YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Site Mapping & SWOT analysis of empty media storage room

• Room is currently used as a storage room, but has lots of potential for student use with a classroom area, radio studio, office, and storage space.

Survey of BLS student body

• 67.6% of students who took the survey believe that a multimedia room would be a good idea

• 61% of students think that the multimedia room would offer students an opportunity to learn new skills and entertain peers

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

• Remove all of the equipment and miscellaneous items that are already present.

• Conduct an inventory on the items that could be salvaged, and discard those that cannot be.

• Find funds in order to build the multimedia room.

• Work with community partners/other school to obtain ideas.

• Design a model of the room to show our vision for change.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

• Initiate the grant writing process

• Contact local radio stations

• Create a student internship program to run the multimedia room

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

We are seeking grants and donations so we can pursue our multimedia room and give our youth more opportunities in discovering new talents and new ways to express their creativity and also possibly pursue a future career in the media industry.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Site Mapping & SWOT analysis of water access in school

• Only water fountains in the school are on the first and second floors, none on the third and fourth floors

• There were gum wrappers and other trash in the water fountain

• Fountain on first floor is at least 30 feet or more away from classrooms

• Water is warm and dirty

• Water has low pressure with a button that is difficult to hold

• No water fountain or alternative access in the gym or cafeteria

Survey of 105 BLHS students

• 17.1% of students drink the school water once per week

• 24.8% of students don't participate in drinking the school water due to the fact that it is unappealing.

• 87.6% of students think that the school needs a minimum of 4-5 water fountains.

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

• Reusable and branded water bottles for all students

• Water coolers in the gym, cafeteria, and third/fourth floors where there is no fountain

• Sustainability education campaign with workshops and fliers

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

• Install bottle-filling stations with hands-free operation, filter, and bottle/cup filler.

• Water sources on all floors

• Fix and update pipes

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

Present research and recommendations to Principal Reilly and share school-wide.

The students considered the following sub-question: Can we make a compelling case to motivate their peers to use environmentally friendly transportation modes, and at the same time, increase their awareness of how to stay safe, as pedestrians and bicyclists, in the traffic environment?

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Survey of GWH Student Body

- 62.3 percent out of students feel safe crossing the streets in downtown.

- Most of the student (40.7%) choose 3, on a scale of 1 to 5, how they feel about pedestrians and bicyclists outside of GWHS on Tillary ST.

- Cars driving too fast (44.2%)and construction (32.7%) were the top 2 safety hazard to pedestrians and bicyclist in GWHS for us students.

- The result of our school survey was that student and teachers do not feel safe on Tillary ST. construction work and cars driving too fast are the main problem.

- The majority of the people who took the survey agree that our environment is in need of many changes and repairs.

Site Mapping

- GWHS is located on Tillary St. between Jay St and Flatbush Ave Ext, between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge.

- There are 7 schools located around Tillary Street where students must cross to get to school.

- In 2016, Vision Zero View reports:

• 17 pedestrian injuries

• 10 bicyclist injuries

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

- We had the idea to make a safety awareness campaign for pedestrian, bikers, and drivers. We wanted to educate the public about how to stay safe, and thought these drawings did that.

- As a next step, we want to create computerized versions of the drawings and potentially turn them into signage for Tillary St.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

- Remediate the broken sidewalks on Tillary St. There are many cracks and trip hazards, which could be fixed to bring about greater safety.

- Widen the median sidewalks, which is currently only 5 feet wide, in the middle of a heavily trafficked 8-lane road.

- Separate space for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. Some ideas we had were to create a pedestrian “sky-walk”, an underground walkway tunnel, and a median separate bike lane.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- We hope that we can work with a graphic designer or we can ask one of the participants if they can computerized our safety campaign.

- The NYCDOT and the Department of Design and Construction had a project called: HWK639W Plan. This plan began in 2009 to increase safety on Tillary St. This project began because the crash rate is nearly nine times the New York state average, with 117 crashes between 2008 and 2010. The project start at Tillary St. and Adams St. but it stops before reaches our area due to funding issue. We want to work with these partners to ensure that the plan is funded so that it can reach our area where the seven schools are located and greatly affected by safety issues.

The students considered the following sub-questions: How does homelessness contribute to absenteeism (absent from school)?  In what ways does homelessness affect a student’s ability to succeed in school?

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

We learned about the homeless population by analyzing data from the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness (ICPH) organization. We were surprised by the statistics of the students who are in temporary housing in New York City.

- In 2015-16 47,948 students in NYC public schools that are doubled up (housing shared with another family).

- 1-out of 9 students experience homelessness in the last five years.

- Elementary students living in a shelter had the highest rates of mid-year transfers and chronic absenteeism (20 or more absences during the school year).

- On average, 10% of all New York City students scheduled to graduate in school year 2013-14 dropped out prior to graduation. In our own school district 14, 18.9%-23.3% dropout.

- The overall citywide four-year graduation rate in school year 2013-14 in New York City was 69%.

- The citywide pass rate for all students in the school year 2015-16, for the 3rd-8th grade State English Language Arts tests was 38%.

- The citywide pass rate for all students on the school year 2015-16 3rd-8th grade State math tests were 36.4%.

