| “Stand By Our Kids!” Deliver 5,000 Petitions to City Hall |
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| Friday, 12 June 2009 15:44 |
The “Stand By Our Kids!” Coalition carried a message to City Hall on Wednesday urging restoration of $6 million for 88 after- school programs serving 10,750 youth across the city. Personal letters and petitions containing nearly 5,000 signatures from people opposing the cuts in OST2 (Out-of-School Time Option 2) programs were presented to Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott. Youth, families and community leaders were joined by City Council Members who voice their support.“If the funds are not reinstated, most of these after school programs will be diminished or entirely dismantled, leaving thousands of youth without guidance, support and creative and constructive activities,” said Danny Rosenthal, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at The Educational Alliance, one of the organizations in the Coalition. “These programs give our youth skills for building better futures for themselves and their communities, as well as productive ways to spend their time. In abandoning these programs, the long-term costs to society will far outweigh any short-term financial savings.”  “Without the Teen Center, I don’t know what I would have done, or who I would have become,” said Christopher Rivera. Rivera participated in the Educational Alliance Teen Center’s College Prep Program, which had a 100% college acceptance rate last year. Recently selected as “Youth of the Year” by Boys & Girls Clubs of America/New York State Division, he will attend Fordham University this Fall. “These OST2 programs provide our kids with healthy and constructive activities and opportunities for civic participation,” said City Council Member Alan Gerson. “Cutting the funding for these programs would create a void that the gangs will be only too happy to fill. We must find more responsible ways to balance the budget. These cuts are wrong in so many ways.” "Our youth cannot afford any more cuts to after school programs – programs that are integral to neighborhoods and communities throughout the City and impact thousands of our kids and families,” said City Council Member John C. Liu.  “The Council and the Youth Services Committee have prioritized the restoration of the OST2 program,” said City Council Member Lew Fidler, who serves as Chairman of the Youth Services Committee. “Thousands of kids depend on this program for after school activities and the OST2 programs are among our most innovative. The Mayor should restore these programs from his cut list.”� Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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