K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Youth Organization

The Importance of Education and How the K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Youth Program Influenced Me

                A lot of people take education for granted. They figure that since there are jobs to be had without higher education, and some without high school level education, that sitting in a classroom and learning something is a waste of time. The time that they are spending listening to a teacher, they could be out in the world making a living for themselves; and with times as hard as they are, I can understand where they are coming from. But what these individuals fail to realize is that education is the key to a better life.

                Education is important to me because I see it as a means to open doors. Without an education, I see myself being stuck in a dead end job, with a mediocre salary that I will eventually get tired of. Yet with and education, I can have a job doing what I love to do. Throughout high school, my favorite subject was always science. Something about learning the ways in which the animals and humans interact and live has always intrigued me. By continuing my education and pursuing my love for science, I can attain a job in the science field and become a Forensics Medical Examiner. Furthering your education is a win-win situation. You have a job you love to do and a salary you can be proud of.

                The K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Program influenced me by showing me just this. Without the program, I would have no real knowledge of what higher education was. Sure I knew what college was, but the K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Program gave me an up close and personal view of what a great experience one could have if they attended. It showed me that there was more to college than college than sitting in long lectures and hard tests. It showed me things like sororities and fraternities, student government alliances, and many other organizations that one could join to make a difference and enjoy their college experience. The K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E.  Program made me want to go to college and encouraged me to do everything I could to make it there.

La’Andrea Mitchell

New York Life Youth in Governance 4-H Club

While 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the USA, it is not very well known outside rural areas of our country. The organization is out to change that with an emphasis on Youth In governance. The New York Life Youth In Governance 4-H Club Program is an imitative by the NYL Foundation and National 4-H Council to establish 4-H Club in Urban areas. The focus is  on teaching leadership skills and generating a heightened sense of citizenship in underserved urban youth.

This grant was established in 2006 in Ithaca, New York, Atlanta, Georgia. It was expanded in March ’08 to include New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota and Cleveland. The Cleveland grant is a three year, 276k grant to establish 30 Club in Greater Cleveland serving 200 youth. It is administered by the 4-H branch of The Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga Country.

Each club works to better its community with various service learning opportunities, both individually and collaboratively with other local 4-H clubs. Just five months into our first year we already have eight clubs with close to 100 members. The highlight is an annual scholarship for 25 youth and 5 chaperones to attend Citizenship Washington Focus, in Washington D.C. There our Ohio delegation interacts with eleven other 4-H delegations from across our country, in a week of rather intense participation in educational workshop, and committee work in addition to tours and fellowship.

 New York Life Youth in Governance 4-H Club members

K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Youth Organization                 

9250 Miles Park 44105                                                

Joyce Hood      (216)571-4374                                    

Thea Bowman Center

11901 Oakfield Avenue 44105

Tom Fett          (216)326-7685

Asian Services in Action                                           

3631 Perkins Avenue 44114                                     

Kitty Leung       (216)881-0330                                

Learn Quest

3260 W. 25^th Street 44109

Sonia Cruz Matos  (216)326-7685

3MB &G Mentoring

1882 Beersford Road, E. Cle 44112

Marvin Smith (216)322-1059

Our Alternative

2424 E. 84^th Street 44104

Vera Brewer (216)326-1557

 The 4-H Pledge

“I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty,

My hands to larger service

And my health to better living,

for my club, my community, my country, and my world. ‘’

The original pledge was written by Otis Hall of Kansas in 1918

Ohio Graduation Test (OGT)

From a student’s Point of View

June 2008

Preparing for the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), I remember feeling very nervous. All of the teachers had been lecturing us on how important it was to pass the OGT; they were really stressing the difficulty of the science OGT and how many students didn’t pass it. I was even more nervous at that point because science had always been hard for me. I thought for sure that I would fail.

Finally, the day of the testing arrived. A million thoughts were racing through my head. I arrived at my school, listened to the test preparations, and then I took my test. I continued this same process for the rest of the week. When all my testing was complete I was in absolute shock at how easy the test actually was. I laughed at myself for being so nervous, and I was absolutely shocked at why so many people did not do so well.

When I received my results, I managed to get accelerated and advanced on all five sections. As it turns out, I did my best on the science portion of the OGT. I believe that the OGT is nothing to be feared. I also think that any student who takes their education seriously, meaning they come to school, listen, and actively participate in class, can pass the OGT. I noticed that a lot of the people who say that the OGT is hard are the same people who’ve skipped school, played the class clown, and took school as a joke.

