Affordable_Housing_Presentation

November 19, 2014
787 New Lots Ave
Brooklyn NY 11208

Honorable Darlene Mealy
1757 Union Street, 2nd floor
Brooklyn NY 11213

Dear Councilwoman Mealy,

I’m currently living within your district, and I would very much appreciate your support in my effort to reduce the amount of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy is a major problem surrounding many teens. I believe you should assist me in reducing this issue because more teens are ending up pregnant and dropping out of school. Did you know that nearly 3 in every 10 teen girls in the United States will get pregnant at least one time before the age of 20? To solve this problem, I would like you to push for an increase in the amount of sex education classes in high school, middle school, and even make it optional for elementary schools. Our young adults need to be educated about the different types of preventions and risk factors of unprotected sex. It is very important that you help these teens by implementing such classes in our school systems. I would like you to take action as soon as possible. Unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is a major reason for immediate attention. I would appreciate you getting back to me with a response within the next two weeks. With your support we will be able to take action faster, and in turn help to decrease the chance of unplanned teen pregnancy.

Sincerely,
Kumarie Singh

962 East 180st

Bronx, NY 10460

November 9, 2014

Mr. Jose Serrano

Congressman

1231 Lafayette Ave, 4th Floor

Bronx, NY 10474

Dear Mr. Serrano:

I’m writing to you asking for your help, on July 2011 the state Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted a law that allows the public universities to raise tuition by $300 a year for five years. And of course the Board of Trustees Executive Committee voted to approve a $300 tuition hike. It’s not fair for CUNY students to pay even more money to attend school, tuition been on the rise at 22% since 2009.  The purpose of the tuition rise is to raise $50 million for CUNY.  They hope more revenue will reduce high class sizes, save school programs and have CUNY to hire more full-time faculty.

This tuition increase goes against everything that CUNY stands for; the purpose of CUNY is to provide higher education accessible for New York residents for a low cost. 54 percent of its student body lives in a household with an income of less than $30,000 a year; 74 percent are people of color; and 47 percent work full or part-time in addition to attending school. Even though many of the students receive financial aid, like TAP there are those who need the aid but don’t qualify. And it will hit them the hardest, so what I’m asking is for the state to come up with additional aid; here is why you should assist.

You have a bunch of students from low class income who are willing to work hard to further their education, now imagine that opportunity is taken away from them because of tuition rise. That means more people will apply for food stamps and welfare because it’s already hard to find a job without a college degree.

Providing aid to college students who are in need will help you as well when it comes to reelection, you will have more young votes to help keep your seat in the house. And you will have the support of many communities in New York, think about it.

Sincerely,

Erica Jenkins

Erica Jenkins

Community Organizing

Position paper

CUNY tuition increase

Since I’ve started attending City Tech I was always surprised of how reasonable the tuition was, I know that each year the tuition goes a little. That’s one of the reason why I decided  to attend a CUNY college, even though I was  accepted  to other colleges outside the state; I knew I didn’t have to worry about paying for school and focus on school.  But now that’s going to change for me and everyone who attend CUNY colleges. On July, 2011 the state Legislature and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo enacted a law that allows the public universities to raise tuition by $300 a year for five years (Perez- Pena 2011).

With this increase many college student didn’t agree with the tuition increase, so they took action.  On November 21 ,2011 hundreds of students from Baruch College took to the street outside the building where the board met, banging drums and waving signs, and protesting that students could not afford an increase that will reach 31 percent over five years, many of them were arrested during the demonstration. Even though the board of trustees went ahead and increased the tuition. Those college students bought awareness to this unfair tuition hike, it shows how important this problem is to them and that they are willing to fight for what they feel is right.

The thing is those who support the tuition increase are not thinking about the student who attended CUNY schools, which is made up of low-income and minority students. It’s not fair for them to pay even more money to; “CUNY students have already made sacrifices to pay for college. Tuition increased by 15% in 2009 and many struggle financially to be able to stay in school” (Staff 2011). And the board thinks that those who received  financial aid like TAP will be fine with the tuition increased is wrong; it will hit them the hardest “TAP offers very inadequate support to the 34% of CUNY students who attend part time – many of whom are in dire financial need” ( Staff 2011).  I myself receive TAP and FASFA I don’t receive lot but it does make a difference that might change if TAP doesn’t find a way to find funding to cover the cost of the tuition increased.

With this tuition increase CUNY school are going to be harder for individual to keep attending CUNY schools. PSC First Vice President Steve London explains it perfectly “Expecting some of the nation’s poorest students to pay more and more will only reduce access to college and expand social inequality – the opposite of CUNY’s mission”( Tarleton 2011). The tuition increase is putting many people’s futures in jeopardy, it not fair for the CUNY system to fail on those who what to achieve something greater in their lives.

