GED Plus Program Spotlight: Jason

The Red Hook Community Justice Center has hosted an on-site GED program since its founding in 2000. We recognize the strong link between justice system involvement and a lack of educational opportunities, and are able to provide this opportunity to youth, both court-involved and not, thanks to a partnership with the NYC Department of Education, and to the contributions of the members of the New York Juvenile Justice Corps, an AmeriCorps service program that seeks to prevent young people in New York City from becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system.

Josh Pacheco, NY Juvenile Justice Corps GED Teaching Assistant with the Justice Center's onsite GED classroom's wall of diplomas

Some of our best success stories this year have been due to the relationships formed between Juvenile Justice Corps members and the young people they work with. Although academically very strong, Jason, one of our GED students, was having great difficulty expressing himself in writing. Writing is not only a component on the GED test, but also a major component in the portfolio requirement. Past attempts to reach Jason had failed, and had led to alienation and spotty attendance. It seemed that we could not effectively communicate with him, and left unchecked, this student was headed for a discharge due to frequent absences.

However, Jason was able to successfully work one-on-one with a member of the Juvenile Justice Corps. In a short period of time, the member was able to establish communication with Jason, and he became engaged and eager to reach his goal of attaining his GED. He became invested in his work and enjoyed discussing everything from music to math and history. They began to  build a sense of trust between them, and Jason started to drop his defenses and ease more into his writing. He began formulating ideas for essays and completed the writing components for the required portfolio, which included a personal statement and an academic research paper. Jason soon qualified to take his GED exam, which resulted in a diploma in March. He continues to be in close contact with the Corps member that he worked with previously, and has plans to pursue a college degree. Last month, Jason walked across the stage for the GED Plus graduation at Hunter College with his family, Juvenile Justice Corps members, and Justice Center staff in attendance to cheer him on.

AmeriCorps Member Lee Serrano honored for her service to AIDS Walk and Relay for Life

For the past 2 years, AmeriCorps member Lee Serrano has not gone straight home when she's done for the day at her placement site (New York City Community Clean-Up and Bronx Community Solutions). Instead, second-year member Ms. Serrano leaves the office to go volunteer at another location for causes near and dear to her heart: finding cures for HIV/Aids and breast cancer. Not only has Ms. Serrano shared her time and passion to these important causes, she has made a name for herself as a stellar volunteer in both Aids Walk NYC and Relay for Life.

Lee, in her own words:

"On Saturday, June 2, 2012 myself and a group of my friends were asked to cook some Spanish food as a fundraiser for "Relay 4 Life"; we raised about $500.00. At this same event my picture was taken and was in a motorcycle magazine.

This Saturday, July 23 I will be in New Rochelle volunteering to help in the registration booth. This event is called "Latin Bikers Against Cancer" which means everyone that rides a motorcycles can ride to raise money for Breast Cancer. There will also be Cancer Survivors and food at the event.

For the Aids Walk I received an award for "outstanding contributions" as a volunteer. I volunteered between February all the through the day of the event. I volunteered phone banking and pamphlet preparation for the teams that attended the Aids Walk.

If it wasn't for AmeriCorps I would not have the opportunity to volunteer for these 2 organizations that are for a positive cause and continue to fight and find a cure. They have been fighting for such a long time to save lives and will not stop spreading the word."

Keep up your amazing work, Lee. You inspire us all.

Lee with AIDS Walk NYC coordinator, Shaun Sheppard

 Lee at AIDS Walk NYC 2011 with AmeriCorps coordinator, Viviana Gordon

Lee with fellow AmeriCorps members at AIDS Walk NYC

Lee's award for outstanding contributions to AIDS Walk NYC

Lee's service to "Relay for Life" was recognized in Full Throttle magazine

A dramatic finish for the Red Hook Youth Baseball season

The Red Hook Youth Baseball League concluded it’s 15^th season last Saturday with the underdog, BYA Royals, sweeping the previously undefeated Southern Trucking squad in a best of three championship series, two games to none. AmeriCorps members helped to found the League 15 years ago and continue to support every aspect of the League through their service today through coaching, recruiting, maintaining the ballfields or planning championship day festivities.

After the Royals took the first game on Monday night, the teams faced off Saturday morning to conclude the series. The hard fought game was knotted at 3 at the end of regulation, forcing the game into extra innings as the sun moved high in the sky and temperatures inched passed 100. Southern Trucking made quick business of reclaiming their lead, posting 3 runs on the scoreboard. Things were looking bleak for the BYA, down 3-6 at the bottom of the inning with two outs and no one on base. Two consecutive hits set the table for Brian Velasquez to hit a two RBI triple and pull within one. The next batter, Paul Deceglie got a base hit, driving Brian home to tie the game. Paul subsequently stole second on a wild pitch. The Royals dugout was already on their feet when the next batter, catcher Leo Mota knocked a game winning walk-off single up the middle to clinch the championship in a thrilling 7-6 come-from-behind victory. The BYA win was unquestionably aided by their pitcher, Tommy Camarda, who hurled 6 strong innings and notched 13 strikeouts.