- In a snapshot of families with children living in shelter in December 2015, only 19% had entered shelter for the first time that year—that is the equivalent of only about 2,500 of the more than 12,000 families in shelter. Homelessness in New York City has become a cycle of instability where families leave the system only to return again in the future.

We researched the web and found Peak Brooklyn, which is an organization that operates the Ridgewood Bushwick Youth Center in our community.

- The website and videos were very helpful in gaining insight on chronic absenteeism and lack of student achievement.

- Students were disconnected from their schools, had lack of friends, and were not involved in school activities.

- We also learned that teachers and other students do not engage with the students who were chronically absent and the students do not feel that they belong.

We also site-mapped our own school library at the Grand Street Campus to see what resources were available to our students to succeed academically.  We found out that our school library had many strengths as well as some weaknesses. There were also many opportunities as well to use the space in the library to host future events.

Strengths

- A room with 32 working computers, where students can complete school work and access the internet

- An area in the library where there is a sofa to be able to read comfortably, round tables and chairs to work on projects with a group. There were also independent study desks where students can study quietly

- College resource center was located in the back of the library but was not being utilized by the students

- Books, magazines of students’ interest like Anime were available and highlighted for students to find them clearly

Weaknesses

- Library is opened 2-9 and closed during 6th period during the day. Students have lunch during 6th period and cannot go to the library in their free time.

- Library is not opened at after-school hours

- Only one librarian supervises the library and in which you may have up to 20 students at a time. If there is an emergency there is only one adult available

- Books and magazines were outdated and new books were not available

Opportunities

- The library has a large room to host activities after so students can socialize and hang out

- Events for parent outreach could be held at the Library as well

- The college room could be better used by hiring a college advisor where students can make appointments with for college application process and financial aid

- If the library is opened after-school, students can use the computers to get homework completed that are on Castle-learning and type research projects

Threats

- Students may be cutting class if program is not checked

- Lack of security, only one librarian

RECOMMENDATIONS

 SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

- Parent Outreach- Make parents more involved and aware of students’ academics and attendance. For example, teachers use Jupiter grades to input attendance so we can teach parents to use the program.

- Make parents and students aware of programs and services that are available for students in temporary housing through creating brochures.

- Add additional staff to library to use during lunch and after-school hours.

- Utilize the school library for students to get college help, use computers, and to socialize with other students.

- Help students who are chronically absent to socialize with other members of the school so that they don’t feel left out. This can be done by students them participating in Peer Group Connection.

- Offer emotional support by announcing positive quote of the day on school website and by teachers and staff.

- More social events during and after school for students to feel needed and want to stay in school.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)    

- Make a program for families at school to help parents and students to deal with difficult issues by providing a support group.

- At each high school, offer students college application service and guide them through the college application process.

- DOE should hire more staff to accommodate the growing number of  students in temporary housing and to help the families to find housing near their schools without having to be absent from school. Alternatively, DOE should partner with DHS or STH.

- Create a online DOE website for students to complete lessons where teachers can have access to view student progress.

- Provide childcare services after school if parent has to apply for temporary housing during the day.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

- Conduct school wide student surveys to identify students in temporary housing to get up to date information on our students in temporary housing population.

- Surveys will also get insight from students who are in temporary housing to help them to succeed.

- We need school administration to help with making this survey possible because of privacy issues.

- We also need someone in the school who can be dedicated in helping our students in temporary housing population to work with the DOE Liaison

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

- Currently only 17% of MTA employees are females.

- 44% of employees in the MTA will retire within five years.

- 80% of the students in transit tech are interested in CTE.

- ONLY 10% of them knew of the CTE pathways in transit tech.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To attract more young adults to apply for CTE jobs the MTA can provide some incentives. These may include free metro passes for all high school students, Official MTA gear donations (clothes, power tools and etc.) and more internship opportunities. Overall the more MTA involvement with schools the more interest the students will show.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

Social Media

We can go on social media as in Instagram, Facebook, also twitter and promote the MTA jobs by giving information on the requirements.

E-mail

Send emails with a list of CTE schools to people signed up on social media.

Advertisements

Ads are everywhere! Promoting transit tech and other schools'  CTE programs to help get in to the MTA will increase peoples awareness about MTA jobs opening up.  

MTA Jobs Apps

MTA app would help show the different fields the MTA has to offer and the different salary.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

Branding

We have banners around the school that support the MTA and electrical careers.

Metro Card Holders/ Merchandise

We can give out metro cardholders and key chains to encourage people to join the MTA.

School Websites

Instead of having students create websites we should have professionals run them.

Brochures

We place brochures in public places with MTA jobs information.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- The city needs to target all schools to create more CTE programs.

- Students with CTE experience to volunteer for school fairs & speak to under classmen.

- Our schools needs to better inform the students about the opportunities available at Transit Tech

- Our project partner should create an action plan to bring our proposals to life.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Surveyed 91 students from WHSAD to understand current attitudes and behaviors around recycling:

- 68% responded with a “5” rating to the question” I think recycling is important”

- 43% responded with a “5” rating to the question “I recycle at home”

Conducted Site Mapping and SWOT Analysis of recycling receptacles in school.

