Our social justice group took interest in poverty because of the sympathy we feel for the homeless men and women we see every day on the streets. We want to make a visible difference and broadcast the message that there are many types of homeless people, and they are not to be generalized into the category of lazy, stupid and irresponsible people, who had sealed their own fate. These misconceptions are harmful because it leads people living in our modern day to shun those who are homeless, when we should actually be compassionate and helpful towards the less fortunate. Everyone in our community had a place to sleep every night while in America there are over 46 million people below the poverty line. Our mission is to educate people who are more fortunate than those who live with very little, and make the end of poverty everyone’s mission. Our goal is also to promote the true concept of being homeless by letting the voices of those who are less fortunate be heard.
On Wednesday, December 4 2013, our social justice group met and interviewed Stacey Cedano from the NYC Department of Homeless Services. We got learn about a government controlled organization called Home Base, which directs reaches out to families living in who are living in poverty and can barely pay the rent. Their main goal is…
On November 21st 2013, our group met and interviewed Peter Brest, The Cheif Operating Officer of the Metropolitan council on Jewish Poverty we learned a lot about the current problems that has to do with public housing and lack of employment. We also were able discuss different statistics and facts about things such as homelessness,employment,and…
Last week, Chiara, Scekem, and I went to 51st street to St. Bart’s Church, which is one branch of Coalition for the Homeless. We were able to interview four men about their experiences with poverty and homelessness. Only one of the men was filmed, but his story will be added to the documentary. The stories…
Our group had been trying to contact Holy Apostles for a very long time, and we finally heard back form them and were able to volunteer on Monday, February 3rd. We arrived at 10:30am, which was a mistake in communication because we were supposed to be there at 9:30 to prepare the food, but in…
Our social justice poverty group visited the Covenant House and interviewed Alice Steigerwald, the volunteer coordinator and talked to her about Covenant House and poverty in New York City in general. Covenant House is a privately run organization with mostly individual donations and some government funding. The Covenant house is a transitional housing unit for children…
In early December, our poverty group went to Homebase, a homeless prevention network. Homebase helps people who are at risk of becoming homeless. They offer a range of services, including job placement assistance, help relocating and services to prevent eviction. At Homebase, we interviewed Stacy Cedeno, who is the head of the protection services. Stacy…
After a wonderful interview with Mary Mckay (director) and Ammu Kowolik (assistant director) at the McSilver Institute, we were able to schedule a date for Ammu and Gary to visit our grade and give a presentation about poverty. They decided to do an exciting gameshow, instead of just having a not so exciting conversation about…
Although I wasn’t able to attend the meeting that my social justice group had with Mary McKay from the McSilver Institute, I was present when Ammu Kowolik, the assistant director, and Gary Parker came to talk to our class. Instead of potentially boring our class with a constant stream of statistics, Ammu and Gary put…
On January 20th my social justice group Volunteered with a night food van at Coalition for the Homeless. We arrived at 6:30 and handed out food in the Bronx until 9:30. There were very few people because it was Martin Luther King’s birthday. We handed out sandwiches, oranges, milk, orange juice, and little chocolates. Because…
On Monday night, my social justice group was given the opportunity to go on a food van that delivered dinner to the homeless or poor throughout the Bronx. Amanda Moretti, mother of former LREI student, helped to facilitate our collaboration with Coalition for the Homeless’ food van. Amanda. Moretti told us that running the food…
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-congress-dont-let
The poverty group went on a fieldwork yesterday. We visited the Covenant House which is a transitional housing unit for youth in NYC. The goal of this visit was to find basic information about poverty and what difference our group could make in our community. We were a couple minutes late because of difficulty…
Last week, my poverty group and I interviewed Stacy Cedano. Stacy works at Homebase. Homebase helps you stay out of a shelter. Homebase offers a range of services under one roof, including services to prevent eviction, assistance for obtaining public benefits, job placement assistance, financial counseling and money management, help relocating and short-term financial assistance.…
On November 21, my poverty group interviewed Peter Brest. He told us a lot about job opportunities for the homeless. He told us that it’s not about the job opportunities, it’s the skills that they have. The jobs that anyone can get aren’t paid very well. If you don’t have any skills, you cannot earn…
On November 22 our group visited homes for the homeless, a shelter for families. We got to do arts and crafts with the little kids and made turkey themed coasters and napkin holders. It was lots of fun and we got to talk to them about their interests and really anything they wanted. What was…
My social justice group visited Homes for the Homeless, a homeless shelter that is centered around families with children. We met with Margaret Mangini who works with the children on weekdays. We worked with the children to do thanksgiving related arts and crafts. Our group was able to prove that poor children are no different…
On November 14th, 2013 our Social Justice group went to the McSilver Institute for poverty policy and research to interview Mary McKay, the director of the institute, Ammu Kowolik, the volunteer coordinator, along with an NYU intern working with them. We ended up speaking with only Ammu and the intern. They talked about what McSilver…
On Wednesday December 4th, Our social justice group met with Stacy Cedeno who works for the DHS (Department of Homeless Services), and we got lots of valuable advice and information from her about our topic. She is the Deputy Director of Community Prevention Services, which means she helps people find alternatives to going to a…