On the other diamond, the battle for third place between Hynes’ Heroes and the Defenders also had a dramatic conclusion with a photo finish play at the plate to end the game. Tied at 3, with two outs and a runner on first, Hynes’ coach Paul Vitale took a risk, banking on a Defender error, and called for 3b Raheem Bernard to steal second. The throw from the catcher sailed over the second baseman’s outstretched hand into center field and the runner rounded second, took third and sped for home on the overthrow. A well-executed relay nailed the runner with C Alex Ruiz applying the game-saving tag.  Both teams’ coaches agreed to call the game a draw due to the heat and to allow the players go watch the thrilling end of the championship game.

After the Royals doused their coaches with buckets of ice water and claimed their championship trophies, the young ballplayers were reminded that the game is about more than winning and losing, and what really matters is showing up, playing hard, and being a good teammate. This year, the League instituted the “Ray and James Brodick Award,” named in honor of the League founder and his father, which honors these qualities by recognizing one player from each team who most exemplifies the “'Love for Baseball' through sportsmanship, hard work and dedication throughout the season." This year the award was given to four inspirational young leaders: Leo Mota of the BYA Royals, Xavier Rivera of the Defenders, Harold Bandouveris of Hynes’ Heroes, and Michael Bosch of Southern Trucking. The award will be permanently displayed in the Red Hook Community Justice Center and serve as a reminder to the young ballplayers that lessons learned on the ballfields can be valuable in the off-season and serve them in life.  

Defender, Luis, in perfect form, pitched all 6 innings of the first round playoff game and came within 3 outs of knocking out #1 seed Southern Trucking.

Southern Trucker, Tatiana, got her share of RBI's (including an in the park grand slam!) to help clinch her team's undefeated (9-0) regular season.

After a 3 hour game in 100+ heat, the BYA Royals celebrate their "come from behind walk-off victory" over Southern Trucking scoring 5 runs with 2 outs in the last inning.

Corps Members Give Away Thousands of Books to Children in Red Hook to Encourage Summer Reading

On May 18^th the New York Juvenile Justice Corps put on the second annual “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader” summer reading kick-off event with the Red Hook branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Under the hot Friday afternoon sun, Corps members gave away thousands of donated books to local children and teens. More than 500 kids, parents and grandparents spent hours browsing through the book selection and left with arms, bags and strollers full of new books for summer. Corps members greeted kids asking about their reading-level and favorite books to help direct them to books they would most enjoy. Corps members also led arts and crafts where kids designed bookmarks and drew illustrations from their favorite stories. Many children left the book fair to wander through the library - happily realizing free books are actually at their fingertips 365 days a year!

The event is an effort to encourage a love of reading and increase access to age-appropriate books to prevent the phenomenon of the “summer slide.” The “summer slide” happens when students go all summer without opening a book and fall behind in school, forcing teachers to spend up to three months reviewing lessons from the previous grade-level, causing students to fall even further behind. Research shows that students who read just 4 books during the summer score better on reading tests in the fall than their peers who read one or fewer books.

Corps members told the kids that although the last day of school is right around the corner, summer break does not have to mean a break from reading. It was inspiring to see children and their families get so excited about books and spend the afternoon reading in the sunshine, momentarily forgetting about their Xbox 360's and TV's back at home.

Books were generously donated by Tymberly Harris of Packer Collegiate Academy, Cynthia Sichenze of the Legal Aid Society, Dianne Graham of the Office of Children and Family Services, Sandra Sutton and Donna Longobardi of the Red Hook Public Library, Toni Bullock-Stallings and other Red Hook Community Justice Center staff. Thank you to Ronell Jack and Nelson Rivera and the Red Hook community service crews for their assistance moving the books, to Nate’s Pharmacy for donating hundreds of bags, to P.S. 15, PAVE Academy and Good Shepherd Services for spreading the word about the event, and to the dedicated members of the Juvenile Justice Corps for making the event possible.

 Children filled their backpacks and bags with books for summer.

 Good Shepherd Services brought over 100 children from their after-school program.

Corps Member Lameeka Collins leads children in arts and crafts. 

The book fair included books ranging from picture books to chapter books and everything in between! 

 Donna Longobardi of the BPL helped children decorate fun animal-shaped bookmarks.

Corps Members recommended favorite books from their junior high days. 

This event was made possible from the support of our wonderful Red Hook Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library! 

 Blue and yellow balloons (the colors of the JJC) attracted many children on their way home from school at P.S.15.