- Posters spreading awareness about recycling are not visible.

- Teachers are not role models for recycling behaviors

- Recycling bins are currently in all classes but are not being utilized

- Students in all schools in building don’t recycle enough

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

- Design WHSAD t-shirts to promote recycling.

- Set up recycling bins in public spaces.

- Create more infographics to post around the school.

- Write announcements reminding students to recycle to be read over the loudspeaker.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

- Educate younger students (visit neighborhood elementary schools).

- Install recycling bins on the sidewalks surrounding the building.

Cost Benefit Analysis

- Cost: $854.22 – blue and green recycling bins for each space (31 total)

- Benefit: a major benefit of investing in recycling bins is that it will lead to students protecting the environment at a young age; which should then spark a change for the rest of they general population.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- For students: Design WHSAD t-shirts to promote recycling

- For the project: Create more infographics to post around the building

- For the school: Set up recycling bins in shared spaces

- For the city: Install recycling bins on the sidewalks surrounding the school

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Site Mapping Student Observations:

- The lane markings appear to be almost invisible.

- The crosswalk and the stoplight do not allow for enough time to cross the street.

- There are many potholes.

- Water accumulates in puddles on the corners of the streets.

- Pedestrians need more space.

- The park is known to be dangerous.

Street interviews with pedestrians- livability:

- “Most of the main streets don’t have enough space on the sidewalks.”

- Most people blame safety how the streets are placed; people cannot pass by the trees.  

- Some people commented on the amount of trash.

Environmental Impact Report:

-Combined Sewage Overflow

Polluted water gets dumped into large bodies of water rather than being treated.  If the water is polluted, phytoplankton cannot survive.  Up to 85% of our oxygen comes phytoplankton. Possible solution: Bioswales

RECOMMENDATIONS

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

- Road surface markings along Roebling and South 4th

- Wall mural under BQE Intersection

- New traffic signal at Roebling Street and South 4th

- New lights under the BQE to improve street safety and livability

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Get approval of our proposals from the D.O.T and City Council

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

- Met with our client, Heather

- Discussed key components of kiosk

- Identified possible location for kiosk along “L” and “J” subway lines near WHSAD in Williamsburg

- Completed S.W.O.T. exercise to analyze the Strengths and Weakness of the location we considered

Strength: In a high-traffic area with potential for high volume of users

Weakness: Litter, traffic in area

Opportunities: Could keep people active and generate revenue for businesses in the area

Threats: Possible break-ins and lack of respect for public property, maintenance

- Design kiosk using AutoCAD for a design competition

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

- Continue to monitor funding opportunities – the project has just been submitted to NYS Health Foundation

- Finalize kiosk design

- Find regulations for placing completed kiosk

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

- Begin construction on kiosk

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Make changes to renderings for new version of kiosk

- Look for partners to create an app to go with the kiosk

- Begin construction on kiosk

- Work with the proper city agencies

The students considered the following sub-questions: What does teen dating violence look in our community? Why are the misconceptions about healthy relationships? How can we raise awareness about teen dating violence for NYC teens and their families?

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

SWOT Analysis of Existing Youth Campaigns

- “Love is Respect”

- Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence

- Strengths: multilingual, clear slogans + catchphrases

- Weaknesses: hetero-normative, small and unclear writing

- Opportunities: gender neutral language, more languages, more inclusive demographics

- Threats: homophobia, stigmas that men are always the abusers

Workshop with MOCDV about Teen Dating Abuse

- Analyzed the Wheel of Equality and the Wheel of Power and Control

- Role-played and discussed different forms of abuse in intimate partner relationships

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

Launch Teens 2 Teens campaign

About Us: The mission of Teens 2 Teens is to target the attention of the NYC youth community about teen dating abuse. We are working with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence to educate teens throughout NYC about the components of healthy and unhealthy relationships and build a culture of dating based on trust, equality, and respect.

Mission: We use the #LetThemKnow to encourage and strengthen teens to speak out about unhealthy or abusive relationships, so that we can build a safe and trusting community between teens. Made for teens by teens.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

Teens 2 Teens on Social Media

- Promote #letthemknow on Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

- Use Facebook profile filters and Snapchat geot-filters to help the hashtag to go viral.

- Create youtube video about #letthemknow to explain our mission and encourage teens to share their stories on our social media platforms and website.

- Increase twitter activity of OCDV by using #letthemknow

Teens 2 Teens Webpage

The webpage will be a space where:

- Teens can post their stories (anonymously if they choose).

- Teens can learn about dating abuse through resources like the wheel of equity and the wheel of power and control.

- Teens can access services and hotlines offered by OCDV.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Budget and fund snapchat geofilters & facebook profile filters during the week-long launch of Teens 2 Teens

- Create a teen task force to run the social media profiles for Teens 2 Teens using #letthemknow, gather content for the website, and reach out to high schools across the DOE.

- Partner with DOE to spread the word about Teens 2 Teens across high schools in NYC, especially during the launch week.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

 Community Survey in Bensonhurst around Life Academy High School

- “We found that it’s more than just access but a mindset that each person must have.”

