Mayor Applyrs Engages Youth at Capital District Secure Detention Center, Highlighting Opportunity, Prevention, and Second Chances

Albany Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs met this week with young people at the Capital District Secure Detention Center, participating in a candid, youth-led conversation focused on jobs, public safety, homelessness, leadership, and opportunity.

The visit centered on direct dialogue. Youth residents asked the Mayor what the city is doing to expand job opportunities for teenagers, strengthen trust between young people and law enforcement, address homelessness, and help youth access support before situations escalate. They also asked about her personal journey to becoming Mayor — and what advice she would give her 10-year-old self today.

“As civic leaders, we must lead through demonstration,” said Mayor Applyrs. “Young people must see leadership in action to believe what is possible for themselves. This is especially important in difficult spaces where hope can feel distant. It is our responsibility to listen to our young people, to meet them where they are, and to make sure they understand that their future is not defined by one chapter of their lives. As a city, we must invest in prevention, expand employment pathways, and create real opportunities so every young person can see a path forward”

Together for Youth (TFY), which operates the facility, provided the Mayor with an overview of the center’s evolution and its current trauma-informed, progressive detention model — an approach that prioritizes accountability, structure, and skill-building alongside safety.

“Our responsibility is twofold,” said Raymond Wilcox, TFY Director of the Center. “We must ensure safety and accountability, but we also have to create real opportunities for growth and change. Prevention, workforce access, and community partnership are the long-term solutions.”

The visit also reflects TFY’s ongoing collaboration with workforce development leader Trent Griffin-Braaf, founder of Success Map Initiative and the Roadmap to Success™ program. Griffin-Braaf’s organization partners with TFY to provide youth with structured goal-setting, leadership development, and workforce readiness tools that support long-term success after placement, and all of the youth present for the discussion with the Mayor are currently in his program.

“Exposure to opportunity changes outcomes,” said Griffin-Braaf. “When young people can see a path forward — employment, mentorship, civic engagement — we begin shifting the trajectory from system involvement to self-sufficiency.”

By bringing city leadership directly into the facility, the visit reinforced a shared message: young people, regardless of circumstance, deserve to be heard, supported, and connected to real opportunities in their community.