ABC7 Unite: New summer program lets teens in Queens give back
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A new summer-long program kicked off in Queens on Thursday to give kids a chance to do some good while school is out.
The summer job opportunity is a win-win for everyone as local teens are employed to prepare meals and deliver them to seniors in the area.
Not only do they deliver the meals, the teens help cook them too.
They were selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants to be a part of the Senior Deliveries and Culinary Program -- a youth initiative started by 100 Suits.
The meals are prepared off-site at Forestdale Teaching Kitchen which allows them to use the space for free. Then 140 meals are delivered every Wednesday to seniors at Rochdale Village and surrounding neighborhoods.
"This is transformational, when you talk about how do you change the lives, how do you inspire young people to stay out of trouble... how to prevent them from shooting guns in the morning, this is the answer. It's not rocket science," said NYC Councilmember Donovan Richards.
In a twist of irony, Thursday's announcement was briefly interrupted by a spat of gunshots -- only reemphasizing the need for more programs like this one.
"Everyone raises the question how to do you stop the shootings," Richards said. "You invest in young people, it's that simple. That is prevention."
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We are also publishing resources in a range of areas, which will grow and can be found below:
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National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform
Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY)
Black LGBTQIA + Migrants Project
Teaching the Next Generation
Creating Space To Talk About Racism At Your School
Teaching for Black Lives - Rethinking Schools
Black-Owned Bookstores in New York and New Jersey
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Books
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children In A Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
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