Local professionals participate in ‘Pushin P’ program for youth
More than 60 children participated in the Pushing P (rogress) program at the Washington High School Gymnasium last Saturday.
A good turnout for the event’s inaugural year – organizer Kenneth Monette noted.
“We had about 25 kids grades 6 through 12 on the inside of the gymnasium for the information session with the different panelists running groups,” Monette said. “And then we had 40 and some kids grades 1 through 5 participating in activities outside the gymnasium.”
“Our goal was basically to have people from our community who have gone on to different careers come back and talk to the youth so that they can get a better picture of the great things people they are familiar with are doing.”
Pushin’ P, a program aimed at providing local youth with the opportunity to learn from successful professionals from their community, was introduced by Monette and other community officials to expose children to members of the North Port St. joe community who have experienced great success in their careers.
The event was sponsored by the New Life Christian Center.
Children made rotations, which covered topics including mental health, healthcare, corrections, education and finance.
Next year, Monette said he hopes to see the event continue to grow.
“We want to make it an annual event,” Monette said. “We plan on having it again next year – but even bigger and better.”
Following the event, prizes were distributed and children participated in a basketball game. Many returned the following day to listen to Pastor Marvin Scott give a speech, closing the program.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.