How can a park respond to demographic changes in neighborhoods? Forest Park reaches out! In November 2006, the administration of Forest and Highland Parks in Queens welcomed an Immigrant Outreach Coordinator to its staff to explore ways in which Forest and Highland Parks can engage immigrant communities. The latest development in this project, funded by a $50,000 grant from the J. M. Kaplan Fund, is a partnership between Forest Park and South Asian Youth Action! (SAYA!), a Queens-based organization providing academic and leadership development for South Asian youth. Beginning in fall 2006, Forest Park collaborated with SAYA! to develop a new park-based afterschool youth development program. This program, Desi Youth Growing (DYG), meets at the administrator’s office, Oak Ridge, twice a week during the school year. Over the course of DYG, South Asian youth engage in team-building activities, learn about media activism and environmental justice, and explore Forest Park and the natural environment.But that’s not all. Forest Park turned over responsibility for It’s My Park! Day over to DYG, who are planning “Family Fun Day…ya DYG?” an event featuring an afternoon of dance workshops and performances, a magic show, crafts, and games. Family Fun Day will be held at Jackson Pond where DYG put their new gardening skills to task, implementing Phase II of Jackson Pond’s landscape design. On event day, DYG will showcase their hard work, be honored with a plaque, and display their own temporary signage for the gardens they renovated. They will also help visitors plant flowers and demonstrate the skills they learned from their media activism workshop by displaying a photography exhibit on Forest Park. Debby Kuha, Administrator for Forest Park said, “This process is a significant departure from previous It’s My Park! Days, as it is the first time immigrant youth from local schools are fully responsible for planning and carrying out a park event. We’re excited to see the results.”Neerja Vasishta, the Immigrant Outreach Coordinator for Forest Park remarked, “It’s been a great process to watch. Some of these high schoolers rarely came to the park. Now they come to Oak Ridge every week and are transforming Jackson Pond. They are planning and putting on all elements of a neighborhood event and are reaching out to their community to celebrate at a site they renovated and now feel ownership for. That’s a big change!” Through the Immigrant Outreach Project, immigrant communities involved in park decision-making have resulted in fruitful new partnerships that yield original ideas with positive benefits for all. Come out to Family Fun Day on May 19 from 1-4 p.m. at Jackson Pond in Forest Park (Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue) and see for yourself!Submitted by Neerja Vasishta QUOTATION FOR THE DAY”There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, ‘Well, here I am!’ and those who come in and say, “Ah, there you are.’”Frederick L. Collins

School Shootings
Education - Do you feel safe on campus? Add your thoughts about school safety and the recent shooting at Virginia Tech - http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/education/Oregon - Share your thoughts about the Virginia Tech shooting and how it affects Oregon. What are your thoughts on gun control? - http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/oregon/ Roger Federer eyes history […]

Beer truck loses load over cliff on Hwy 58
The truck overturned on Highway 58 and the trailer separated before it went down an approximate 400 foot embankment spilling its contents. The driver was not hurt. Recreational Vehicles & Trailers Recreational RV’s and Trailer Camping and traveling with Rangerrob. Fly Fishing […]

This Memorial Day Weekend In Parks
This weekend, new york City’s beaches are open! Beginning on Saturday, May 26, beaches will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Swimming is strictly prohibited at all other times and it is only allowed where a lifeguard is on duty. Our beaches will remain open through Labor Day weekend.And here’s some more events to attend!ManhattanA special Memorial Day Commemoration will be held to honor those who defended our nation on Monday, May 28, at Riverside Park’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. A Marine Corps. Color Guard will participate and many veterans’ organizations will lay wreaths at the bronze portal of the Monument. Following the service, there will be a “Walk of Remembrance,” led by National Park Service reenactors of the Civil War, along Riverside Park to Grant’s Tomb at 122nd Street. To take part in the commemoration, head to Riverside Park’s Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument, 89th Street & Riverside Drive, at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. BrooklynThe Kings County Memorial Day Parade Committee honors our nation’s heroes at the annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. The parade takes place in Bay Ridge on Monday, May 28. It kicks off on 3rd Avenue and 79th Street and culminates in John Paul Jones Park, on 4th Avenue and 101st Street. Join our proud veterans from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.Staten IslandIt’s time to sharpen your forensic skills. Learn how fingerprints tell us apart, how many points need to match to get a positive, and if animal’s paw prints are similar to our fingerprints. Afterwards, you can get your child fingerprinted by the NYPD! The workshop occurs at the Blue Heron Nature Center on Saturday, May 26 at 1:00 p.m.QueensRemember the fun of last weekend’s It’s My Park! Day? The celebration of the volunteer spirit continues on Saturday with a clean-up project at Catherine Turner Richardson Park. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., you can help transform this neighborhood park with the assistance of the Douglaston Garden Club. It takes place on 240th Street and 42nd Avenue.BronxThe woodlands of Van Cortlandt are abloom with color. Join the Urban Park Rangers as we explore Van Cortlandt Park in search of native springtime flowers. The Bloomin’ Hike takes place on Saturday, May 26 at 11:00 a.m. Meet at the Van Cortlandt Nature Center.QUOTATION FOR THE DAY”To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.”Isaac Newton(1642 - 1727)

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 27th, 2007 at 6:42 am and is filed under New York. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.