 Survey Results:

- 55% of students don’t feel as though they eat healthy.

- 25% of students don’t have access to healthy foods.

- 95% believe that damaging food is cheaper than healthier food.

- 55% of students eat fast food 2-7 times a week.

Site Mapping in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn

- “I think eating healthy is very essential to living however, many people do not have the resources or cannot afford to healthy.”

- “I know it’s necessary but I hate it, because it doesn’t satisfy me.  I’ve never craved something healthy.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

Healthy LIFE Mural

- Educate our school community and combat the fast food industries advertising tactics with our own “Heathy L.I.F.E.” mural to inspire our fellow students to make the right choices it takes to make healthy eating a way of life

- The mural will not only include images of healthy foods but healthy mantras. We hope that the students will be inspired by the mural and accept the mantras as their own.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

Healthy Life Community Garden

- Create community service and home economic classes that allow the students to increase their skill and knowledge set of fresh fruits and vegetables.

- Provide the students with a natural environment, which is uncommon to their neighborhoods throughout NYC.

- We will also continue to partner with our clients Diana Reyna and Jeff Lowell, as well as Liberty Partnership Program to increase the possibilities and reach of the garden.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Trip to organic garden to learn how to cultivate a garden.

- Obtain funding for community garden.

- Continue “Healthy L.I.F.E” mural and educating our students on the benefits of eating healthy.

- Continue to research the lack of access to healthy affordable foods in urban communities.

The students considered the following sub-questions: Why is food waste a problem? Who or what contributes to food waste? How can we get our key stakeholders to help us achieve our goal? 

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

Interviews

- Interviewed 5 key stakeholders and leaders in the building: the Dean of Origins, AP Shields, Principal Banks, the head custodian, and the head chef.

- All stakeholders agree that food waste is a problem but everyone has a different take on why it exists and what should be done.

- “I rather make too much food than not have enough.”- Head Chef for building

Surveys

- Surveyed 232 students at Origins High School

- 25.4% answered “3-5 times per week” to the question “How frequently do you eat school lunch?”

- 8.5% of students answered “100%” to the question “What % of the food do you usually eat?”

- 64.7% of students marked that they “throw unwanted food out” rather than “share with friends” or “save it for later”

Site Mapped Cafeteria

- Top 3 Strengths

Clean and organized kitchen

Caring workers

Fresh food

Top 3 Weaknesses

Menu not visible or accurate

Lots of wasted food

Large portions

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

- Inform Cafeteria Manager when students are going on trips  

- Offer smaller portion options

- Set up a share table for unopened food items

- Display accurate weekly menus around the cafeteria

- Educate to Inspire

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

- Continue SCRAP Program to assess waste

- Create sorting stations

- Advisory presentations

- Compost food scraps and expired/spoiled food for the garden!

- Revise food choices to reduce commonly wasted food items

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Begin construction of school garden

- Add colorful steps in cafeteria from food tables to the bins to help students sort waste correctly

- Hold a meeting with all of our key stakeholders to share our observations, data and recommendations

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-Students frequently rush to school to avoid being late and often jaywalk in order to get to school faster.
-Pedestrians tend to cross street middle of the street in order to access bus stops located in the middle of street blocks far from intersections.
-High rates of jaywalking could occur due to lack of police enforcement or lack of a crossing guard during school hours.
-Pedestrian accidents at intersections around our school could be due to a lack of camera to enforce speed limits or a lack of traffic islands.
-According to our survey, 33% of pedestrian respondents do not feel safe when crossing the intersection at Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue.
-According to our survey, 17.7% of pedestrian respondents have witnessed an incident or an ‘almost’ incident at the intersection at Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue which included either a pedestrian, a cyclist, or a motorist.
-According to our survey, 70% of pedestrian respondents said they always take safety precautions when crossing the street, while 11% said they take precautions once in a while.
-According to our survey, 67.7% of pedestrians cross the street at the light the majority of the time, 65% say they cross at any point, not necessarily waiting for the red light, and 59% say that they jaywalk and cross at the middle of the street.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations state our goals to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities at the intersection of Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue. In the short-term we think that increasing school and outside community awareness of pedestrian safety and Vision Zero will decrease pedestrian related accidents. In the long-term, we propose infrastructure improvements to make our streets and intersections safer for pedestrian and student crossing.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-A good way to promote awareness of safe street crossing is creating stickers for our students and placing it on their IDs that they use on a daily basis. Students use these IDs to enter the school building, so they need them everyday.
-These sticker logos can be enlarged into posters and placed at available bus stops to serve not only our school community, but also communities across the city.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Flatlands Avenue is a very large block, which students from our school exit from. Add a traffic island to the intersection of Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue.
-The intersection of Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue is very long, with traffic travelling from 5 different directions. Perhaps the presence of traffic police during school hours and for rush hour will help pedestrians feel safer and encourage pedestrians to cross at the streetlight only at a red light.
-The city should add an additional cross light at the middle of the street where students are dropped off at the bus stop for school. This would encourage pedestrians to cross at a designated streetlight rather than jaywalk.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

Many people aren’t aware of Vision Zero statistics and their positive impacts. The Department of Transportation should come into schools more often, regardless of the grade level. Our client from Vision Zero visited our classroom and students were engaged and interested in the conversation

