Enterprise Story Ideas
Cyrus Farivar
1) AIDS Education (or lack thereof) in Crown Heights:
According to the NYC Dept. of Health, as of 2001, Central Brooklyn had an AIDS death rate that was twice as high as the rest of the city, causing the death of over 150 people. There are over 4,000 people living with AIDS in the community. However, as this goes on AIDS education seems to be lacking and/or diminishing in the area. What has happened to AIDS education? According to State Sen. Andrews there are middle and high schools that have no active AIDS education program. Millicent Freeman, an AIDS Education Program Director with the DOH concurred, saying that there are areas where there is no education or that the quality level isn’t what it should be.
I want to investigate the following:
What schools have no AIDS education at all? Why? What were the bureaucratic and administrative steps that led to this situation?
How do these schools deal with this? Are they concerned?
What is the city or other local NGOs doing about this?
What is the level of the students, parents and teachers concern?
What do the students know about AIDS? Compared with other local students who do have programs? What does the NYC DOH think that they should know?
Execution:
I will do a cursory survey of the middle and high schools in the area and try to find out what their approach to AIDS is. Do they have regular AIDS education seminars or talks for the students? In addition, I will speak with local AIDS groups and find out where some of the trouble spots are and try to understand how the situation has gotten this way. Is the city diverting any money or resources to counteract one of the top AIDS troublespots in the city? I will interview city health officials and find out. And most importantly, what do the students think and know? Do they care?
Sources:
Brooklyn AIDS Task Force
Glenda Hasty
718-622-2910 X115
Judith Dinar
weds. Nov. 17 3 pm
261 broadway
718-388-0028 X108
People of Color in Crisis
718-857-5900 X26
New York City Department of Health STD Program: Crown Heights
718-735-0580
212-427-5120
Program Director, Millicent Freeman
212-788-4427
after 2 pm friday
HIV Prevention Planning Group, Crown Heights Service Center
Adolescent Work Group
Rosemary Yoboby
718-774-9800
Deborah Jackson
Carnarsie Aware
AIDS/HIV/STD
Chris Jock
212-513-7345
Want to contact Yvenghne
Kimberly Mack
212-788-4101
Elaine Reid
Caribbean Women’s Health Association
123 Linden Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11226
Tel: 718-826-2942
e-mail:
Marjorie Hill, Ph.D.
Assistant Commissioner
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Bureau of HIV/AIDS
40 Worth Street, Room 1502
New York, New York 10013
Tel: (212) 788-3686
Fax: (212) 788-2283
e-mail:
Bill Stackhouse, Ph.D.
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Director, HIV Prevention Planning Unit, Bureau of HIV/AIDS
40 Worth Street, Room 1502
New York, New York 10013
Tel: (212) 788-4484
Fax: (212) 788-2273
e-mail:
Jan C. Park (Alternate)
Deputy Assistant Commissioner
Bureau of HIV/AIDS
40 Worth Street, Room 1502
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 788-4415
Fax: (212) 788-2273
e-mail:
212-788-4747
Sandra mullin, press sec.
Monique duwell, press Sec.
Crown Heights Youth and Family Multi-Service Center
718-230-5100
Convenant House Community Health Program
75 Lewis Ave.
718-452-6730/33
Verite AIDS/HIV education
Michele Peake at (718) 230-5100.
Perry McNeil
Shelon Leghorn, Program Director for After School Program
718-230-5100
Bedford Stuyvesant/Crown Heights HIV Care Network
Interfaith Medical Center
1360 Fulton Street, Suite 502
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Eve Ammons-Johnsont, Network Coordinator
Tel: (718) 622-8184 101 Ext.
Fax: (718) 622-8186
email:
M.S. 394
188 Rochester Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 756-3164
Grade Span: 6-8
Asst. Prin., 8th grade
Leslie Knight
Ms. Rowe
I.S. 390
1224 Park Place
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 493-5445 or 5446
Grade Span: 6-8
Bent Lewis, Sen. Advisor
I.S. 340
227 Sterling Place
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Telephone: 857-5516
Grade Span: 6-8
James Frederick, Parent coordinator
Greg Jackson, Health teacher
Pearl Eli, Asst. Prin.
