Next Generation, IL

Street-Level is using photo, video, audio and writing to document NextGenIL all the way to the convention on Sept 27th. Street-Level will also hold a caucus on Aug 29th.

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Breeding a Jailed Generation

  Tuesday, August 5, 2014

When you walk into a school, have you ever felt like you were walking into a prison?  Metal detectors in the buildings and security guards all over the halls are only some of the policies most CPS schools have that prep students for prison. According to a study done on policing inside of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), in the 2003-2004 academic year there were about 1,700; almost three times the number there were 5 years before. “The presence of so many security staff and especially police officers in schools means that school discipline issues quickly turn into police records.”

Having all of this preps students for the School to Prison Pipeline.

The School to Prison Pipeline is when schools train students for prison. This affects CPS because the police officers in the buildings of school could turn the simple policies of the school into police offences. This affects youth by socializing them to prison culture. The youth in these schools think that this is what this is normal for an average school.

I recently saw a video about a mother whose 2 children (ages 3 and 4) were suspended 8 times in 2014.

http://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/does-race-matter-when-disciplining-a-child--312944707539

The mother was distressed about her children until she found out the mothers in that school who just happened to be white. She found out that the white children had done worse than her children; however, the mothers had not received a suspension.

“Black children represent 18% of preschool enrollment but make up 48% of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension” 

This is troubling because there is only a fraction of black children who attend preschool, yet almost half of the children who get suspended are black. Where are the white kids who are supposed to get suspended?

FACT: “According to the research, black students of all ages are expelled at a rate three times higher than that of white children, starting at the earliest stages of education.”

It has now come to the point of time where black preschoolers can be SUSPENDED for their actions. What can a preschooler do in order to get suspended? Why do preschools have a policy that goes up to suspension, what ever happened to time-out? Most importantly, why aren’t white mothers angry like the other black mothers?

There was a study that was published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study said that the people that were tested- “mostly white, female undergraduates, viewed black boys as older and less innocent than their white peers.”

This means that the white teachers that have white and black preschoolers unconsciously prejudge the black kids. Whenever these children misbehave as a normal child would, the teachers give the black children more severe punishments, i.e. suspension. However, the white children do almost the exact same thing, if not, worse, and there was only a phone call.

To stop these unnecessary requirements for schools, the schools need to stop wasting their funding on tools that mentally prepare students for prison and efficiently spend it on materials that mentally and physically prepare for the next level of school, from Pre-K up to College. I would love to hear your opinion/solution about this topic, so come join the next NextGen convention on September 27th at the UIC forum.

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Defining "Civic Engagement"

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Definition: working to make a difference in thecivic life our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference.

In other terms, civic engagement is when people get involved in politics to change specific things that will benefit themselves as a community.

A majority of our minority generation is eligible to vote (18 & up); however, their vote is at times misguided because they aren’t knowledgeable of their options. We have the power to change our lives for our own benefit, but often are clueless of ways to evoke this power. We have no power because schools of low income do not stress the importance of knowing these issues, unlike some white schools.

             “Youth civic engagement leads to reduced risky behavior, increased success in school and leads to greater civic participation later in life. However, youth today are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship.”

For more ways for the youth to promote civic engagement, see the link below.        

http://www.cssp.org/policy/papers/Promoting-Youth-Civic-Engagement.pdf

This means that if adolescents were more involved in civic engagement then there would be more people out of the streets, {add more} less people dying, and more people trying to make a difference in their lives.

Different Forms of Civic Engagement:

Community Based Research

Service Learning or Experiental Learning

Delibrate Dialogue

Internships

Activism

Community Service

Volunteerism

Get Out The Vote Initiatives

Community Partnership

http://www.nl.edu/studentservices/civicengagement/whatiscec/

         All of which are excellent options to be productive in your spare time.

According to the research on ‘Civic Engagement and the Transition to Adulthood’ conducted by Constance Flanagan and Peter Levine, they state:

                  “Today’s young adults,... are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship…”

   This means that before our time, there were lots of people who knew about civic engagement and their benefits. Now less than half of the people We, as a community, need to raise awareness to adolescents about the knowledge that we are supposed to know in the first place, instead of figuring it out later in life. To talk about this solution and many others, come the NextGen convention on September 27th at the UIC forum. Join in the conversation and become a part of the community.

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#Civil Rights 

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Know Your RIGHTS

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The Fourth Amendment protects us from unreasonable searches.