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-We helped the participatory budgeting committee create visuals for the community to see so that they could make an informed choice when voting on the PB projects.
-When creating the visuals we had to research the DOT and Parks Dept. Regulations for public spaces.
-We created renderings of our design ideas and improvements.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Our five key recommendations to use PB funds to benefit the community were: add a community seating area to Taaffe Park; make Msgr. McGolrick Park safer; make street safety Improvements near P.S.16; improve pedestrian safety on Meeker Avenue; and add real time arrival signage for the B44 Bus Route. The project we will implement is in McGolrick Park between Nassau Ave & Driggs Ave, Russell & Monitor St. We propose to use PB funds to repave walkways within park as not covered under existing plans. This will provide a safe surface for kids to place and is accessible to wheelchair bound residents.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-Complete design ides for our Msgr. McGolrick Park sidewalk paving.
-Work with Participatory Budgeting Project and Councilman Levin’s Office to fund this project.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Of our five initial proposals, only the McGolrick park safety idea gained enough votes to receive funding.
-The project goes to the NYC parks department for bidding on the job. Once a contractor is chosen the sidewalks around the park will be fixed.
-The process could take around 2 years to complete.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

-Continue partnership with Councilman Levin’s Office and PB for the 2016-2017 school year.
-Find out which issues are important to the community members and construct new PB ideas.

Strategies for next year:  

-Survey the community
-Assist in project design
-Help with social media campaign

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-According to the pre-2009 definition, there was a 30% decline in domestic violence homicides in Queens from 10 in 2001 to 7 in 2012. 

-According to the pre-2009 definition, there was a 61% decline in Brooklyn – from 18 in 2001 to 7 in 2012.

-Since 2001, domestic violence homicides in Brooklyn have declined by 33%, dropping from 18 in 2001 to 12 in 2012.                                                                           

-Without help, girls who witness domestic violence are more vulnerable to abuse as teens and adults.

-Without help, boys who witness domestic violence are far more likely to become abusers of their partners and/or children as adults, thus continuing the cycle of violence in the next generation.

-According to the CDC, the overall lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence is 1 in 3 females and 1 in 4 males                                                                                                            

-Most cases of intimate partner violence are not reported

-The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence.

-Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious consequences by putting the victims at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence.

-Being physically or sexually abused makes teen girls six times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get a STI.

-81% of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.

-Though 82% of parents feel confident that they could recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of parents (58%) could not correctly identify all the warning signs of abuse.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Develop a written task for a city-wide contest, which would consist of words and arts submissions from teens (grades 7-12+) that address the issue of intimate partner violence, honor survivors, raise awareness about the extent to which IPV occurs and highlight the many lifesaving services offered by the Family Justice Centers. Submissions of all types would be collected and ultimately result in a large-scale, publicized (hopefully) exhibition. Begin promoting the contest on social media and develop posters and fliers to send out to NYC middle and high schools

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

Promote the contest on social media websites: Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. that lists the teen-friendly awards for submissions (iPhone or other brand of cell phone case - with FJC information on the inside, iPhone or other brand of cell phone accessories, coupons or gift cards to popular restaurants and stores, discounts on applying to college, discounts for taking the SAT. Larger prizes could include tablets, cell phones, laptops, scholarships, etc.

-Develop posters and fliers to submit to NYC middle and high schools.
-Promote the contest in high traffic areas such as public transportation stations and vehicles.
-Pitch the contest to magazines and newspapers.
-Train student ambassadors to travel to schools and teach about the contest and its importance during town hall meetings, classroom visits, etc.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Develop partnerships with NYC colleges to involve student interns for submission collecting, and exhibition design (part of a sociology/urban planning coursework).
-Collect student submissions and select pieces to exhibit.
-Secure a location to display the exhibition.
-Create ads for subsequent contests with images of submissions from the previous contest.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

-Create the contest task to be sent to schools and post in electronic and print media.

-Begin promoting the contest on social media and develop posters and fliers to send out to NYC middle and high schools.

-Create a virtual example of how the exhibition will be curated .

-Gather a team of student interns to serve as ambassadors to promote the contest at NYC schools.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-After surveying the community, we found that many people do not know what Illegal Conversion is.
-We came across the most problems while surveying the communities and demographics that tend to have the most cases of illegal conversion, because many of them are immigrant or non-English speaking members of the community.

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-The city government needs to educate the community about what illegal conversion is, how to recognize it, how to avoid it, and what to do if they are victim to it. The community can be educated through social media. Social media is a cheap and effective way to transmit messages to the public.
-Government officials can also partner with community centers in areas where illegal conversion complaints are the largest or where common victims are concentrated. Utilizing community centers in these areas would allow for direct contact with community members. These centers can also have government officials located in these centers for complaints to be made in person.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Build more affordable housing. As much money as possible needs to be put toward creating more affordable housing in New York City.
-Create heavy fines for landlords and government officials. Not only should the landlords converting and renting their dwellings to multiple tenants be fined, but also the government officials assigned to the job should be penalized for their lack of action.
-Spread awareness about rental assistance programs, for working New Yorkers, like a One Shot Deal.
-Construct more apartments for poor and less for the rich. Gentrification is a related cause of illegal conversion. Tenants are being forced out of their neighborhoods and apartments with nowhere to go. 
-The existing apartments/dwellings in NYC need regulations to make them more accessible to our community. Implementing a cap on rent increases and more salary based renting would begin to alleviate the pressures that renters experience.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

-The Government needs to allocate more money to creating affordable housing.
-Landlords need to be held accountable for their actions. Fines should be implemented.
-Tenants should be knowledgeable of their options and the hazards of Illegal conversion.  

