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07/28/2021 08:30 AMWhether it’s being a founding member of the East Haven’s Human Services Commission or in his role as Youth Services Bureau coordinator, helping East Haven’s youth has always been a focus for CJ Cofrancesco.
CJ was hired for his role in April.
“The main focus is prevention and creating a variety of programs for the town’s youth focusing on needs in the community,” CJ explains.
In particular, CJ says he wants to focus on prevention for vaping and drug and alcohol use.
“We’re working with families by providing them with information and education,” says CJ.
For CJ, working with youth has been something in which he’s always been interested. When he was in the 6th grade, he and his mother were two of the first members of the Human Services Commission in East Haven.
“It initially started with my mom. She thought it was...something we could do together,” CJ recalls.
As he went to the meetings, CJ found he really enjoyed the commission and it’s sparked an interest that has long stayed with him.
“I became passionate about that,” CJ says.
“I’ve always felt mature for mu age and as I’ve gotten older that’s happened more,” he says. “I’ve always had an interest in helping people younger than me.”
Part of that interest has been served simply by speaking up.
“When I was kid, I tried to be a voice for our youth,” says CJ. “Those values always stuck with me.”
CJ says that when the opportunity for the coordinator role became available, he thought he could be of use in the role.
In his new position, CJ says he wants to provide opportunities for both education and entertainment, while also encouraging young people to be mentors for the next generation in diverse and safe atmospheres.
CJ fondly recalls days in his youth spent at the East Haven Teen Center, a place that had multiple locations around town. The center was a safe place for young people to gather and CJ says as a long-term goal he’d like to see the town find a space for one, once again.
“The town is currently in the process of finding a rec center, but there’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not a simple process,” says CJ.
CJ knows where he wants to focus.
“I’d like to start with high school students first,” he says. “It’d be great to inspire them into being leaders in the community.”
Having only started his position in April, CJ says he’s still learning the ropes.
“I’m trying to absorb as much as I can so I can do the best I can for the community,” CJ says. “I want to do so much, but I still need to be patient and learn more first.”
CJ stayed active with the Social Services Commission all through high school. After graduating from Notre Dame High School, CJ attended Sacred Heart University, where he continued his work with young people.
While in college he worked at different YMCAs in the area and in graduate school he worked with college kids in various capacities.
After graduate school, CJ moved back to his hometown of East Haven in 2020. CJ says that by being employed by the town in his coordinator role he’s “come full circle” in his journey from where he began volunteering as a teen to now serving the community as an adult.
“I feel like I can do this,” CJ says.
In his spare time, CJ enjoys reading, watching TV, and playing video games. He’s also “rediscovering” his hometown as he discovers what East Haven has to offer young adults as opposed to what he remembers from the town as a teenager.
“I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know the adults and the youth in town,” CJ says.