I have lived in the "southwest quadrant" of Highland Park for 5 years. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the "southwest quadrant" is the area bordered by Stanton, Negley, Wellesley and North St. Clair.) In that time, I have seen children age 8, 9 and 10 grow up to be 13, 14 and 15 year old drug runners and drug dealers. The older dealers in the neighborhood have become the mentors for our youth, and something needs to be done about it. As a co-founder of Mellon Street Neighbors, I have struggled with this crisis and searched for a solution. Now, I have a proposal. I would like the community to support me in a plan to apply a program to our neighborhood that will help to change the lives of our youth. NFTE - the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship is a program that was started in Brooklyn, NY in 1987 as an anti-poverty strategy. It is designed to teach young people (ages 11-18) to think as business people, to realize that there are more options for their future than minimum wage jobs or drug dealing. It teaches observation skills, problem solving, business, technology and life skills. (for more information, see <http://www.nfte.org/>) This program is traditionally taught in public schools as part of the curriculum, however, it is only taught in 4 Pittsburgh schools. There is a need for a program that will directly, and immediately improve the outlook for our youth. I am proposing that our community, together with East Liberty and Bloomfield/Garfield come together to present this curriculum to the East End teens, who are at risk of falling into the same tribulations as past generations. Let's give them a new perspective. Let's teach them to fish... The plan proposed is to take this proven curriculum and apply it as an after-school program for youth of the Highland Park, East Liberty and Bloomfield/Garfield communities. 2 days a week, 2 hours per day for 10 weeks. The total funding needed for a 3-year program is $22,000. This will include teacher training, NFTE support and supplies for 180 students. (Thanks to those of you who supported our bulb sale! We raised $235!) Even more important than getting the funding, we need to find a TEACHER. This will be someone who will attend a one-week training course over the summer, at no cost to them, and than teach 3 hours per week for 10 weeks. In one of our communities we must have a retired Entrepreneur or businessperson or a teacher who is interested in providing hope for our formative young minds. Then we need a location. Ideally, it would be a place within the 3-community area that could hold 30 students, either at desks or tables, and a chalkboard, dry-erase board, or easel for the teacher to present from. The Union Project would be a great location! On the bus route, and central to several communities. As for the students, we need to identify 30 students per semester and make sure they get there. This is where community support really comes into play. If 30 of us make a commitment to guarantee that a young person gets to the session two evenings a week, for just 10 weeks, we can ensure the success of this neighborhood, tri-community initiative. If you are interested in helping to get this initiative off the ground, please feel free to contact me at 412-661-4560 (evenings) or email me at <sdanko+day@alleghenyconference.org>. Thank you! Shelly Danko+Day Mellon Street Neighbors