The Bronx Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) rang in their 10th anniversary with its yearly Youth Speaks event on April 20 at the Richard R. Green School auditorium. The event was complete, with several performances leading into a panel discussion to make up this year’s theme of excelling in life.

Youth Speaks is hosted by Bronx YEP in partnership with Councilman Andy King, founded in that same auditorium by King and his wife Neva Shillingford-King. They developed the Youth Empowerment program after the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club closed down, which left around 60 kids with nowhere to go and nothing to do. The event provided an outlet where teens could express the issues they are confronted with daily to community leaders while asking for solutions.

Many of these issues were brought up in the panel discussion in which YEP members were able to ask a wide range of questions to a panel made up of police officers, elected officials and New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, serving as the event’s keynote speaker.

“To me, the history of the past is the story of the future,” said Fariña when asked how important she thought history was as a part of the school curriculum.

Although there were some questions centering on academics, most of the questions asked by students focused squarely around the issue of police brutality. Officers from the local 47th Precinct were there to answer, emphasizing that respect often helps keeps police interactions from escalating.

Jeff Tweedy, an executive with the Sean John men’s clothing line, unexpectedly jumped in on this issue and stressed to the students to “always be respectful, but don’t let any officer determine your future. Deal with the situation and then go on to do great things.”