The Children's Aid Society

Teens Get an Inside Look at Albany at Legislative Forum

June 4, 2008

In late April, The Children's Aid Society’s Youth Civic Task Force facilitated a workshop on the Latino drop-out rate at Somos el Futuro, a legislative forum in Albany sponsored by the New York State Assembly’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force.

The teens brought their powerful firsthand experience to the workshop entitled “Hispanic Teen Issues: Engaging Adults to Help Latino Youth Succeed.” They sought to raise awareness of teen issues – especially the drop-out rate – in order to develop activities to support and impact the lives of youth. The drop-out rate for Latino youth is 26 percent, the highest of any group.

To help combat the alarming drop-out statistics, the Youth Civic Task Force recommends that all schools become community schools. According to the teens’ written recommendations, “Community schools can be a one stop model for critical services. Youth can benefit from this strategy that not only gives them easy access to academic support, enrichment and services, but that also provides them with the opportunities for jobs, internships and volunteer work to expose them to career possibilities.”

Children’s Aid’s Youth Civic Task Force unites high school students from a cross-section of Children’s Aid programs and sites to educate their communities, raise the civic awareness among their peers and serve as advocates for youth on community issues.

The 50 elected officials and government and nonprofit employees who attended the workshop had the chance to hear from an esteemed panel – Robert Jackson, New York City Council Member; Katherine Eckstein, Policy and Advocacy Specialist, The Children's Aid Society’s National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools; Regina Little, a Children’s Aid parent and President of the Guardian Association Board of CS 61 & IS 190; and Maria Eugenio, Vice President of the Advisory Committee of the Latino Outreach Initiative, The Children's Aid Society. New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and New York State Assembly Member Phil Ramos moderated the panel.

Youth from the East Harlem Center and the Salomé Ureña de Henríquez Middle Academies Campus involved with The Children's Aid Society/Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Latino Outreach Initiative also traveled to Albany to present at the forum.

For more information on the Youth Civic Task Force, e-mail Lorena Jimenez.

Pictured above (left to right):

Panel member Katherine Eckstein, Policy and Advocacy Specialist, The Children's Aid Society’s National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools

Panel member Maria Eugenio, Vice President of the Advisory Committee of the Latino Outreach Initiative, The Children's Aid Society

Ines Zayas, The Children's Aid Society

Panel member Robert Jackson, New York City Council Member

Panel member Regina Little, Children’s Aid parent, President of the Guardian Association Board of CS 61 & IS 190, also serves on the District 12 President’s Council Board

Student Indira Infante

Panel moderator Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City Council Member

Student Blanca More

Lorena Jimenez, The Children's Aid Society

Student Charlotte Duaryenner

Student Michael Garcia

Panel moderator Phil Ramos, New York State Assembly Member