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-Meeting with school principal, teachers and non-academic staff- most people believe that Global Warming is real but they do not consciously attempt to conserve energy.
-Field trip to The Museum of Natural History.
-Apple Meeting - a majority of their devices are reused, recycled and toxic free.
-Community interaction with nearby public school P.S. 29 and trip to Covanta- where waste is reused for electricity in Long Island.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In an attempt to decrease the energy consumption within our school environment, we shall:

-Reduce the amount of paper being used and replace it with Internet technology.                                                                                                                                                                  -
-Create a garden to support the efforts of our culinary program.
-Create awareness by engaging other students to participate for the overall benefit of our school.
-Renew our recycling efforts and equip the school with water sensors.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-Allow teachers and students to communicate their work online through Google drive and email. In order to do this we will need more access to the Mac lab.

-Team members, with the help of the school staff and students, must promote their ideas and find grants to fund and put these projects into action.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Increase the use of technology within the school environment to reduce energy waste.

-Set meetings and events to build clubs about energy efficiency. This will promote leadership opportunities for more students and full participation in the school community.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

By successfully putting this project together and into action, there will be means to further influence incoming students and other schools throughout the Brooklyn community and beyond.

Events should be planned to celebrate the efforts of participants.

Community service opportunities may also be an option for those who want to be involved in this manner.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

MOCDV (Mayor’s Office To Combat Domestic Violence) came to our class to give us a workshop about domestic abuse.
After our workshops, 84% of students who attended could identify at least one type of abuse (Emotional, Financial, Physical, Sexual, and Verbal).
We learned that men can also be victims of domestic abuse, and they don’t have to be LGBT.

-We hosted our own workshops for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders at our school to spread awareness.
-We conducted a post-survey at our workshop to gain data.
-We gave out cookies with the domestic violence hotline number.

-MOCDV provides many services to survivors of domestic abuse:

-Food + Clothes
-Secure environment
-Daycare
-Arts

-We visited the locations of these services and learned that:
-The food selection at these shelter services was low.
-More people need to know about the secure, safe, friendly environment in the services.
-The children were entertained and well taken care of while victims were getting help.

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-Bake cookies with the domestic abuse hotline on them so that people can get the number without being conspicuous about taking the number.  
-Partner-up with other culinary high schools that could help prepare the cookies for the MOCDV.
-Involve soup kitchens throughout the city by providing them with the ingredients and instructions to make the cookies for their clients.
-Organize a can drive in our school to donate to the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Coordinate with local bakeries for production and distribution of cookies with hotline number.
-Implement a baking class at the Family Justice Centers to train victims to take over the cookie production and bring awareness and empowerment to our community.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

-The DOE will include “our recipe for self love” into the culinary arts curriculum.
-The MOCDV will find soup kitchens that will donate cookies and FJCs where baking classes can be held.
-George Westinghouse students will look for bakeries to donate cookies and plan baking classes for long-term goals.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-In the school year of 2013-2014, over 84,000 students in New York City public schools were homeless. 117,000 students have been homeless at some point during the last four years- this represents one out of every nine students in New York City public schools. 
-On average, 10% of all New York City students scheduled to graduate in school year 2013-14 dropped out prior to graduation. In our own School District 14, 18.9%-23.3% of students in  public school dropout.
-The overall citywide four-year graduation rate in school year 2013-14 in New York City was 69%.
-The citywide pass rate for all students in the school year 2013-14, for the 3rd-8th grade State English Language Arts tests was 28%.
-The citywide pass rate for all students on the school year 2013-14 3rd-8th grade State Math tests was 34%.

-After site-mapping the Flushing Avenue shelter in District 14, we found that the resource room was only open from 3-6pm.
-The resource room was being shared with after-school programs for elementary and middle school students.
-Computers located in the resource room were non-accessible and were covered. When we asked whether the computers were working, we were told that they were non-working.
-The staff members in the homeless shelter were overwhelmed with responsibilities, and there is not enough funding for activities and field trips that promote career and college readiness.
-Within our own school, we learned that there is a high percentage of students in temporary housing as well as the other two schools in Grand Street Campus.
-In an interview, a student from our school who shared his experiences in temporary housing stated that motivation to do well in school helped him to be successful and college ready.  However, this student was from a well-funded housing shelter that has a special leadership program called SIMBA. This leadership program helped him to visit colleges, attend weekly    peer meetings, engage in leadership activities and tutoring sessions, and provided help getting started applying for colleges and scholarships. 
-After the interview, we learned that students were scared to reveal the whole truth about their feelings and their well being because of the possibility of ACS getting involved in the family  matters.
-We learned from the DHS that there is an incentive program for high school seniors in temporary housing to receive a free laptop when they graduate and get accepted into college.
-When we asked, the staff in the temporary housing shelter said that teenagers in temporary housing need clothing, school supplies, and incentive programs to get better grades.

