For Public School Families
Join the Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP)
ASAP is currently recruiting Asian Pacific American-identifying youth, who are 13-24 years old! Young people interested in joining should click here to learn more and apply.
ASAP's "Youth for Equity" Symposium: July 3rd
APA-YES is an annual conference led by and for Asian Pacific American (APA) youth. This year's event will be held via Zoom on July 3, with the objective of creating an inclusive and diverse pan-Asian space for NYC's youth to explore the impact of COVID-19 on their lives, and to learn how the pandemic has been exacerbated by APA issues. Learn more and register here. Read the zine for the 2020 APA-YES symposium.
Summer Rising, the DOE's new free summer program, is available to all K-12th grade students, including students with disabilities. Families of students in grades K-8 can sign up through Discover DYCD. Schools will be reaching out to high school students and students with 12-month IEPs to discuss participation and program options.
Summer Rising will feature both DOE academics and NYC Dept of Youth & Community Development school-based enrichment programming.
- K–8 students will be able to address unfinished learning while also having opportunities for outdoor recreation, exploration, and fun. Programs will provide a bridge to the next school year and allow students to reconnect with one another and their schools.
- High school students will be able to make up previously failed courses, complete courses in progress, and participate in academic acceleration. Students will have access to social-emotional support, and will also be able to engage in work experience and internship opportunities, such as the Summer Youth Employment Program. Programs may be in-person or remote, depending on the subject area and community needs.
For detailed information on Summer Rising, including how to find your school's program, click here.
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Assistance with the College Decision Process
The Student Leadership Network has put together free resources to help guide high school seniors through deciding on and enrolling in college. Click here to learn more! |
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Important Resources & Updates for Our Community
Set Up Your "My Social Security" Account!
If you're already receiving Social Security, or are 18 or older and work, you can set up a "My Social Security Account" at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
If you receive Social Security benefits, you can use your account to:
- Check your benefit and payment information and your earnings record;
- Change your address and phone number;
- Start or change direct deposit of your benefit payment;
- Request a replacement Medicare card; and
- Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season.
If you do not receive benefits, you can:
- Check the status of your application or appeal;
- Get your Social Security Statement, to review estimates of your future retirement, disability, and survivors benefits. You can view your earnings to verify the amounts posted are correct, and see the estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes you’ve paid.
Moratorium Extended on Utility Shut-Offs
Governor Cuomo has signed legislation extending a moratorium that prevents utility companies from disconnecting residential households and small businesses that are struggling financially due to the pandemic. The moratorium is extended for a period of 180 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted or 180 days after December 31, 2021, whichever is earlier.
Financial Assistance for Internet Service & Devices
People who receive Medicaid, SNAP, Lifeline and meet other income eligibility guidelines can apply now for the Federal Emergency Broadband Benefit. The program provides assistance with up to a $50 subsidy for internet bills and a potential $100 voucher to acquire a tablet or computer.
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and ways to enroll, by visiting
www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or calling 833-511-0311.
(You may also be eligible if you: participate in the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020, received a Pell Grant, or are eligible for an internet service provider's existing low-income or COVID-19 program.)
Wellness Classes for Youth & Older Adults
- Free Virtual Breakdance Classes for NYC Youth: Saturday Night Lights breakdance classes are offered via Zoom for 4th-8th graders. Learn new moves and how to express yourself in a fun and creative way! Classes offered on Wednesdays, from 4pm-4:45pm -- through June 30th. Once registered, students will receive an access link via email. Learn more and register here
- Moving For Life offers programs that make exercise easy, safe and fun for older adults and people of any age who are dealing with mobility issues from aging, cancer, or other health conditions. Free classes support recovery and diverse wellness goals, and are offered in English and Spanish. Learn more here.
Jobs Available with the City Cleanup Corps
The City Cleanup Corps (CCC) is a New Deal-inspired economic recovery program with the aim of creating 10,000 jobs and making New York City the "cleanest, greenest city in the United States." The CCC is funded via federal stimulus dollars and part of the Mayor’s Recovery For All of Us plan.
Hiring is taking place across 10 City agencies, including the departments of Parks & Recreation, Transportation, Environmental Protection, and the NYC Housing Authority. The CCC will focus on revitalizing New York City’s public spaces and neighborhoods -- prioritizing areas identified by local communities and elected officials, business districts, and the 33 neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic.
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Educational & Cultural Happenings
On-line Advance Showing -- Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer
Directed by filmmaker Dawn Porter, Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer comes one hundred years after the two-day Tulsa Massacre in 1921 and sheds new light on one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history. The film chronicles a century-long effort by descendants and community members to unearth suppressed truths and highlights the revived call for justice for victims and survivors.
Attend an on-line advance screening and panel discussion with director Dawn Porter, journalist Deneen Brown, and author Roxane Gay this Sunday, June 13th at 7pm. For viewing information, RSVP to [email protected] by 9pm ET, this Friday, June 11th. The film premieres Friday, June 18th at 9pm ET/PT on National Geographic. Available to stream the next day.
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Spend An Hour with a Wild Bird Rehabilitator
Ever wonder who to call when you see a bird that’s injured? Join a Zoom event on June 26th at 11am to meet Annie Mardiney of Wild Mountain Birds, a Hudson Valley organization which provides wild bird rescues, rehabilitation, and educational programs. Advance registration required. Click here to learn more and register.
Late spring and summer are a busy time for bird rescuers. You'll hear about incubating Carolina Wren eggs the size of a penny, abandoned week old ducklings, the hawks, merlins, woodpeckers and owls who break a wing and cannot sustain themselves in the wild without intervention... and the birds who can never be released, remaining in shelters.
For local and citywide environmental news and events, sign up for newsletters from UWS Recycling, which come out 6 times/year. Read the May/June Eco Letter here!
Outdoor Enjoyment This Summer
- Summer on the Hudson is NYC Parks' annual outdoor arts and culture festival in Riverside Park, from 59th to 153rd Streets. Click here to learn more about upcoming music concerts, dance performances, movies under the stars, DJ dance parties, kids shows, special events, wellness activities, and more. All programs and events are free and registration not required unless otherwise stated.
- Re-Growth, A Celebration of Art, Riverside Park, and the New York Spirit is a free, park-wide art exhibition with site-specific installations spanning several miles alongside the Hudson River. Learn more here and here.
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On-Line Cultural Programs
- New York Music Month Extended Play is New York City’s official celebration of its music scene, offering free classes, workshops, performances, and talks to support artists, industry, and fans during the pandemic. Runs through June, 2021. Learn more here.
- Free musical concerts and performances from the Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall. Learn more here.
- Watch "The Line," a play crafted from firsthand interviews with NYC medical first responders during the pandemic. It reveals the lived experiences of frontline workers and their battle to save lives in a medical system "built to serve the bottom line." First performed live on-line last July, this drama is available to watch now via The Public’s Play Now platform through June 21st, 2021. Learn about other on-line programs from the Public Theater here.
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We're Here to Help
My office assists people with housing issues, seniors, the disabled, the recently un (or under) employed, the food insecure, and all those suffering the many consequences of this pandemic, to help in any way we can. We also provide on-going advocacy with our public schools and other public services.
Please call (212) 873-0282, leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible; email [email protected]; or check our website, HelenRosenthal.com. We update it on a regular basis with information about public benefits, non-profit resources, and health facts Upper West Siders need to get through this crisis.
Warmly,
P.S. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested, or have them subscribe to my e-blasts here. Also, follow my social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram.
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