Now, some people are trying to take away the OGT as a requirement for graduation. I strongly disagree with this action because I feel that it will only slow us down further when trying to educate ourselves. I feel that tests such as the OGT give us something to strive for: instead of lowering the bar for those who cannot reach it, I feel that the bar should be raised for those who can. The students who have passed the OGT are the ones who I feel will someday run our country as lawyers, board members, and doctors. Therefore we shouldn’t stop their success for those who won’t take their education seriously. Also, I feel that if students can’t pass the OGT then we should take that extra step so that they can instead of just saying, “It’s impossible to pass.”

            I am appreciative that my state requires me to pass this test in order to graduate because it allows me to push myself to stay on top. I feel that I want to prove to those who think otherwise that there are some teens who take their education seriously and aren’t about drugs, alcohol, and sex. I plan to go very far in life, with much success, and I am proud that I have teachers, friends/family, and tests like the OGT to keep me in the race with students such as those in Japan who work extremely hard to become successful.

Dayna’s

Brittany Blanks

Thursday June 26, 2008

CPR Class

*Deciding to act / taking action

            -recognizing when someone needs help

            -keep the scene in control

            -keep people from panicking

            -have someone call 911 if necessary

*Checking a conscious adult (8 and up)

            -look for lives threaten conditions  

            -look for gasping

            -bleeding, cuts, bruises, bumps and etc.

            -start with shoulders to see if everything is alright

            -ask them to take deep breaths

            -have the person keep still

            -move every part of the body that doesn’t hurt

*Checking a conscious child (1 -7)

            -get consent to give help

            -position yourself at their level

            -explain what you’re going to do

            -use same steps as adult

                        -start from toe to head

*Unconscious Situation

            -C. Cardio (anything dealing with the heart)

            -P. Pulmonary (anything dealing with oxygen and breathing)

            -R. Resuscitation (bring a person back)

            -C. Check- check the scene for safety, gather info, check the info

            -C. Call- call 911(if alone run to the nearest phone)

            -C. Care          A. Airway

                                    B.  Breathing

                                    C. Circulation

                                    D. Defibrillation

*An unconscious adult

-Breaths that are irregular or shallow should not be mistaken with normal       breathing.

 * How to give rescue breaths

            -don’t breathe too hard

            -30:2 30 compressions every 2 breaths (adult)

*Conscious Choking Adult

            -if they can’t cough, speak, or breathe, have someone call 911

            -get consent to help

            -lean forward, right between shoulder blades give back blows

-if that doesn’t work

-find the navel, make a fist, place fist in correct position, place other hand up and down

-         if they are big or pregnant put your arm arms around their chest

*Conscious choking child

            -get to their level

            -consent from parent or guardian if present

            -speak slowly and calmly with simple words

            -support one arm diagonally across the chest

            -same as adult

*Conscious choking infant

            -check, call, care

            -face down protecting head and neck

            -lower them resting on your thigh (five back blows)

            -Face up and 2 fingers on chest

*With children /infants even if object comes up still take them to the hospital

*CPR Adult

            -hand in center of chest

            -other one on top and finger laced

            -shoulders should be directly above hands

            -arms straight fingers up

            -when pressing (go 2” deep)

             -let the chest come back up

            -compressions need to be first in order to be effective

*Infant CPR

            -one hand keeping airway open

            -one hand doing compressions

            -do NOT pinch nose

            -cover nose with your mouth

            -to see if infant is okay tickle the foot

*Unconscious choking

            -pinch tongue and lower jaw

            -keep checking and see if anything is in their throat

* Using an AED

            -A. automated- it will overlie the shock

                   Automatically or a push of a button

            -E. external

            -D. Defibrillator

                        -turn on AED

                        -remove pads from packaging

                        -make sure chest is dry

                        -upper right chest, lower side (left)

What
WILLIE LYNCH
had to say in 1712

The following has been credited to William Lynch, a White slave owner, who reportedly made the speech on the banks of the James River in 1712. It was quoted at length by Minister Louis Farrakhan at the Million Man March where it stunned m any in the audience because of the cold-blooded way it described how the minds of African-Americans could be enslaved.

According to an essay appearing in "Brother Man- The Odyssey of Black Menin America- An Anthology" Lynch was a British slave owner in the West Indies who came to the United States to tell American slave owners how to keep their slaves under control. The term "lynching" is derived from Lynch's name.

Gentlemen, I greet you here on the bank of the James River in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve. First, I shall thank you, the gentlemen of the Colony of Virginia, for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies where I have experimented with some of the newest and still the oldest methods of control of sl aves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program were implemented. As our boat sailed south on the James River, named for our illustrious King, whose version of the Bible we cherish. I saw enough to know that your problem is not unique. While Rome used cord s of woods as crosses for standing human bodies along its highways in great numbers you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion.

