The Youth at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center are Resilient
When Latasha Holt came to visit the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center a few years back, it wasn’t the same SSNC she grew up knowing. Holt spent her childhood utilizing the center’s resources, which sparked her interest in youth involvement. It didn’t take Holt long to decide that she wanted to come back to SSNC, but this time as an employee.
SSNC youth were learning about money management during a group discussion. (Picture by Latasha Holt)
When making the decision, she thought: “What can I do to give back to a program that put out to me?” Holt has been with SSNC for almost four years and started off as a L.A.D.Y Coordinator where she only worked with female youth. Since then, Holt has been promoted to Youth Development Director and is in charge of the operations, such as researching, writing and attaining grants for SSNC’s programs.
Along with the job comes the written reports that Holt sometimes has to do at home, so she can focus more on the youth while at SSNC. Holt now understands the behind-the-scenes of how to get funding and what goes into it. According to Holt, she spends about 60-70 hours a week, in and out of the office, working on her job.
“It’s all about them,” Holt said about the youth and why she works so hard. “They’re resilient.”
“They are definitely not a product of their environment,” Holt added.
18-year-old Larry Courtney is the Vice President of SSNC’s youth council and has been coming to the center since his freshman year of high school. He started off only using the gym, but it wasn’t until his sophomore year that he joined SSNC’s programing.
According to Courtney, SSNC has helped him understand different types of people.
SSNC youth in front of the Fiserv Forum during one of their many field trips. (Picture by Latasha Holt)
“[The staff] made me try stuff I’m not use to trying,” Courtney said. “We kind of do a little bit of everything.”
Courtney enjoys the field trips he partakes in with SSNC, but his favorite trips have been to visit different colleges. He currently attends MATC for electrical engineering but is planning to transfer to an HBCU. Courtney was accepted into Tennessee State University, but he wasn’t ready to leave home at the time. Now times have changed.
“I want to see something bigger and better,” he said.
Holt is working with Courtney to help him make his transition smoothly. At first, Courtney had no interest in attending college until the center’s staff advised him to research different careers. Upon researching he discovered electrical engineering, which can make up to six figures.
The center shapes the youth into better people and gives them an to opportunity to use their time wisely, said Courtney.
“The Silver Spring Neighborhood Center is just a good place not only for kids, but for young teens and young adults,” he said. And the adults around SSNC make the youth feel comfortable, Courtney added.
“They gave us a bond,” he said.
To find out more about the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, click here.