RECOMMENDATIONS

-Dedicate one college advisor for each school district to students in temporary housing.
-Offer laptop carts/ipads that students in temporary housing can sign out on a weekly basis for homework, college and career research, etc.
-Create a paid peer mentoring after-school program for students in temporary housing.
-Create a website and/or application dedicated to all high school students in NYC that directs them to one place to get resources about college and career readiness and support -resources for teens. 

Example resources: Job postings, healthcare, financial aid, scholarships, college info, SAT prep courses, and tutoring.
We should also promote this app because students use their phones constantly and will likely lose a brochure.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-Donate Laptops and desktops to Flushing Avenue Shelter.
-Initiate a clothing drive for students in temporary housing, because students can only take few items with them to the shelter and access to name brand clothing will increase their morale and self-esteem.
-Register students in temporary housing to SAT Prep programs.
-Distribute school supplies to temporary housing shelters and STH liaisons to give to students.
-Institute peer group connection mentoring programs that link high school seniors with STH students.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-Hire college advisors for every shelter to give students in temporary housing another opportunity to immerse themselves in the next phase of their academic life. Most Students in temporary housing have difficulties finding and applying for college, so having a dedicated college advisor at the shelter will help them through the process.
-Create a website/app dedicated to high school students in NYC that has useful college/career information that support student in temporary housing to pursue their education and stay informed on where to start looking for colleges and how to decide what they want to pursue in the future.
-Institute financial planners in every family shelter to help STH and their parents to learn on how to gain financial stability and to invest/save to gain more money.
-Provide yearly college visits.
-Provide paid internships throughout the school year to cater to students’ interests and careers.
-Plan an annual graduation dinner for students in temporary housing and their families.
-Create a contest, offering the student with the highest GPA a free weekend in the city donated by NYC hotels.
-Implement a special graduation reception city-wide for high school seniors in temporary housing.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

Y-PLAN students will visit District 14 local shelters to see how to best implement the desktops and laptops that were donated by our school and by Progress High School.
Work with STH liaison to promote college trips and special events.
Create a partnership with a tech company to create website or application for high school students to prepare for college and careers.

Use school survey to better understand our student population and their needs. 

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

We collected, reviewed, and analyzed data about the students who currently serve on YLCs in relation to the overall data about students in the city.
We and NYC Service Youth Leadership Councils seek to increase participation in underrepresented demographics:

-Freshman

-Males

-Asian

-Multiracial

-Middle-Eastern

-North-African

RECOMMENDATIONS

We propose a systematic approach to engaging the underrepresented groups by “jump-starting” the YLC framework through the following steps.

-Engage underrepresented group on established common ground.
-Utilize an established channel of outreach as a group.
-Host and reflect on the community outreach activity.
-Establish an authentic Youth Leadership Council.

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

-We modeled our proposed YLC framework as a case study.
-We found common ground on the issue of homelessness, and will seek to address homelessness through collaboration.
-We will engage as a group in an established channel of outreach - The Bowery Mission.
-We are also expanding by teaming up with the National Honor Society chapter at our school on the activity.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

-The longer-term effects of the jump-start Youth Leadership will systematically grow the initiative through action and reflection.

-The Y-PLAN and YLC initiatives have similar goals and can pipeline each other.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY

From here, we will follow our own suggestions by reflecting on our experiences and consider the viability of forming a new YLC targeting homelessness.

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

-Student Observations from Urban Inspiration Tour

• Faded/confusing crosswalks.
• Many cars double park.
• Myrtle Wyckoff intersection the train is a distraction for the pedestrians.
• Myrtle Wyckoff has three streets converging, can be very confusing.
• Many pedestrian strongly agreed that they have almost got hit by a car.

-35 fatalities resulting from traffic crashes in the United States as of February 29, 2016.
-7,538 injuries resulting from traffic crashes in the United States as of February 29, 2016.
-Our survey data indicates that 75% of respondents say they jaywalk constantly.
-80% of survey respondents know what Vision Zero is.

RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

• Implement a “LOOK !” on the crosswalks.
• Repaint the crosswalk so people know where to walk and the cars know where to stop.
• Implement a bump in front of school in attempts to cause cars to slow down. Put a speed bump in front of our school.
• Posters. Hang up posters around our community indicating ways to be safer and alert.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

• Hire more crossing guards.
• Reconstruct sidewalks and streets.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

-Present to our client at the Department of Transportation

-Present our findings to the under classmen at our schools as well as students at neighboring Middle Schools

The students considered the following sub-question: How can students and council people make the Broadway Corridor a more efficient, safe, and beautiful place for residents, seniors, and young people?