Reference list

Perez-pena, R. (2011, November 28). Amid Protests by Students and Others, CUNY Trustees Vote to Raise Tuition. Retrieved November 10, 2014.

Staff, Clarion. (2011, January ). Viewpoint: Is a Tuition Increase the Answer? Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.psc-cuny.org/content/viewpoint-tuition-increase-answer

Tarleton, John. (2011, August ). State Passes 5-Year Plan: CUNY Tuition Set to Soar, Maintenance-of-Effort Pledge Falls Short. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.psc-cuny.org/clarion/august-2011/state-passes-5-year-plan-cuny-tuition-set-soar-maintenance-effort-pledge-falls-s

787 New Lots Ave

Brooklyn NY 11208

Honorable Darlene Mealy

1757 Union Street, 2^nd floor

Brooklyn NY 11213

Dear Mealy,

I am currently living within your district, and I would very much appreciate your support in my effort to reduce the amount of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy is a problem surrounding most teens these days. I believe you should assist me to reduce this issue because more teens are ending up pregnant and dropping out of school. Did you know that nearly 3 in every 10 teen girls in the United States will get pregnant at least one time before the age of 20? To solve this problem, I propose that we increase the amount of sex education classes in high school, middle school, and even make it optional for elementary schools. Our young adults need to be educated about the different types of preventions, and the risk factors of unprotected sex. Unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases being the major reason for immediate attention. Rather than raising a newborn baby while they’re babies themselves, help me to help these young people accomplish a better future for themselves. With your support, we would be able to implement these actions faster which will help to decrease the chance of unplanned teen pregnancy.

Sincerely

Kumarie Singh

Kumarie Singh

Assignment #3

I am here to address the problem that most households are faced with; teen pregnancy. Nearly 1 in 5 teen births is a repeat birth. According to the CDC, a teen that already has a child will have two or more pregnancies ending in a live birth before the age of 20. Although teen birth rates have been falling for the last two decades, more than 365,000 teens between the age of 15 and 19 years old gave birth in 2010. Of these births, 66,800 were repeat teen births and 1,200 were fourth or higher births. In order to make positive changes to these numbers, I propose that we should make changes at home and at school. We should educate our children about the importance of having safe sex. We must also educate them on the use of condoms and other birth control methods. Depo-Provera, IUD, the shot, the birth control pill, abstinence, and Plan B are all methods of pregnancy prevention. We must educate our youths on how these methods can be implemented, and where they can find assistance when needed. These methods are already being used by most teens. I would like to ensure that every teen who is sexually active also has the ability to protect themselves; not just from pregnancy, but also from sexually transmitted diseases. About a year ago, law makers allowed Plan B, (the “morning-after pill”) to be available to all teens. Before this law was passed, only teenagers above the age of 18 were able to purchase this type of emergency contraception. The morning-after pill is used within 72 hours of unprotected sex to reduce the chance of pregnancy. However if a female is already pregnant, this pill will have no effect on the pregnancy. I would also like to present the idea of increasing the number of health education classes in schools. By doing this, young adults will be taught the risks that come with having sex, and the methods on how to avoid these risks. There are many different programs that are currently trying to reduce teen pregnancy. Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Resource Center is approaching communities to help reduce pregnancies by implementing evidence based programs in school, clinics, and other community settings. These programs also have available birth control methods for teens who are willing to protect themselves without their privacy being exposed. Another way I believe we should implement safe sex is by allowing teen parents to share their stories and challenges of being a single or join parent. With young adults hearing these stories, they might open their mind about protection and be able to realize the possible outcomes of their actions when they choose to have unprotected sex. By implementing these changes, young teens will have more information based on that facts rather than stories from their friends and other influential media.

Work cite

CDC – About Teen Pregnancy – Teen Pregnancy – Reproductive Health. http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/aboutteenpreg.htm

CDC – Teen Pregnancy Prevention – National Organizations. http://m.cdc.gov/en/HealthSafetyTopics/LifeStagesPopulations/TeenPregnancy/TeenPregnancyPrevention/NationalOrgs

TPP Resource Center: Evidence-Based Programs – The Office of Adolescent Health

http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen_pregnancy/db/index.html

Merie Williams
96 Rockwell Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
11/5/2014

The Honorable Mayor Bill de Blasio
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor De Blasio,

I am writing to ask you to support Planned Parenthood’s “Get Real Comprehensive Sex Education That Works” program to lower the rate of teen pregnancy in Kings county.

