ALBANY COUNTY — Four young men were honored on Thursday morning for completing a county program that allowed them to learn trades while earning money to pay back victims of crimes they had committed.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, who grew up in Albany’s South End, recalled people telling him, “You’re not gonna go anywhere.”

He urged the graduates, “Believe in yourself.”

McCoy also said, “If you make a mistake in life, it can’t be weighed against you for the rest of your life … When you pay your debt to society … you gotta shake it off and continue to move forward.”

The county’s Project Growth program, launched in 2013, now has 42 graduates. It is run by William Connors, who directs the Albany County’s probation department, and it serves men and women between the ages of 19 and 21.

“We want to change the violence,” said McCoy, urging community leaders, “Please stop pointing friggin’ fingers at one another … Roll up your sleeves and look at these four gentlemen here … That’s how we’re gonna take the community back.”

The new graduates are: Cameron Dobbs, Zaire Daniels, Brian Pagan, and Alexander Carey,

Even in the midst of the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, McCoy said, “There still has to be hope and opportunity.”

“The probation department’s mission,” said Connors, “is to work with all persons we come in contact with to provide a plan leading to rehabilitation. This plan often involves holding offenders accountable for their crime.”

He went on, “Project Growth is a restorative justice program. It also provides evidence-based education and programming.”

The participants earn money to repay the victims of their crimes while they build life skills combined with hands-on service projects, Connors said.

Some of the projects include constructing a deck at Lawson Lake, a county park; painting the juvenile offices of the probation department; building a long split-rail fence for the Shaker Heritage Society; and constructing a service center at the probation department as well as a “Dress 4 Success” pantry.

Part of the program, called Career University, instructs the men in skills like writing a résumé, handling a job interview, and developing computer skills.

“This program holds youth accountable but allows mentoring, building self-confidence and preparing with a skill set for the future opportunities leading toward success,” said Connors.

Connors said that three of the four graduates had applied to join the painters’ union, District Council 9, and McCoy said one of them plays pro basketball overseas.

After the young men were handed certificates along with pay and congratulations, Alexander Care said he spoke for the group when he said, “Thank you to everybody for the opportunity to grow. This is a big thing. We really appreciated the program.”