Letter To The Editor: YL TRAPPED Organization, Inc. Founder/President Receives Honor

To The Editor:

Julia Moore, Norwalk native, Founder and President of YL TRAPPED Organization Inc., received the 2017 Eloquent Essentials Youth Scholarship (EEYSP) award on behalf of the organization at a ceremony in Brooklyn, New York on July 30, 2017 .

YL TRAPPED, Young Ladies Taking Responsibility and Portraying Proper Educational Development, is a nonprofit youth organization comprised of young ladies ages 14 – 21 who aspire to be independent and successful. The organization began with five teenage girls in 2004 and has expanded to over 40 girls from various communities. YL TRAPPED’s vision is to foster opportunities for young women in urban areas to provide them with a sense of purpose, self-awareness and responsibility toward society.

The high school segment of YL TRAPPED meets weekly on Wednesdays at the Norwalk Public Library, where they have resources available to them to complete their homework and to research areas of interest. Some of the girls were part of a panel discussion of the documentary film “Screenagers” held at the Library’s SoNo branch last May. Confident and honest, they were not afraid to provide worthwhile input on screen time from the youth perspective. The girls were on the panel with: Craig Creller, Norwalk Public Schools Math Instructional Specialist; Dr. Yvel C.Crevecoeur, Norwalk Board of Education member; Tristan Fields, KIPP NYC College & Career Readiness Director; Eloisa Melendez, Norwalk District A Common Council Member; Eric Niederer, Esq., Norwalk SpEd Partners Co-Chair; Vicki Oatis, Norwalk Public Library Director of Children's Services; Daniel Rodriguez, SoNo Branch Library Assistant; Travis Simms, Norwalk District B Common Council member; and Darlene Young, City of Norwalk Human Relations & Fair Rent team member who runs the Mayor's Summer Youth Employee Program. The YL TRAPPED members who were on the panel held their own. Their fellow members who weren’t on the panel attended the discussion to support them.

YL TRAPPED, under Ms. Moore’s leadership, has recently embarked on another journey for younger girls at the SoNo Branch Library. “Pretty Little Me” serves middle school girls and “Pretty Little Me, Too” serves elementary school girls in grades 3 – 5. Both programs focus on healthy eating and living, self-esteem, beauty, bullying and technology. Both programs meet on Tuesdays and these younger ladies will also have access to library resources and programs.

These things, great presence, and word-of-mouth are what caught the attention of Elegant Essentials and earned YL TRAPPED the award they deserved.

Sherelle Harris
Assistant Director, Norwalk Public Library
At-Large Member, Norwalk Board of Education

Photo: Julia Moore. Photo credit: Contributed