High Schools
Acorn Community High School
561 Grand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Telephone: 789-2258
Fax: 789-2260
Grade Span: 9-12
Sara Robinson, Social Worker at school
After 8 am, Thurs.
Ms. Piper
Deborah mortley
9-9:40 am
We
All of the teachers have to attend a workshop
So you can keep abreast of the latest methods and medication and what's the current discussion
That's run by the state, they give us what their latest statistics
We're told to get resources, so I go on the Internet
5 lessons in fall and 5 in spring
there's also a paper that every paper is given is opt-out
we have q and answer sessions
we then have evaluation forms, what did you learn what do you know?
Many of them tell us that we had this in the eighth grade
They do know that it's a deadly disease
I had a student tell me that their father died of AIDS
25th year teaching,
I subscribe to the POZ magazine
Harriet mccloud;
When you're out there in the community working, you hear what's going on and if you don’t' hear it doesn’t exist
I know it's not happening
I've worked with the schools,
They're not providing the schools with what they need to do what they have to do. Don't have the resources
They should be training the teachers, but the teachers are not being trained
When you're ou there in the community working
I know teachers, in fact one of our board members: mondelson, fred
Robert Matthews
718-604-1358
Latricia James
Clara Barton High School
901 Classon Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Telephone: 636-4900
Fax: 857-3688
Grade Span: 9-12
Martha Lage, Asst. Prin. Of Health
After 4 pm Weds.
718-236-9242
Prospect Heights High School
883 Classon Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Telephone: 636-5800
Fax: 789-7279
Grade Span: 9-12
Laurie Midgette, Principal
Ms. Brenner, Asst prin, phys ed
Prudent Rogers, Counselor
8 am, Thursday
Paul Robeson H.S. for Business and Technology
150 Albany Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 774-0300
Fax: 467-3692
Grade Span: 9-12
Anna Torres, Weds. 12 pm
Hon. Carl Andrews
Member of the New York State Senate
572 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-284-4700
Jesse Hamilton
802-718-3625
Former president of school board for community 17
212-374-0814
Hon. Yvette Clarke
Member of the New York City Council
123 Linden Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11226
718-856-3400 (office)
646-342-8242 (cell)
Press Secretary Rance Huff
718-287-8762
Regional Superintendent for Region 6
Gloria Buckery
718-968-6131
Jody Stoll, Regional Health Director
718-968-6187
I'm assuming that the emphasis on the fundamentals leave some gap in terms of life skills
A lot of it has to do with this whole reinvention of our education system and where the priority has been emphasized by our administration
They're focused on the fundamentals of exams that the children have to pass as part of a mandate and what I've found is that there tends to be a lack of innovation in terms of curriculum innovation so they can't meet both tasks simultaneously
There tends to be a lack of ingenuity on the part of the board
There's so much pressure around meeting the basics of mee
Marian Searchwell
(718) 270-3992
Ext. 3992
Program coordinator for the Teens Helping Each Other Project
Part of the Adolescent Education Program
Downstate Medical Center
Lela Charney
(212)233-5032
MS 246
Cassandra Kennedy
2) The Negative Effects on Teachers from Bloomberg’s Retention Tests
In September 2004, the Panel for Educational Policy unanimously passed a 5th grade retention test, similar to the one that Mayor Bloomberg had already instituted for the 3rd grade. What unforeseen effects may this have on the teachers who now have to accommodate their curriculum to teach to this test? Specifically, will this require districts to bring retired teachers back to teach the existing teachers how to teach to this test? In speaking with State Sen. Carl Andrews last month, he told me that some teachers are being brought out of retirement to "teach the kids how to teach the kids," meaning that many of the 3rd grade teachers are so young and inexperienced, and have had a hard time teaching for the 3rd grade required exam that some teachers are coming back to help with that. The story would examine some of the negative consequences (like bringing teachers out of retirement) on this testing scheme (others would include teachers’ concern over taking time away from their own curriculum, or the problems with teaching to a specific test and thinking that the kids won’t actually be educated) that have arisen due to the existing testing régime and to gauge if there is concern that these negative consequences will expand to the 5th grade as well.