YOUTH DRIVEN DATA AND INSIGHTS

• Students conducted community mapping exercises to examine local strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Students participated in existing meetings with local stakeholders and connected with those stakeholders to conduct local surveys and interviews.
• Students performed a public safety survey during a town hall meeting.
• Community members agreed that Broadway should become great again and have more attractions.
• Compstat report showed crime complaints, arrests and summons activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Turn 2.5 Miles of Broadway in an Art District
• Create a Merchants Association
• Create Citizens on Patrol  (COP)
• Resurface 2.5 Miles of Broadway

SHORT-TERM (1-6 Months)

Merchants Association:  The first step to revitalize this area is to organize the existing business owners in a Merchants Association. One of the Goals of the Association would be to turn Broadway into an art walk/district. The creation of the Aasociation is a six to nine month process in which local merchants are educated about the benefits of belonging to a Merchants Association.  EBC HS students have been working with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in order to gain an understanding of the processes involved in creating such an organization.

LONG-TERM (1-3 Years)

Art Walk/District: Once local merchants are organized, we hope to gain their support and cooperation to designate the Broadway corridor into an Art Walk and Art District.  We envision a Broadway in which every metal gate and every possible surface is painted in rich murals. The creation of these murals would be completed with the full permission of business owners and in some cases city agencies such as the MTA and the Department of City Planning. We envision that this will significantly increase foot traffic in the area. We believe that as the murals are completed, people will visit the area to take in all the free art.  As foot traffic increases, the demand for goods and services will also increase. We estimate that many new jobs will be created as a result of this increased demand.  We specifically anticipate that jobs will be made available to local artists and students who will paint the murals.

NEXT STEPS AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY:

The next step is to meet with local merchants to implement a Merchant's Association.

• Attend the next community board meeting to discuss the idea with local residents.
• Acquire the requisite applications and instruct local merchants on how this process works.
• Have a lengthy discussion with the elected officials who represent this area.

 In 2012, HUD awarded the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) a $300,000 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Planning Grant to revitalize the Mott Haven neighborhood in the South Bronx. Focus areas include: rehabilitation of affordable housing, improving education and health, increasing public safety and economic development, and developing healthier environments and parks. This year, students at The Academy of Language and Technology (ALT) partnered with LISC NYC to provide youth insight and evidence-based recommendations to inform the community-driven planning process. LISC provided students with considerable autonomy to investigate a specific issue within these focus areas. Through community research and mapping, students focused their efforts on increasing access to fresh, healthy foods, and revitalizing an underutilized community center. Through their research, students identified public safety as a major community challenge and are in the process of developing strategies and recommendations to Improve safety, increase public awareness, and target park and recreational programming to better meet the needs of young people and families within the Mott Haven Choice Neighborhood. 

Despite innovative advances in technology, people with hearing loss experience challenges with every day issues such as health, communication, and safety when it comes to navigating the city. Students at Grover Cleveland High School partnered with the Center for Hearing and Communication and engaged in an intensive workshop on hearing loss to lay the foundation for the creation of innovative open-source apps “to generate real life solutions to some very everyday issues that people with hearing loss have in navigating New York City and life in general.” Students mapped the city, conducted interviews and community research, and created a range of innovative open source Android Apps designed to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers with hearing loss.

This past fall, Y-PLAN students at The Academy of Language and Technology in the Bronx launched their third year of Y-PLAN with youth-driven community action research. Students created, distributed, and analyzed over 200 surveys to identify critical issues in the Morris Heights neighborhood. With this data, students learned that safe and affordable housing for victims of domestic violence is a real concern for residents. This Spring, students partnered with the Violence Intervention Program to learn more about the issue, and plan to work with NYCHA to identify policies and solutions to allocate city resources to provide safe and affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence.

Academy of Innovative Technology (AOIT) 9th and 12th graders participated in a robust Pilot Roadtest focused on addressing the truancy issue at their school. The students honed in on the security scanners at the campus entrance as a main factor to tardiness, focusing on the project question: How does scanning slow down the education process? Students administered surveys, analyzed the data, and offered recommendations to increase freedom of access for students to the school. 

As part of Y-PLAN NYC Lead Teacher Andrew Woodbridge's Digital Apps Class at Grover Cleveland High School's Academy of Information Technology, students created a suite of digital apps in response to Council Member Elizabeth Crowley's request for them to create a digital tour of their neighborhood. Working in seven small groups, students created the following apps, which will be available for download on Google Play on January 19th, 2016: "Forest Park Attractions," "Who's Buried in Forest Park?," "Forest Park Birding," "Rocky's Forest Park Adventure," "A Tour of Forest & Highland Park," "Reservoir Racing," and "Sports Navigator." Students hosted a Digital Apps Forum on January 7th, 2016 to present their work to their client. Their Forum was attended by NYC Chancellor Fariña and spotlighted on the ABC 7 News.

Students in Steve Coyle’s 11th Grade Engineering and Design class worked on engineering solutions to safer streets to help achieve NYC DOT Vision’s Zero’s Goals of eliminating traffic fatalities to zero by 2020. Students focused on a particular intersection near the Tech Triangle that has experienced an unusually high amount of traffic deaths. Students mapped and surveyed pedestrians along this intersection to inform their proposals. Proposals included new signage, speed bumps, and rumble strips around high priority intersections, increased enforcement of existing traffic codes, and youth outreach to promote community awareness.