.
Ryan also unveiled a three-prong “Call to Service Youth Program” to encourage young people to become
more involved in volunteer activities in the county. He said: • The Ulster County Office for the Aging will partner youths ages 14 to 18 with senior citizens as part of an effort to build “intergenerational relationships.” Working with UlsterCorps, the youth volunteers will conduct video interviews of the seniors for a digital oral history repository.
• The Ulster County Explorer program will provide those ages 14 to 20 opportunities to explore fire service. At 16, participants would be able to join their local fire department. The effort is an attempt to increase the number of fire service volunteers in the county.
• Ulster County Youth
Corps will be a partnership between the county and UlsterCorps to increase volunteerism among the county’s youths by matching young people with nonprofit and government organizations based on the interests of the students and the needs of the organizations.
Ryan also announced his office intends to launch a “Call to Service Scholarship Fund” for students who “go above and beyond” in volunteer service.