 Many young ballplayers from the Justice Center-run Red Hook Youth Baseball League came by before practice.

 Corps members reminisced about their favorite books from childhood. Corps Member Sean Myers has a soft spot for Captain Underpants! 

After the fair, children from nearby PAVE Academy gathered to read and share their new books with one another. 

Connecting Teens and Young Adults to Summer Internship and Job Opportunities in Red Hook

On Tuesday, May 8th, the Red Hook Community Justice Center hosted our 3rd Annual Youth Summer Internships and Jobs Fair at the Joseph A. Miccio/ NYCHA Community Center in Red Hook, Brooklyn! We opened our doors to over 200 young people between the ages of 14-24 from throughout Brooklyn, with a focus on Red Hook and southwest Brooklyn, in the hopes of providing young people with the chance to apply for paid and unpaid summer employment opportunities at the Justice Center, local businesses and non-profit organizations. 

The Red Hook Community Justice Center began organizing the Summer Internship and Job Fair in response to high unemployment levels among local teens and their strong desire to find work during the summer. Estimates show that the teenage and young adult unemployment rate is substantially higher – about 30% - compared to the local unemployment rate of 9%. Finding summer jobs and internships is a rite of passage for our young people where they gain skills that have been shown to benefit their short-term academic goals and long-term professional careers. We want youth to gain experience and skills in professional fields, network, and help build their resume. Most importantly we want young people to occupy their time during the summer with positive experiences and opportunities. 

Some of the many organizations who participated in the fair were Exalt, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, Hook Productions, Groundswell Mural Project, Department of Youth and Community Development, the 76^th Precinct’s Youth Explorers program, Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez’s Office, the F.A.S.T. Track Program, and Lutheran Family Health Center Community Health Corps; all of which have a deep rooted commitment to the youth in Red Hook and neighboring communities. In addition to these organizations, the Red Hook Community Justice Center and Center for Court Innovation (CCI) also recruited for job and internship opportunities through their New York Juvenile Justice Corps Program (AmeriCorps), Red Hook Community Justice Center Summer Internship Program, CCI’s Youth Justice Board Program, and our partnership program from the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, Youth Organizing to Save our Streets (Y.O.S.O.S.). Educational opportunities were also available, providing vital scholarship information for future high school graduates.

We thank all of the attendees and organizations that participated in this year’s job fair; and we will hopefully see many of these organizations and more next year for our 4^th Annual fair. 

Acting Director of AmeriCorps Visits the New York Juvenile Justice Corps

The New York Juvenile Justice Corps hosted a high-profile visit on April 13th at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, for leaders involved with AmeriCorps at the national and state levels. The Juvenile Justice Corps was chosen as one of only two programs the group visited in New York State.

From left: Judge Hon. Alex Calabrese, Red Hook Community Justice Center, Rosa Moreno-Mahoney, Acting Director - AmeriCorps State & National Corporation for National & Community Service, Mark Walter, Executive Director, New York State Commission on National & Community Service, and Alfred Siegel, Deputy Director, Center for Court Innovation

Visitors, including Adrienne Hallett, Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate Professional Staff, Rosa Moreno-Mahoney, Acting Director - AmeriCorps State & National Corporation for National & Community Service, Mark Walter, Executive Director, New York State Commission on National & Community Service, and Donna M. Smith, State Program Director, New York State Office, Corporation for National & Community Service, heard from Center for Court Innovation staff about the history of AmeriCorps service to the Red Hook community and the important role that the New York Juvenile Justice Corps plays in the Center's greater vision for juvenile justice reform in New York.

Corps members share their experiences in the New York Juvenile Justice Corps with the group.

The group also heard from several current Corps members who discussed their experience in AmeriCorps and the contributions they have made to the sites they have been placed in, which include youth courts,attendance courts, New York City Family Court, New York City Criminal Court, reentry programs and alternative-to-detention programs. Visitors were impressed by the stories members shared about the unique and positive impacts they have made on the youth, programs, and communities they serve. 

Visitors meet members of the New York Juvenile Justice Corps, leading a day-long service project for teen participants of our youth programs in recognition of Law Day.

Corps Member Javan Howard recognized for his service to at-risk youth placed with OCFS

New York Juvenile Justice Corps member, Javan Howard is featured in the latest news publication of his alma mater, Dickinson College. Javan serves at a 24-hour, all-male juvenile facility with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. In this capacity he creates and leads educational programming for the youth, finding new ways to teach core values such as democracy, identity, community-building and service-learning to the residents. Read more here

Congratulations Javan and thank you for your service to your community, AmeriCorps, and the youth at OCFS!

Javan and fellow Corps member Radel Clause volunteer for a recent "It's My Park Day" service project.

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