I want to investigate the following:
How do the teachers feel about being brought out of retirement to teach younger teachers to teach to this 3rd grade test? How much does this cost the school/district?
Do the younger teachers feel the school/district doesn’t have confidence in them? Does this create any tension at all?
What other negative effects has this testing created for teachers and parents? Do they feel more pressure? Are there examples where this has gotten out of hand/control (ie, have parents taken their kids out of the NYC school system because of it?
Do students feel more pressured?
Given that these issues exist at what grade level, is it likely that they will expand to the 5th grade as well?
Execution:
I would go to the schools and talk with some teachers who have been brought back, as well as the teachers whom the schools feel need assistance.
In addition, I would go after parents and students to see if they notice a difference when another teacher is brought back to help. Do they think it’s a good thing, or not?
What are politicians, both state and local, doing about this?
Sources:
P.S. 9
80 Underhill Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Telephone: 834-6790
Grade Span: K-6
P.S. 335
130 Rochester Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 493-7736
Grade Span: K-6
P.S. 243
1580 Dean Street
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 574-2404
Grade Span: K-6
P.S. 22
433 St. Marks Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Telephone: 857-4503
Grade Span: K-5
P.S. 138 (Beacon School)
760 Prospect Place
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Telephone: 467-0800
Grade Span: K-8
P.S. 167
1025 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 774-2640
Grade Span: K-5
P.S. 191
1600 Park Place
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Telephone: 756-1206
Grade Span: K-6
P.S. 289
900 St. Marks Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Telephone: 493-3824
Grade Span: K-5
P.S. 316
750 Classon Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Telephone: 638-4043
Hon. Carl Andrews
Member of the New York State Senate
572 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-284-4700
Hon. Tracy Boyland
Member of the New York City Council
2094-A Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-345-3110
Email:
718-230-0415
Jasmine Miller, scheduler
3) Transferring Money Into and Out of Crown Heights
A few weeks ago I had lunch in a Guinean restaurant in Crown Heights and noticed a home-printed ad for money transfer between NY/NJ to major West African cities like Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako, Accra, et cetera. I suspect that the majority of the money that is transferred is not regulated at all, and is probably avoiding business taxes and so forth.
I want to investigate the following:
Is this legal?
How safe is it to use these businesses?
Have people been scammed?
What is the incentive for people who are transferring money to go with these little operators rather than a trusted (and probably insured) company like Western Union?
With all the immigrants in Crown Heights (not just West African, but Caribbean as well), is unregulated money transferring taking root here?
Execution:
I would contact law enforcement officials to see if there have been any reports of fraud due to money transfer. I would also contact immigrant organizations to see if they are consulting people to be wary of these organizations. And of course, I would contact these money transfer guys themselves and find out what they’re up to and if it turns out that they are breaking laws, if they know that.
Moribine Koura (contact point from ad)
718-592-2838
464-533-1722
Youssouf Kakara (contact point from ad)
718-760-3554
347-236-8867
Bedford Haitian Community Center, Inc.
1534 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Telephone: 718-756-0600
Fax: 718-771-6597
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday thru Friday
Director: "Joseph"
Police precinct 71
Comm Affairs: (718) 735-0527
Gene Whyte, DCPI
646-610-6700
Hon. Carl Andrews
Member of the New York State Senate
572 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-284-4700
Hon. Tracy Boyland
Member of the New York City Council
2094-A Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-345-3110
Email:
718-230-0415
Jasmine Miller, scheduler
Hon. Yvette Clarke
Member of the New York City Council
123 Linden Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11226
718-856-3400 (office)
646-342-8242 (cell)
Press Secretary Rance Huff
718-287-8762