Youth Rework Newark
The Greater Newark Conservancy's Newark Youth Leadership Project (NYLP) worked with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign last summer. The 2 day exercise required students to think critically about their neighborhoods and develop ideas and solutions to help make Newark a better place to live. They created a final report of their ideas focusing on improvements to Newark's transportation network, downtown redevelopment, neighborhood life and parks and outdoor space.
Senator Ruiz presented these high school students with legislative citations last month for their contributions. Below is just some of the students discoveries:
Tanaysia Caesar, St. Vincent Academy
Our team objective was to find out if there were any human services in Newark. We were successful in finding two clinics, a law office, multiple hospitals, shopping stores, etc. Also we found some things that need to be improved in Newark. There were a lot of cracked sidewalks, abandoned buildings, no bike lanes and a lot of trash. All of these sometimes overpower all of the good in our city, which gives Newark a bad name. If we work hard together we can improve our city and I feel as though it is up to me and others who live here to care for our city.
Aicha Diallo, Arts HS
We saw art galleries, glass shops, family businesses, pretty parks and people volunteering. I am a resident of the North Ward and where I live there are not many street lights which cause a lot of accidents on the street corners. I also feel like there are not a lot of garbage cans around where I live. I believe that if we added these things into neighborhoods around the city it can contribute to making areas we live in better places.
Dasia Boykin, Weequahic HS
Some ideas that we can improve Newark is through Go Green Buses. In New York City there are local buses that run on clean energy. They save money and improve climate change. I believe that if New York City can do it than Newark can too. It is very bad that everyone also drives so many cars, the air that is being let go is like second hand smoke. How can we change the world without changing our hearts and minds. That same change can start here in Newark. In the South Ward area we don't have many great places to go to visit, but old buildings can be changed into art galleries, dance hall and music classes. Most teens can really dance and sing but there are no close places that they can visit. My mother and other local parents are into museums and galleries but they have to travel far away to reach such places.