I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are not only losing a valuable stock by hangings, you are having uprisings, slaves are running away, your crops are sometimes left in the fields too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional fires, your animals are killed. Gentlemen, you know what your problems are: I do not need to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problems; I am here to introduce you to a method of solving t hem. In my bag here, I have a fool proof method for controlling your Black slaves. I guarantee every one of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 hundred years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your oversee r can use it.

I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves: and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little list of differences, and think about them. On top of my list is "Age", but it is there only because it starts with an "A": the second is "Color" or shade, there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slave live in the valley, on hill, East, West, North, South, have fine hair, coarse hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences. I shall give you an outline of action-but before that I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration.

The Black slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self re-fueling and self generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Don't forget you must pitch the old Black male vs. the young Black male, and the young Black male against the old Black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves and the light skin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use the female vs. the male, and the male vs. the female. You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all Blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect and trust only us. Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you, gentlemen.

POVERTY FROM A CHILDS POINT OF VIEW

What is poverty, from a child’s point of view? Poverty is a low standard of living, struggling to get what you need. Foreclosure is a major cause of poverty. Foreclosure is when people lose their homes because they can’t afford it because of various reasons. Foreclosure affects millions of people in the US and the numbers are not getting smaller. People become hurt, depressed, and frustrated because of the misfortunes foreclosure has brought them. Yes, foreclosure affects adults but we kids feel the pain too. Poverty rates amongst kids are going up significantly and there are more kids in poverty than adults, which tells us that more families are homeless.

            Imagine being six years old and not being able to go play with friends or be a normal kid. Instead you are wondering if you will eat tonight. You are seeing your parent(s) struggle to pay the bills, put food on the table, and get the things needed for the house. As a child you sense this pain and it’s hard to be happy. You can’t really help because you are so young, so all you can do is sit back and hurt as you see the pain the people you love most have to go through. Kids in this predicament more than likely don’t have the latest fashions, new shoes, or money to go out and have fun. This causes some kids to become jealous and envious of those around them. Violence could result from this. Kids become hopeless and they just lose all hope in their future.

            Communities are maintained through property taxes. So let me ask you this, if all houses are being foreclosed and taken away….Who is paying to keep the community maintained? The answer is NO ONE! So how are these communities maintained? First of all there would be cuts in the police, firemen, even garbage men, and even budget cuts. Violence would increase because there are hardly enough policemen to respond in an adequate amount of time, and kids have no where else to go, and nothing else to do but to hang in the streets. The streets would become filthy because there is no one to keep them up to par. All these things affect us as kids. We don’t want to walk to school or to a friend’s house and pass all these abandoned buildings, demolished houses, and empty lots.  It’s hard walking in certain parts of Cleveland seeing old schools that once used to educate and guide the youth. However, now its boarded up filled with mold and rusted pieces, bullet wholes through out the windows and serving only one purpose: a hang out spot for kids to engage in negative activity. Its hard to walk down the street and pass dozens of demolished, and boarded up houses, knowing that once upon a time there was a family there and that it is full of memories.

            Foreclosures also effect education. Public education is paid for through taxes. So again if there are no people living in the area to pay the taxes, who is paying to better our education? The answer is no one. Teachers are being laid off because there is no money to pay them. This results in the doubling of class sizes. New books can’t be afforded. Maintenance in the school building is not taken care of as it should be. All of these issues will cause school fees to go up. So now how can kids focus in school with these issues at home and at school? It’s hard and not everyone in these circumstances can do it.

            All of our statements are supported with facts. There is a book called “A Frame Work for Understanding Poverty” It was written by a highly educated woman named Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. and it is a must read. In 2003 the poverty rate for children under the age of 18 years old was 17.6%, and for kids under the age of 6 years old the poverty rate was 20.3%. The poverty rate went up 10 million from 2000 to 2003. Regardless of race and/or ethnicity kids living in poverty are more than likely to commit violent crimes, become pregnant, or even become victims of neglect or child abuse, when compared to kids not living in poverty. Kids in poverty are also more likely to drop out of school. All of these things are effects of poverty and foreclosure that people don’t realize. In the U.S. 34% of African Americans, 31.9% Native Americans, 29.7% Hispanics, and 14.3% Caucasians are living in poverty. 17.6% is the total percent of people in the United States            living in poverty. Even though poverty affects certain groups more than others everyone still is affected by it.

This problem is not going away so we would like to hear these presidential candidates of 2008 solution to poverty and foreclosures in America. We want these candidates to stop trying to avoid the issue and give us an answer because it won’t go away, and it won’t get better if you just let the issue sit and go unanswered, it will only accumulate until it’s too late to do anything about it. So again we ask the 2008 presidential candidates…..What will you do to aid Poverty and foreclosures in America?