Teen pregnancy is a problem that needs to be addressed.Teen pregnancy can be an emotional issue for the teenage girl as a social problem affecting numerous areas. The future choices teenagers make have a social “penalty” plaguing them. For example, the young mother would have to drop out of school and this will then make it hard for her to socialize with her peers and they will shun her for being a “mother”. On the other hand, if the child is born out of wedlock and without a father figure, this can leave a toll on the child to feel not complete. Teens get incorrect information from friends, videos, sitcoms and/or movies. Some teens do not have the knowledge needed to make smart and responsible decisions about whether or not to engage in sexual activity that can alter their life.

Your support behind Planned Parenthood’s “Get Real Comprehensive Sex Education That Works” program can inform many teens in Brooklyn. With your support, you can help encourage and allow young teens to delay sexual activity by offering classroom learning and parental involvement. The “Get Real” material is age-appropriate for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. This program would prevent health, economic and societal issues that come with unplanned pregnancies.

When there are less pros than cons, it makes good sense to support this program to ensure more knowledge on prevention on young teens pregnancy.

Thank you so much for your help.
Merie Williams

Many teens have not thought about what life would be like
if they were to be pregnant or cause a pregnancy. Pregnancy has
become all too common in this day and age. Some teens think it will
not happen to them and do not use necessary precautions to protect
against it. There are several causes for teen pregnancy and the
effects can be life changing.Several causes for teen pregnancy are:
the need for affection, acceptance, and unprotected sex. One may
have a poor home life and look for affection from a peer.

Teen pregnancy is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Teenage pregnancy is an unplanned pregnancy during adolescence.
Teen pregnancy can be an emotional issue for the teenage girl as
a social problem affecting numerous areas. The future choices
teenagers make have a social “penalty” plaguing them. For example,
the young mother would have to drop out of school and this will
then make it hard for her to socialize with her peers and they
will shun her for being a “mother”. On the other hand, if the child
is born out of wedlock and without a father figure, this can leave
a toll on the child to feel not complete. Teens get incorrect
information from friends, videos, sitcoms and/or movies. Some teens
do not have the knowledge needed to make smart and responsible
decisions about whether or not to engage in sexual activity that can
alter their life.

Obama has created funding costs for Planned Parenthood.
According to Sarah Toree of Daily Signal, “At Planned Parenthood’s
annual fundraising gala last year, President Obama lauded the group’s
efforts in helping pass the health care law, remarking: “I know how
hard you worked to help us pass health care reform. You and your
supporters got out there—you organized; you mobilized; you
made your voices heard. It made all the difference.”With more than
a half-billion in current government funding in one year alone and
repeatedly reporting excess revenues in the millions of dollars,
Planned Parenthood hardly needs additional taxpayer money.” There
is enough money behind preventing teenage pregnancy, but where is
the education.Information needs to be stressed at this point.

Planned parenthood has created a middle school program
called “Get RealComprehensive Sex Education That Works” is
encouraging young teens to delay sexual activity by offering
classroom learning and parental involve me. The “Get Real”
material is age-appropriate for 6th,7th, and 8th grade students.
So far, the “Get Real” information has reached over 150 schools
in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas.The curriculum
is built on good practices; is in line with local and national
standards; is sensitive to families’ values and beliefs; and has
been supported by adolescent development experts. Students’ cultural
backgrounds and social/emotional lives were considered in the writing
of the material. According to Education News, ” The program appears
to be getting results. Thus far, 16% fewer boys and 15% fewer girls
have had sex as compared to peers who have not taken part in the
program.” Get Real is one of a few middle school courses that have
reduced risky sexual activity for both boys and girls. The program
was tested among teens at high risk to have sexual intercourse.
The program is based on delaying sexual intercourse. The program
has an “abstinence for now” idea that is the reason for the
program’s success. It is realistic and helps teens understand the
importance of waiting until it is easier to decide maturely puts
things in a different light.The process includes understanding that
sex also includes relationship issues, levels of self-esteem, and a
support network a teen can turn to with questions or worries.

By preventing teenage unplanned pregnancy, we can significantly
improve other serious social problems including poverty, child abuse
and neglect, fatherless figures, low birth weight, school failure.
Teen childbearing in the United States cost taxpayers federal, state,
and local. Most of the costs of teen childbearing are associated with
negative consequences for the children of teen mothers, including
increased costs for health care, foster care, incarceration, and taxes.
Prevent Teen Pregnancy schools has more influence over teen
pregnancy than what the public thinks. If schools and parents put
enough effort into their teen pregnancy programs that the teen
pregnancy numbers will drop. Schools need to start programs that
encourage abstinence, and show or list the consequences of being
sexually active. They are not taught the importance of abstaining
from sex or the proper use of effective birth control and
protection from sexually transmitted diseases. The problem that
occurs with this is that the parents or family that interact with
the teenagers are no more educated than the teenager themselves.
There needs to be more education in every middle school and in
high school that can get our society involved as a whole.
There should also be alternative services to prevent one mistake
to cost a lifetime of consequences.

