Eugene Bill To Create Disconnected Youth Taskforce
City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (Flatbush, East Flatbush), Chair of the Youth Services Committee, today will hold a public hearing on legislation he co-sponsored to create a Disconnected Youth Taskforce.
The measure calls for task force to consist of 11 members who will report to the Mayor and the Council on how to provide better resources for youth ages 16-24 that lack proper housing, education, and employment opportunities.
Eugene will also co-sponsor legislation to create a division of workforce development within the Department of Small Business Services to better prepare and connect job candidates with employers.
Eugene said with 350,000 youth either unemployed or not enrolled in educational programs, New York has the ninth highest rate of youth disconnection of the nation’s 25 most populous metro areas. Many of those who do graduate high school still lack the necessary skills to succeed in the workplace or in postsecondary education, he said.
The public hearing for the legislation is slated for 10 a.m., today, Nov. 22 at 250 Broadway in LOwer Manhattan.
Adams Distributes Turkeys, Trimmings & MetroCards
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will distribute over 1,000 turkeys, with accompanying healthy trimmings, to more than 125 local food pantries and houses of worship that are serving Brooklynites in need this Thanksgiving.
In addition, as part of his Seeds of Kindness initiative, he will present MetroCards donated by local clergy to non-profit organizations that will distribute them to underserved residents needing transit assistance as they apply for jobs or seek social services.
Adams will give thanks for the sponsors and volunteers who made this distribution possible, and will speak to the spirit of One Brooklyn in giving back during the holiday season.
The giveaway is slated for 11 a.m., today, Nov. 22 outside Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, in Downtown Brooklyn.
Espinal Calls For Expansion Of Foreign Language & Financial Literacy Programs
City Council Members Rafael Espinal (Bushwick, East New York) and Mark Levine (Manhattan) as well as advocates from the education and business communities today will call for a robust expansion of foreign language education and financial literacy programs in the city’s public schools.
The press conference comes ahead of an education hearing that will focus on City Council Resolutions 845 and 890, introduced by Council Members Espinal and Levine respectively.
Resolution 845, which Espinal introduced, calls upon the New York State Department of Education to incorporate financial literacy throughout grades K-12, a need that was recognized by President Obama’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability and the development of their initiative, www.MoneyAsYouLearn.org.
Espinal introduced the resolution after learning that many young adults today graduate from high school lacking in financial literacy education. Students often do not understand the dangers of student debt and are currently only exposed to a personal finance curriculum in the 12th grade as part of a social studies program.
This resolution calls upon the New York State Department of Education to incorporate financial literacy throughout grades K-12, a need that was recognized by President Obama’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability and the development of their initiative, www.MoneyAsYouLearn.org.
Levine’s resolution is based on a white paper calling on the City to increase the number of elementary students in language immersion programs from the current level of 3% to 20%. Levine’s white paper also calls for the number of languages available for immersion to grow from the current total of 10 to 20, with emphasis on the languages in highest demand by employers, including non-Western European languages such as Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, and Japanese.
A press conference on the resolutions is slated for 12 noon, today, Nov. 22 on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Cuomo Announces Pilot Program Helping Veterans
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday announced a new pilot program to help connect veterans in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities with benefits, programs, and services earned as a result of their military service.
For the first time in its 70-year history, the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs will hire Veterans Benefits Advisors to exclusively assist Veterans in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, including the Veterans Homes operated by the New York State Department of Health and the State University of New York.
“Our veterans answered the call to serve our nation and we owe it to them to ensure they have access to the resources that they are rightfully able to obtain,” said Cuomo. “This new initiative will help ensure that when a new veteran patient enters a nursing home, they are better able have their needs addressed and their quality of life improved.”
The Veterans Benefits Advisors, all of whom will obtain accreditation to represent Veterans and their family members before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, will advocate free of charge for these veterans in claims and appeals for disability compensation, non-service-connected pension, and other benefits, programs, and services that can bring life-changing aid to a Veteran and their family.
During the last calendar year alone, existing Veterans Benefits Advisors successfully obtained more than $75 million in new and recurring VA benefits for veterans and their family members throughout New York State.
Mosley, Cumbo Hold Town Hall Dealing With Trump Election
Assemblyman Walter Mosley and City Council Member Laurie Cumbo, both of whom represent Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, tonight will host a town hall entitled, Where We Go From Here Town Hall: Organizing for the Future in Trump’s America.
Topics of discussion will include how to heal in the aftermath of this tough election cycle, organizing for a response moving forward, how to help in your own neighborhood, and finally ending with a Q&A period.
The Town Hall is slated for between 6-8 p.m., tonight, Nov 22 at Bishop Laughlin Memorial High School, 357 Clermont Avenue in Clinton Hill.
Harris Reminds That Thanksgiving Is Also About Giving Back
Assembly Member Pamela Harris (Coney Island, Bay Ridge) is reminding constituents celebrating Thanksgiving to recognize the issues facing members of the community that are less fortunate, and especially important to lend a hand to those facing food insecurity.
Harris noted in Brooklyn, 1 in 4 children and 19 percent of seniors live in food insecure homes. In addition, a recent survey found that 53 percent of local food pantries and soup kitchens reported not having enough food to meet current demands. The good news is that, through federal and local hunger prevention programs and organizations, the number of food insecure households has significantly declined since the Great Recession. Progress is being made, but these organizations still need help, she said.
If you’d like to volunteer to help feed the less fortunate, please visit www.foodbanknyc.org/our-
Jumaane Williams Canned Food Drive For Needy Families
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) and Students Taking Action Today (S.T.A.T.) will be collecting donations for the annual holiday canned food drive to assist needy families. Donations will be given to local food pantries and charitable organizations.
Canned foods can be dropped off at Williams’ office between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday thru Friday at 4517 Avenue D in East Flatbush.
Donations will be accepted until Thursday, December 15.
For more information, email Farah Louis-Drayton at flouis@council.nyc.gov or calling 718-629-2900.
