Bed Stuy Program for Teens and Brownstoners
Barnabus Shakur was “raised amongst gangs, drugs, violence and other struggles associated with economically disadvantaged communities,” according to his own biography. And when a 19-year-old buddy received a life sentence, Shakur decided to harness his life and send it in another direction, helping other kids in Bedford-Stuyvesant to stay away from those gangs, drugs and…
Barnabus Shakur was “raised amongst gangs, drugs, violence and other struggles associated with economically disadvantaged communities,” according to his own biography. And when a 19-year-old buddy received a life sentence, Shakur decided to harness his life and send it in another direction, helping other kids in Bedford-Stuyvesant to stay away from those gangs, drugs and violence through his non-profit, Project Re-Generation. He’s gathered an army of such kids, turning them into Foot Soldiers, his name for a teen job training program that has kids “remove litter, leaves, snow, weeds, and trash from your front yard, stairway, and sidewalk” in exchange for a few bucks a week. Yes, they’ll do the backyard, too, if you have one. The kids can earn community service hours for high school credits and they take money management workshops, so they don’t spend their stipends all in one place.
Great post. I have already reached out and I am trying to get my mom to do the same for her place.
As long as we are talking about bad jobs as kids…..I worked as a night janitor for a school on Eastern Pkwy one summer. Each night I would go to my grandmother’s place (in Flatbush) for dinner and walk home (to Halsey) at the end of my shift. Spike was filming Crooklyn that summer, so it was like walking onto a Hollywood movie set once you got to Halsey between Nostrand and Bedford…..ONE OF THE BEST SUMMERS OF MY LIFE.
Agnostic Fart:
I know you said you were kidding, but why put racist energy out there even in jest? Most homeowners in Bed Stuy are still black, so I’m pretty sure that white guilt is not the main force at work here. And for the record, white people can care about black people without being driven by guilt.
My first job at 15 was standing at a machine all day individually wrapping muffins and putting stickers on the bottoms, followed by cashier at a supermarket, waitress, and then a part-time cleaning person while I was in college (which happened to be my introduction to Brownstone Brooklyn. It’s shocking that dusting all those “original details” didn’t put me off buying a house filled with them right?).
It sounds like a fantastic program. I think it’s great that they incorporate money management into it.
I see too many entitled kids walking around in $200.00 jeans who honestly believe that their parents owe them these things. Imagine how they’d look at those same jeans if they had to earn the money themselves? (whoah, did my father just channel through me and type that?)
You’re going to trust these kids in your backyard. Such white guilt you people have.
I’m just kidding of course.
There’s been a few of these programs around the country that have been very successful.
My worst job was at a garbage “transfer station”. There was a big hole in the ground with a mechanical chomper at the bottom of it. The garbage trucks would come in and try to empty their loads down the hole. Every time one missed I had to shovel the cr#p down the hole manually.
Phewy.
And there was the time I worked in an industrial cold store in the middle of winter in the middle of the worst cold I ever had lifting crates of yoghurt around.
The exaltyouth looks like a good step 2.
Did cleaning up in a Holiday Inn one summer to pay for school. Awful job but no choice. The smell of industrial soap still turns my stomach.
I hope all of us make an effort to help this program grow. I liked the tutor/mentor idea although I saw something that seems to be like that on the web site I think. Still- a nice brownstoner thread.
Barnabasshkur,
Perhaps you can use the following link as a referral for your kids if they feel ready to move on to something else when they are done with your project: http://www.exaltyouth.org/
Best of luck.
Camoflague? seriously… whats the deal?
Wow…16 comments in under an hour…how wonderful! Thank you all for your kind thoughts…Chime thank you for your objective feedback. All those after Chime…lol…Thank you for your defense!
How to get involved!
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1. Homeowners in Bed-Stuy and some areas of Crown Heights and Clinton Hills we look forward to working with you, visit the following link:
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http://www.pr-g.org/what_we_do/foot_soldiers/about_foot_soldiers.html
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2. Anyone can attend our Celebration in November 08′ at the Sheraton Midtown Manhattan, Featuring – The Best of Broadway opening with the Hit Band from Movin’ Out. more info at:
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http://www.pr-g.org/investors/how_to_invest.html