BX youth advocates push for slice of city budget surplus

A youth advocate group is asking the city for a slice of the budget surplus in order to improve youth programs that keep kids off the streets.The group Directions for our Youth has spent the last year asking the city to dedicate 10 percent of its $2.7 billion budget surplus to youth programs. If the proposal is approved, youth programs in the Bronx and citywide could receive up to $270 million. The group says it wants to allocate some of the money to public youth programs in the summertime. They say this will enable 30,000 more teenagers who register for jobs to get them.The group says funding would also allow for the expansion of the Beacon community centers. One member of Direction for our Youth says the lack of resources prevents 3,000 kids in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country to benefit from city programs.