Arthur Brown, Jr. “Alleged Public Policy Analyst Teacher”

1. Arthur Brown, Jr.“Alleged Public Policy Analyst Teacher” Paul Robeson Magnet School Class 7-432

2. Social Problems Affecting Bronx Teenagers

3. Introduction • Students have been recently concerned with social problems existing directly in their own environment. The two major problems with which they have constantly been affronted are:-Gang Activity-Neighborhood Pollution • They as politically active and conscious democratic citizens, have decided to research the roots of these problems and organize local community mock rallies with individuals who are influential in restructuring and reshaping areas in the Bronx. Many of the attendees will be politicians from Washington and representatives of the presidential election campaign.

4. Tasks • In some way, these overarching questions have been researched by students individually or collectively: • Gang Activity • Why are gangs joined? • How does being a member of a gang affect the members’ school life, family life, etc.? • What does the government do to discourage gang membership? • Pollution • What kinds of pollution exist in the Bronx? • Why do we allow cars/trucks to pollute the air in the Bronx when buses and trains could cause less pollution? • What laws does the government make to lessen pollution?

5. The Method • How do we answer these questions? • Thanks to the TIPS program, we have used a site through which information including statistics, articles, and reports were gathered: • http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/Tips/select.html

6. What was the end product of the project? • At the democratic convention (mock), students used power point (slide shows much better than mine) to report their findings and make their case for policy reformation or development in their communities.

7. What was really learned? • First of all, the students had a blast researching information on the internet. Unfortunately, they are not readily exposed to computers and have little or no access to them in their neighborhood. • I asked the students to write down what they gathered from this whole experience and these are some of the responses I received: • “We realized the impact of public policy on social problems. We were unaware of how important policy is in dealing with social problems like pollution”. • “I didn’t know anything about computers until now”! • “There is a lot community involvement going on to help gang members”. • “I learned that I can make a difference as a citizen even though I am twelve years old”.

8. ConclusionGang activity is a social problem that affects many communities in the nation. Similarly, pollution is also a problem that has caused health problems and complicated the lives of many residents. Politically active, concerned, and informed citizens in a republic can work together to ameliorate these problems. One effort students can make is to influence their communities to reshape and reform public policies. Alliances can be made with local politicians who are also supporters of presidential candidates in the election of 2000.