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Bronx Borough President Salutes Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión was addressing about 300 students, teachers, and counselors on Wednesday, May 7th at the F·E·G·S Health and Human Services System’s Day of Appreciation ceremonies for In-School Youth Programs when he was interrupted by a small robot. The robot—an aluminum box on wheels, about two feet square, with multi-colored lights—entered from the back of the auditorium at Samuel L. Gompers Vocational and Technical High School in the Bronx, moved down the main aisle to the front of the stage, blinked it’s lights in greeting, then exited to the amusement and rousing applause of the crowd. Carrión Praises Creative Partnerships, F·E·G·S Programs Carrión never missed a beat. Far from being thrown off-balance by the unexpected guest, Carrión seized the opportunity to laud the creativity of the Gompers students who created the robot, to salute school principals who are entrepreneurial and willing to experiment, and to praise the efforts of F·E·G·S in seeking the kinds of creative government/voluntary sector partnerships that have made F·E·G·S’s In-School Youth Programs among the most successful of their kind in the New York City schools. Education is a National Security Issue Carrión stated that “the most important thing government can do today is to educate.” It is really a national security issue, he said. “For our country to maintain its safety and security, we must have educated citizens.” F·E·G·S Programs Support the The F·E·G·S In-School Youth Programs are an outstanding example of what Carrión called the “promise and potential” of today’s youth. “There are still problems – like racism, sexism, and homophobia – that bleed through our institutions. It is the promise and potential of today’s youth that will change things for the better,” he said. Eric Weingartner, Assistant Vice President of F·E·G·S Employment, Training, Education & Youth Services, spoke about the ways F·E·G·S programs empower underserved youth with a range of in-school, after-school, and out-of-school programs. Most important, he said, is to “set high expectations, bring the services to where the young people are, and to operate with a sense of urgency.” F·E·G·S Has Made the Difference in Their Lives, Say Students A number of students spoke about the difference the F·E·G·S programs had made in their lives: ·
Dallas Clarke, Jr. a student in the Teen Works
program at ·
Anthony Brown, a student in an F·E·G·S in-school
program funded through the Workforce Investment Act (W.I.A.) managed by the New
York City Department of Employment, spoke with pride of his rise in academics
at the Bronx Leadership Academy, where he is ranked number 7 in his class, and
his plan to attend the University of Maryland this fall. The W.I.A. program
helps students assess their skills, participate in tutorial sessions and
workshops, and provides an array of academic and vocational services designed
to set and meet their professional goals. ·
Kungchiha Jeoboham, a student in the N.Y. State Department of
Education-funded Partnerships for Youth program, told the audience how the
program had helped her raise her math scores from 45% to over 90%. This program
provides some 300 students from ·
Devyn Haynes, a
participant in the Progressive Adolescent Vocational Exploration (P.A.V.E.)
program funded by the N.Y. State Department of Labor, credited the program with
helping her discover a desire to become a marine biologist. The P.A.V.E.
program takes students through a demanding, two-semester process of career
exploration. After graduation, 85% of P.A.V.E. participants enter
post-secondary institutions or the U.S. Armed Forces. Virginia Cruickshank, Senior Vice President for F·E·G·S Employment, Training Education & Youth Services, said that F·E·G·S serves some 6,000 students each year through its in-school, after-school, and out-of school programs. ### |