Youth One Stop and DC Works Host the Poughkeepsie’s Slam Dunk Basketball Tournament!

The Workforce Development Center’s Youth One Stop Program enjoyed a fun weekend kicking off this summer with DC Works, hosting the Poughkeepsie’s Slam Dunk Basketball Tournament on June 30^th and July 1^st at Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie. Thanks to the support from Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board and DC Works staff, Youth One Stop was able to provide local guests and participating teams with free t-shirts, food, music, and offered spectator activity prize challenges throughout both days. Our team was excited to host this free public tournament at Malcolm X Park due to its recent renovation that appealed to youth and individuals of various ages. The park’s multipurpose layout includes a new basketball court, backboard, bleachers, a playground for younger children, a pavilion to serve food, and a beautiful view of a small pond with a community garden. 

Led by well-known community sports coaches, Doug Herring and John McLoughlin, open registration and try outs for interested boys and girls between the ages of 18 – 24 took place on Friday, June 30^th from 11 AM – 4:00 PM. From the very first day, the Workforce Development Center and DC Works encountered various passersby who expressed not being aware of the types of services that our programs offer prior to their visit. Many of these visitors and others returned with family, friends, or other guests on the following day. 
 
The all-day tournament officially began at 11AM on July 1^st and lasted throughout 8PM in the evening. Coaches Doug and John organized teams in a play-off bracket style. While the tournament began, Youth One Stop staff offered ongoing activity challenges for families, children, and other spectators, including a chance to win prizes throughout the day. Skills challenges and additional games that challenge skills in shooting, dribbling, speed and agility, such as “Knock-out,” or “Horse,” allowed younger children a chance to win prizes of their own, which included electrical scooters, wireless speakers, headphones, and a variety of sports equipment. Both lunch and dinner was served for all throughout the day. Though it was a close game, the Blue Team officially claimed its victory at around 8PM and was named Poughkeepsie’s Slam Dunk Champion. 
Though it’s always a good time gathering with friends and family to shoot hoops on the weekend, our main intention by hosting the Poughkeepsie Slam Dunk Basketball Tournament was to reach community locals who are often not aware about the opportunities being offered right here in their very own neighborhood. Though our Workforce staff is always providing outreach efforts to schools, community organizations, and other areas of need, we also recognize that not all individuals who may benefit from our services can be found in traditional forms of outreach. Our Youth One Stop Program offers an abundance of support to youth and young adults ages 16-24 throughout Dutchess County. Every participant benefits from receiving individual effective pathways, funding for skills training, paid internships, and ongoing soft skills and leadership development to reach their educational and career goals. DC Works additionally caters to supporting the needs of employers and adult job seekers while working cooperatively with community agencies to maximize the support for each job seeker.
 
Overall, this tournament gained a traction of more than 100 local youth over the course of two days. Our Youth One Stop Program alone received over 50 youth and young adults who were interested in benefiting from the services provided at our Workforce Development Center, which includes the Career Action Center, Next-Gen Career Academy, Next-Gen Summer Academy, Workforce Connections, the Youth Entrepreneur Program, and Youth One Stop. Our team is currently in the process of connecting these individuals with the appropriate programs and services. We look forward to hosting more of these events in the future to continue outreach and further reach larger communities throughout Dutchess County. 

If you are a business, community organization, or simply an individual living in Dutchess County and are interested in supporting or being involved with our Workforce Programs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Director of Workforce Development, Marilyn Figueroa at mfigueroa@dcrcoc.org or 845-454-1700 Ext. 1024.