During the middle of November, my social justice group went to St. John’s Food Pantry. While we were there, we volunteered to do all different jobs. I helped hand out food for single people. This food pantry only provides food for people that have an address. Sister Mary talked to us about what each bag…
Last Thursday, Peter Brest, the Chief Operating Officer of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty came to our school to talk with us. We learned a lot, specifically about the next steps in our process. Mr. Brest was able to inform us not only about various statistics and problems, but also about the ways in…
In late November, our group went to Homes for the Homeless. Homes for the Homeless is a homeless shelter. When we were there, we did arts and crafts with little kids who live there. It was a very unique experience. We sat next to them and helped them make turkey napkin holders and coasters. These…
Towards the end of November, we interviewed Peter Brest. Peter is Chief Operating Officer of the Metropolitan Counsel on Poverty. Peter used to work at a hospital, where he noticed that most people who were coming in had poverty issues. He then decided to help find housing for homeless people. Nowadays Peter helps elderly people…
On November 6, 2013 we met with Alice Steigerwald, who is the manager of the media and outreach department for the Covenant House. She gave us a lot of interesting statistics, and talked about her program. The Covenant House acts as a shelter, and also has programs that help people find houses, and jobs. This…
In mid-November, our poverty group went to volunteer at the St. John’s Food Pantry. While we were there, we all were doing various jobs. Some people were carrying carts up the stairs, while others were handing people food. At St. John’s Food Pantry, you have to be a member to be able to receive food.…
Last week, November 13, my poverty group went to visit the the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. We had an interview with Mary McCay, the director of the institute, and one of her colleagues, Ammu, and a student. This institute focuses on mental health. They work with students in high schools who are…
This Wednesday my social justice group joined Margaret’s 6th grade advisory to go to St. John’s food pantry to help out and to speak with a volunteer about our project. They have been serving more people than ever and needed the extra hands. Other than helping our goal was to talk to Joe Spickett, the…
Last Friday the 15th of November our social justice group went to the McSilver Institute for poverty policy and research, and interviewed Mary McKay and Ammu Kowolik. Mary McKay is the director of the institute and Ammu is a volunteer coordinator. Ammu and an intern told us about MsSilver’s mission and how they are one…
Yesterday our group accompanied a teacher and her six sixth graders to St. John’s food pantry. We stayed there from about 12:30 until a little after 2:00. We volunteered with the women who handed out food, bagged cans and sorted groceries. My job was to take the tickets of single adults and senior citizens and…
In the middle of November, we went to the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research to talk to Mary McKay, the head of the organization. The McSilver Institute was founded in 2007 through the generosity of Martin Silver. They address the root causes of poverty, rather than getting hands on. The bulk of their…
In late October, my group went to Covenant House. During this visit, we got to interview Alice Steigerwald. She told us about what the students do on a daily basis. The Covenant House provides 108 beds for the children to sleep in and what to wear during interviews. The students learn how to do daily…
In late October, our poverty group went to the Covenant House. While we were there, we had an interview with Alice Steigerwald, the Deputy Director. She talked to us about what happens on a daily basis at the Covenant House. We are too young to see the kids there, so Alice informed us about everything…
We had the wonderful privilege to watch a conference on the eradication of poverty at the United Nations and listened to so many informative and inspiring speakers. The conference started off quite slowly but then got more interesting as it progressed. We heard a message from the Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, delivered by Ms.…
On November 11th, 2013, Chiara, Rachel, Julia, Carla and I went to Homes for The Homeless to do volunteer work, and help the children at the shelter do a arts and crafts thanksgiving activity. Homes for the Homeless is a shelter that providesfamily-based, child-centered, and education-focused oppurtunity. They provide the necessary support for families and…
On October 17 2013, the Split B Poverty Group went to the UN for a meeting on the eradication of poverty for the Eradication Of Poverty which is an international day where people come together to discuss possible solutions to resolving poverty, share stories about their encounters with poverty, and hold performances for people who…
On October 17th, my group attended the International Day of the Eradication of Poverty at the U.N.. We heard many messages from people who are trying to stop poverty. We also heard many speakers talk about their struggles and challenges with poverty. We heard from a 14-year-old girl living in a homeless shelter; her speech…
Last month, October 17, my Social Justice Group went to visit the United Nations. It was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Many people talked about their experiences and struggles with poverty. One 14 year-old teenager talked about her life living in shelters and her experience being constantly teased and discriminated against. They…
Both poverty groups went to a Poverty Eradication Conference at the United Nations. We heard from many speakers from all over the world. The goal of the visit was simply to gain statistical information to head off our project. Getting to and from the UN was simple, and our group coped well with the high…
The poverty group went on a fieldwork yesterday. We visited the Covenant House which is a transitional housing unit for youth in NYC. We met with Alice Steigerwald and discussed the work of Covenant House and general poverty in New York. We also learned about how Covenant House and others similar organizations work including what…
Our social justice group took interest in poverty because of the sympathy we feel for the homeless men and women we see every day on the streets. We want to make a visible difference and broadcast the message that there are many types of homeless people, and they are not to be generalized into the…
