My name is Alexander Frisina, I was born in the Bronx and adopted directly from the hospital by a family located in Eastern Long Island. I am the youngest of my four siblings and the only one that was adopted.  I graduated from King's College with a degree in Communications. In my time spent at King's, I was a member of both the Football and Lacrosse teams. I have a strong passion for creative writing, with a focus on poetry. This passion was built from my inability to be heard while I was suffering with depression and lack of say in the methods of my treatment. 

Dear friends and allies,

My last day with YOUTH POWER! was Wednesday November 26. 

This moment is sentimental because this is my first "real job." And boy has it been a memorable ride. I could not have asked for - or imagined - a better experience. Working with and learning from so many wonderful colleagues, staff, peers, friends and mentors on our shared mission has been meaningful and profound. It is personally and professionally validating to have played a small part on this amazing journey toward social justice and equality in opportunity for all.

My next step is with the New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL) in Albany. At NYAIL, I will be the Program Director for a Department of Health Monday Follows the Person Demonstration initiative that works with people with disabilities and the elderly across New York to transition them out of long term care facilities (nursing homes) and connect them to community based services and health and wellness supports at senior centers and Independent Living Centers.

Playing my small role at YP! has been transformative. Thank you for letting me be a part of this voyage. I will leave YP! having learned so much from you. I am excited to embody the philosophy of "person driven" and the importance of civic engagement in this new opportunity.

With incredible gratitude and humility.

Zach

Do you struggle to find a job or continue your education? Can you think about a time when no matter how hard you tried to pursue a goal, things just kept getting in your way?

If so, it is time to SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT!

YP! is working with the NYS Department of Labor for their youth employment initiative E3: Engage. Educate. Employ. This initiative will provide training and webinars to youth and youth service professionals on critical education/workforce topics ranging anywhere from knowing where to start and knowing your rights to becoming an entrepreneur!

To ensure that YOUR voices are heard, we are looking for YOUth to share their stories and experiences facing barriers to education or employment.

Send a quote providing insight into the barriers you face, or a story describing a situation where you were not able to pursue an educational/employment goal to Brianna Valesey, Youth Engagement Consultant, at bvalesey@youthpowerny.org or 518-432-0333 ext. 31.

Be sure to check in on our Facebook page for updates on the initiative!

COMING SOON:  

• YP! Tumblr 
• New section of the YP! Website dedicated to E3

For more information, or questions regarding E3 Contact Brianna Valesey at

bvalesey@youthpowerny.org or 518-432-0333 ext. 31
 

Despite no new federal funding announced, several New York cities have accepted a White House challenge aimed to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by young men and women of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances in which they were born.

The Cities of Rochester, Ithaca, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, New York and recently Albany are among over 145 Mayors and other local officials who have signed on nationally to the My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge. In September 2014, President Obama issued the challenge, a national call to action, to cities, towns, counties and tribes across the nation encouraging their communities to implement a coherent cradle-to-college and career strategy for improving life outcomes for all youth by connecting them to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job, go to college and work their way into the middle class.

By accepting the challenge, communities commit to convene a "local action summit" by organizing and capitalizing on the commitment of community leaders to help lead the effort. Stakeholders assess needs and assets, determine priorities and set concrete goals based on the MBK Task Force's May 28, 2014 report, tailor a plan that fits their communities' needs and put that plan into action. My Brother's
Keeper is focused on six milestones:

1. Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn: Ensuring all children enter school cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally ready.

2. Reading at grade level by third grade: Ensuring all children read at grade level by age 8 - the age at which reading to learn becomes essential
3. Graduating high school ready for college and career: Ensuring all youth graduate from high school.

4. Ensuring all youth have the option to attend and complete post-secondary education or training and receive the education needed for quality jobs of today and tomorrow.

5. Successfully entering the workforce: Ensuring all youth out of school who wants a job are able to get a job that allows them to support themselves and their families.
6. Keeping kids on track and giving them second chances: Ensuring all youth remain safe from violent crime; and individuals who are confined should receive the education, training and treatment they need for a second chance.

"That's what 'My Brother's Keeper' is all about. Helping more of our young people stay on track. Providing the support they need to think more broadly about their future. Building on what works - when it works, in those critical life-changing moments."- President Barack Obama, February 27, 2014.

Your support and encouragement is an important part of this effort. To sign up as a community ally and be connected to your local MBK Community or learn how your community can accept the challenge, please click here. 

Rape and other forms of sexual assault are becoming rampant on college campuses. It is estimated one in five women experience sexual assault during their college years. Sexual assault can be defined as any sexual contact or behavior without the consent of the recipient. It can happen to either females or males and it can happen to any age.

According to The Hudsonian, the student newspaper of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy NY, in 2012 5000 cases of sexual assault were reported on college campuses nationwide, 365 of them in New York State. Many more cases go unreported each day, and only 12% of cases are ever reported according to whitehouse.gov.  There is often a "blame the victim" mentality around sexual assault and many victims are too ashamed or guilty to report the incident. There are also people who falsely believe men cannot be victims of rape or sexual assault, or that men should "want it". This has to stop.

To combat this serious social problem on our college campuses, President Obama has launched the #ItsOnUs campaign. This nationwide initiative asks college students to step off the sidelines and make a personal commitment to ending sexual assault.  Obama has said "It is on all of us to reject the quiet tolerance of sexual assault and to refuse to accept what's unacceptable". Obama has also created the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault that is going to work with colleges and universities to prevent and respond to sexual assault. Other efforts include reviewing existing laws to make sure they are adequate and sending guidance to federally-funded schools.

There is policy effort being made on the home front in New York State as well. Governor Cuomo has urged the SUNY system to make affirmative consent mandatory on all its campuses. What affirmative consent means is that college students will need explicit consent before going forward with a sexual act. Cuomo has also developed a Sexual Assault Victim Bill of Rights. There was existing legislation called the Clergy Act that required college campuses to disclose campus crime, but it was considered inadequate. The 2013 Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act revised the Clergy Act to require sexual assault trainings to students, faculty, and staff.

As part of the #ItsOnUs campaign, students from the SUNY system and students all over the country are taking the pledge to take a personal commitment to keep women and men safe from sexual assault. By pledging, you are promising not to be a bystander and to be a part of the solution. Take the pledge yourself at http://itsonus.org/

If you yourself have been a victim of sexual assault, go to notalone.gov for resources.