In America, the police have often being accused of unreasonable searches and seizures. It’s common for citizens to be stopped, frisked, detained, questioned, and even arrested with out a warrant, nor probable cause. Often times, police search these citizens because of their suspiction or because of their prejudgement.

Here is an example of a police officer trying to arrest a man under no charge what-so-ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEOeTLwYd0g#t=50

In the video, the man opened the door for a police officer, the officer abusing his power by forcing his way into the mans house unlawfully. It is common for civilians to find themselves in confrontations with law enforcement, often not knowing how to defend themselves.  

Civilians are protected by the Fourth Amendment, and there are multiple ways to excercise your rights.

Scenarios:

When a police officer comes to your door, you do NOT have to answer the door.

When being pulled over, and after you give your license and registration, if an officer tells you to get out of the car, you can say “Am I under arrest?”(if you are) “Under what charge?” (if you are not) “Am i being detained?” or “Am I free to go?”

If a police wants to search something, you can say no. If they search anyway, you should say “ I do not consent to this search.” The police can pat you down under probable cause, but they cannot search any of your property.

WHAT IS PROBABLE CAUSE???

See the video below:

http://www.flexyourrights.org/faqs/probable-cause/

If a police officer asks you ANY questions, you can ask “Am I free to go?”.

Here are two links that effectively shows how to defend yourself, in a car and on the streets.

Car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS1iNUvKVTE

Streets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyKcP-VF2Rc#t=27

If you get out of the car when they tell you, that means that you are VOLUNTARILY giving them permission to search your belongings. If they don’t have a warrant or probable cause, then they do not have the right to search your belongings. If you do not say no, that means yes.

In order to protect yourself with the law, you MUST follow these instructions. To discuss this solution or other solutions, come to the next NextGen caucas on September 27th at the UIC forum. Come to the caucas and learn how to protect yourself the RIGHT way.

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Caucus at Street-Level (Environment & Health Care)

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Caucus at Street-Level (Civil Rights & Education)

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Caucus at Street-Level (Environment & Health Care)

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Caucus at Street-Level (Civil Rights & Education)

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Caucus at Street-Level (Civil Rights & Education)

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Come to Street-Level Youth Media (located @ 1637 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622) and join in on this youth-led discussion about social justice issues dealing with healthcare, education, the environment, and civil rights and the possible solutions to the policies associated with them. Refreshments will be provided.

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The Problem with Pollution

Tuesday,  August 20, 2014

The air pollution that comes off of using fuel is proven to be hazardous to one’s health. “Scientific experts now believe the nation faces an epidemic of illnesses that are exacerbated by air pollution. These illnesses include cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and diabetes.”

http://www.ehhi.org/reports/exhaust/summary.shtml

Scientists have found that the air that we breathe is slowly killing us. The air in Chicago gives us cancers and diseases.

I had recently found a link that has the greenest cities across the country. It was created in April of 2014.

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/cities/greenest-cities-america/

Madison, WI is the greenest city. New York and North Carolina both have 3 cities. Texas, Minnesota, and Florida have two, and NO city in Illinois is mentioned.

One of the biggest air pollutants in Chicago is their transportation (e.c. cars, buses). Even though public transportation is a way for more cars to get out of the streets, it is still a big problem because they still pollute the air. CTA has tried to create a solution to the problem by introducing hybrid buses.

“CTA currently operates more than 250 hybrid buses, which make up nearly 15 percent of the total bus fleet.” http://www.transitchicago.com/goinggreen/vehicles.aspx

Unfortunately, this isnt enough for Chicago to become a healthier city. This means that CTA needs about 750 buses to make up only 45% of the entire bus fleet.

Although Chicago isn’t a ‘green city’, we have been focusing on things that have made us more effective as a city, such as Divvy. Divvy has gotten more people out of their cars and more people riding bikes. “Major goals of the bike-share program include reducing traffic congestion in the central business district”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-divvy-new-stations-bikes-met-0821-20140821-story.html

These bikes are a slow but sure way to clean up the city. They cut down on traffic and use no gas to pollute the air.

One solution is to expand divvy throughout all of Illinois, but change the bikes from every half an hour to every hour. This way, we will be able to decrease the traffic flow. We can discuss this solution and other solutions at the next NextGen conference on September 27th at the UIC forum. Come to the NextGen conference to better our living environment for ourselves and our future.

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A PSA on food deserts, created by Street-Level Youth Media

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