K.N.O.W.L.E.D.G.E. Youths

            Why I Am A Strong Black Woman…

By: Ariel Marbury

Strong black woman, when I heard the words “strong black woman” I thought of a woman who has been through it all. Someone who has gone through hard times and still persevered.  Someone such as Oprah Winfrey, raped, beaten, and treated with such disrespect, yet she still found a way to shine.  My idea of a strong black woman was someone who has been through the ups and downs in life and at the same time manages to keep herself together for her family and the people that look up to her. However, when asked the question, “Why do you think you are a strong black woman?” I stood puzzled. I think I am a strong black woman, but what actually makes me strong? I have not been through any crucial life changing events to determine my strength, nor have I witnessed any first hand. So again I asked myself, “What makes me a strong black woman?” It was then that I realized just because none of those things had happened to me that does not mean that I am not a strong woman. I am strong because I am a young black female in America’s society who loves education and values it. I am a strong black woman because I have created a professional and respectable image for myself. I have created this image instead of giving in to peer pressure and getting caught up in what society expects me to be. I am strong because I have goals that I want to accomplish above and beyond what I am thought to be and or do.

            A young black female in America, for the most part, is viewed negatively in society today. Loud, pregnant, unfocused, and only interested in partying and having a good time; those are just a few of the words that are used to describe how society views young black females especially in an urban area. However, there is a fraction of young woman that this does not apply to. I am a part of that fraction. I’m not focused on sex and I am grateful and proud to have an education which a lot of young black females in urban areas do not understand. I am 6^th in my graduating class and I’m continuing to go up. I strive for excellence and I love it when I get an “A” on a test or do well on an assignment. There are many females in my school that think it’s cool to fail, get bad grades and sleep in class. The truth is, it’s not cool and in my eyes it’s pathetic because we are offered a free education that a lot of people can’t even think about getting. I don’t let boys, sex, negative people or anything else stand in my way. I want to go somewhere and be somebody in life who makes a difference. “She will never be more than average.” “You are not smart, you just cheat.” “You could never be a model.” These are just a few of the negative comments I have gotten over the years and they still continue to come because the truth is as long as you are doing good there will always be someone trying to hold you back. I refuse to let the comments and negativity affect me in a bad way. Instead I see it as a motivation to work harder. You can have a vision being a follower but you can’t make a true difference unless you are a leader and that is what I am striving to be. Not many young black females in the society think like this, want to become leaders, and actually work for it such as I. I feel that is another reason I am strong.

            My name is Ariel, not bitch, slut, hoe, tip drill, setty or aye girl. I only answer to my name. However; some girls out here think it’s cute to be called these degrading names. To get respect you have to want it, give it, and show it. When people see you doing that then they are less likely to disrespect or try to degrade you in such ways. For example, at my school most of the dudes are very rude. When they see a female and they want to get their attention they use every name in the book besides their own name, and for the most part these females answer thinking it’s cute, responding to them as if the name was given to them at birth. This boy was standing next to my locker one day as I was trying to get my things out of it so I said “excuse me” and got my things out the locker. I saw him looking at me through the corner of my eye but I just kept it moving. As I was walking away he said “Hey baby you fine as fuck come here.” I did not look or respond even though I knew he was talking to me.  I just kept walking. Then I heard him yell out “BITCH!! I ain’t wanna talk to you anyway!” Then I heard another boy tell him to chill out and not to talk to me like that. The next day he was at my locker again. He apologized and said he was just kidding around. The only reason he was even apologizing was probably because that guy said something to him the day before. I don’t know if he was kidding, or trying to impress his friends but whatever it was I was not about to be a part of it. This goes to show that if you present yourself as a young lady with respect and class then people see it, and you don’t have to say anything to get respect because it shows. I believe it takes a strong person to create such a professional and respectable image, especially when they are categorized negatively as a young black female.

            Goals, this word is golden to me. If goals were not being set for me by my family, other people that love me, and myself I would probably be at a stand still being pulled any which way. I want to do so much with my life because you only live once and I want to do it right. I want to graduate from college with a degree in mechanical engineering, which is a field that not many women are into. I want to own my own businesses so that I can leave it to my children when they get older. I also want to be a model and actress with a big family. If you settle for less that’s what you will get, but if you strive for the best and work hard for what you have then it’s the best feeling in the world. I am strong because I set high goals and reach for them despite my environment.

            In conclusion, a strong black woman does not just have to be someone who went through rough times but it can be a woman who tries hard to succeed. I am that young black woman who excels in school no matter how difficult, receives respect and, sets goals. I am a strong black woman and I will continue to work hard.