Works Cited
Torre, Sarah 2014, Sept 29. “Obamacare Funds Nations Largest Abortion
Provider” http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/29/obamacare-funds-nations-
largest-abortion-provider/

Unknown 2014,October 30 “Planned Parenthood’s ‘Abstinence For Now’
Program Drawing Praise” http://www.educationnews.org/parenting/
planned-parenthoods-abstinence-for-now-program-drawing-praise/#
sthash.pHE97pwE.dpuf

Siarra Garcia

100 Centre Mall Apt. 4C

Brooklyn, NY 11231

November 1^st, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor de Blasio,

I am writing you today to primarily applaud New York State on the implementation of the Dignity for all Students Act. Bullying is an issue I have always felt strongly about, especially as a New York City public school student for grades K-12. I believe the act is a step in the right direction to monitoring the behaviors of students in school, ensuring their safety and raising awareness to an issue that is often swept under the rug. However, I do feel that there are a few additions that should be made to the act’s amendments.

The act is not specific on how many times anti-bullying material should be incorporated into the curriculum. Should it be incorporated only once a year? Twice? I believe NYC public schools will greatly benefit from mandatory anti-bullying workshops and team building activities once a week.

Additionally, the act requires schools to report data at least once a year. In order to crack down on bullying, schools may benefit from mandatory reporting per semester. These reports should be made by both the student body and the faculty members.

Sincerely,

Siarra Garcia

New York City College of Technology Student

Siarra Garcia

Hus 2307

Position Statement (Assignment #3)

For as long as there have been public educational facilities there has been school bullying. It is an issue that seems to have no resolution. Instead, it intensifies as the number of students per classroom increases and as technology is made more readily available. Although bullying does not exclusively affect public school students or even just children alone, public schools have a duty to protect their students while they are in their care. Yet, many still report to feeling unsafe. According to DoSomething.org “3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year” and  approximately “160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.” (11 Facts About Bullying) In New York, “1 in 5 public High School students has been a victim of bullying.” (New York Post) Although humans may always have the urge to bully even beyond adolescence, there are ways to monitor and protect students from school bullying. New York City public schools should conduct per-semester surveys and implement weekly team building and anti-bullying programs.

On September 13^th, 2010 New York took a step in the right direction by signing into law the Dignity for All Students Act. This law became effective on July 1^st, 2012. The DASA states that “The Dignity Act seeks to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.” (nysed.gov) As part of the act, DASA requires K-12 schools to incorporate curriculum that promotes awareness of and sensitivity to discrimination and diversity as part of civility and citizenship classes. DASA also requires schools to collect and report data on bullying to the New York State education commissioner at least once a year. (nyc.gov) However, this act alone does not do enough.

DASA requires New York City public schools to incorporate discrimination awareness  into the curriculum, however, they do not state how often this material should be taught. In order to not create an obvious separation between the bully and the victim, team building activities and classes should be given on a weekly basis. In these classes, students can learn how to work together while carrying out an objective.  These groups should be kept small and should have a therapeutic concept. Groups should change its members every semester. Teachers should monitor interactions between the students.

DASA also states that schools are required to report data at least once a year. With the start of every new semester, schools should conduct anonymous surveys to their students. These surveys should not be rushed or given at a time where a student may not feel that their answers will be kept anonymous. This per-semester basis would provide a closer look at how the team building groups worked, and if they were successful or not.

School bullying does not only affect a student physically, but also mentally and emotionally. It is a serious issue that effects how a student preforms in their schoolwork, but also in their lives outside of school. Bullying can have long lasting effects for both the bully and the victim. It is important that New York City treats this as a serious issue by mandating weekly programs and per-semester surveys in order to insure the safety of all public school children and to provide awareness to why bullying is not tolerated, and not okay.

References

• 11 Facts About Bullying. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-bullying
• 1 in 5 are bullied in NYC high schools. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://nypost.com/2013/12/30/1-in-5-are-bullied-in-nyc-high-schools/
• The Dignity Act. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/
• About the Dignity for All Students Act. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://archive.advocate.nyc.gov/bullying/DASA