Gangs, Drug abuse & Prostitution within our schools- Washington Heights, NYC

 

Ambar C. Ventura

Gregorio Luperon High School

9th Grade E.S.L

Aventura2@schools.nyc.gov

 

PROSTITUTION!

GANGS

DRUGS

 

 

As a high school teenager in Washington Heights you may know someone who has used or uses drugs.  You might know someone who belongs to a gang, or has been a victim of abuse by gang members.  You may also know someone who provides sexual favors for money.  Think about your life.  Has someone you know died of a drug overdose?  Do you know anyone who has been a victim of gang violence, or is earning money using his/her body?   Perhaps, you are familiar with a musician or athlete who has used drugs, or you have seen news stories on students who are victims of gangs or on students who are lured into prostitution.

 

Last year, there were several incidents within NYC schools.  A few students upon leaving school were jumped by gang members and beaten.  Within our schools, girls are earning money in exchange of sexual favors.  Likewise, we saw constant recruitment of our students by the local gangs to sell/ carry drugs within our schools. Such incidents are sadly increasing nationwide, particularly within the schools in our community, it is clear that the problem of gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our schools and community must be addressed. 

 

You have been selected by Mayor De Blasio to join the Department of Youth and Community Development in NYC.  As a member, your role is to investigate the causes of the increase in gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our public schools in Washington Heights. He further request that you create a list of resources that are available to the youth in our community in order to offer positive alternatives that will seek to rescue students from a life of “crime and misery”

 

This is a big job but you’ll be doing a great service to your fellow students and the people in the neighborhood around our school.  Here is your chance to make a difference in our community!

 

 

Task: 

Your group will research the rise of youth gang involvement, drug abuse and prostitution in our community of Washington Heights. Your research should produce a report that can be given to the mayor’s Department of Youth and Community Development in NYC in order to assist the department in the creation of new policies to aid this social problem.  Your report will include all 6 steps in the Public Policy Analyst.

 

The report can be delivered in the form of word document (Typed Times New Roman- Font 12) or in the form of a Power Point (PPT).

 

Each group will also present an oral presentation of FIVE- TEN minutes explaining the group’s findings. All steps of the PPA must be used in this report.

 

 

PROCESS:

Task 1:  Students will form groups of 3 to 4 members to complete this web quest.

 

Task 2:  The students will research causes of the increase in gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our public schools in Washington Heights.  This may include information about why teens join gangs, use drugs or accept money in exchange of sexual favors.  Other factors can be included such as ages of members who join gangs, use drugs or are lure into prostitution. Use the resources below to complete your research.

 

The group will complete the SIX STEP PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST. and use the resources attached to aid your research.

Step 1:  Define the Problem

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/select.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet1.doc

 

Step 2:  Gather Evidence

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/gather.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet2.doc

 

Step 3:  Identify Cause

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/identify.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet3.doc

 

Step 4:  Evaluate a Policy

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/existing.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet4.doc

 

Step 5:  Develop Solutions

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/solutions.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet5.doc

 

Step 6:  Select Best Solution

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/bestsol.html

https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet6.doc

 

Task 3: Students will do an oral presentation of their report or PPT.  Presentation must include evidence from the investigation, pictures, and resources.

 

Task 4:  OBSERVERS will use the following rubric to grade the presenter’s work.

 

 

Points

Excellent

4

Very Good

3

Satisfactory

2

Unsatisfactory

1

Development & Organization

Excellent, High quality development and organization, thorough clarification

Very good development,

Organization and clarification

Somewhat good organization, needs some work on organization and development

Poor, unprepared, un-organized and not clear

 

 

 

Oral Presentation

All Students participated; exceptional, clear, thorough and intelligent oral presentation

All Students participated; Good, clear presentation

Students were somewhat clear; quality of presentation needs effort and careful preparation

Students were not clear: noticeable poor careless quality of presentation.

Visual Presentation

Exceptional presentation of visual resources and materials.

Good visual presentation.

Somewhat good visual presentation. Needs improvement

Poor visual presentation. Visually unprepared

 

 

Research/completion of handouts

Evident, extended and

Comprehensive research. Followed a line of investigation from at least 4 online sources and other resources.

Good research. Followed a line of investigation from at least 3 online sources and other resources

Somewhat good information from at 2 online sources. Very limited research.

Poor.  Needs to

research further

Information from at least 1 online source. No other resources evident.

Websites are provided help get you started on your research to help find the causes and new solutions to the problem of the increase in gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our public schools in Washington Heights.  This is not a comprehensive list but it is a beginning --- something to get you started.  You should not restrict yourself only to these sites and sources. You can use general or specific websites.

 

SPECIFIC WEBSITES:

·         NYC DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

·         Sex Education in New York City Schools

·         SEX-ED MANDATED FOR NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

·         WASHINGTON HEIGHTS VIOLENCE

·         Students taught serious lesson on gangs in Washington Heights workshop

·         GANG RECRUIT UNDERAGE GIRLS AS HOOKERS

 

GENERAL WEBSITES:

 

 

Students will meet the following New York Common Core Standards through the completion of this project: (http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/standards.html)

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression
Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse
social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a
variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Social Studies Standards:

 

Standard 4:  Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

 

Standard 5:  Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

 

 

After completing this web quest each members will be able to identify consequences associated with the problem of gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our schools and community. Furthermore, members will have conducted research, and will gain a valuable knowledge of using PPA format in other to derive  solutions to aid the this problem in our community. Solutions to the problem of the problem of gang participation, drug abuse, and prostitution within our schools and community are critical to allow public education to function and to allow our democratic values to continue.

 

Thanks for you diligent participation. I hope you have learned how valuable is to be a Public Policy Analyst as you are actively seeking make a difference and improve our society.