By Naeisha Rose
Dabar Bethlehem Cathedral, a church in Queens Village, will have it’s seventh annual youth conference this weekend.
The Young and the Restless: #STAYWOKE conference will have workshops, a fellowship and a concert.
The event is geared toward keeping youths ages 12 to 24 from getting in trouble and helping them with their needs.
The church is predominantly black and Caribbean and the youth series attempts to address what is going on in those communities in a social manner.
“There’s racism, social injustice, and also police brutality,” Youth Pastor Nekia Morgan said. “We want to create dialogue for them, help them live this life through a Christian aspect, while also being pragmatic to the culture and the environment.”
Queens District Attorney Executive Director Jesse Sligh will be a guest speaker at the event and will talk to the youths about how to interact with police officers and discuss their rights as citizens, according to Morgan, who hopes the event will help kids stay on the straight and narrow path.
According to Morgan, some of the youths have friends that were murdered and some have been witnesses to petty crimes and robberies.
Cynthia Curtain, the president of the Wayanda Civic Association of Queens Village, often hears and sees things going on in the neighborhood and believes outreach with the pre-teens and young adults is the way to keep young people from turning to crime if they are in need or can just help keep them away from violence in the area.
“If they are looking for a career path, or if there is any crisis going on in their life, we minister to them,” said Curtain, a member of the church. “We service 80 families every couple of months with clothes, shoes, and whatever their needs are, we try to fill that need, “ Curtain said.
“It’s spiritual upliftment and social encouragement,” Morgan said.
Gospel singer and songwriter Latice Crawford will be performing at the event.
The church is located at 218-38 on 218th Street and the series starts at 11 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
