Now in Its Iith Year, Jill Eisenhard's Red Hook Initiative Helps Local Youth Get on the Right Track

March 1 - 15, 2012 FREE The Red Hook Star-Revue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER Now in its IIth year, Jill Eisenhard’s Red Hook Initiative helps local youth get on the right track by Matt Graber n 2002, a Health Edu- good example of how young people that spend time at RHI acquire a range of cator at Long Island broadly applicable skills. “When I first College Hospital had came, I wasn’t really a good listener,” she says. “So when I started coming an idea: start a pro- here I learned to do active listening.” gram in the Red Hook The headquarters is the perfect IHouses community focused setting on women’s health, with The interior structure of the center is inherently calming, with its spacious, a specific focus on helping high-ceiling white lobby and meeting women provide health educa- rooms, and its large glass windows and tion to others. After securing sky-lights, which bring in plenty of natural light in the daytime. Kian Goh, start-up funds from the March an architect from the DUMBO-based of Dimes Foundation, Jill firm, Super-Interesting, designed the space free of charge. RHI began operat- Eisenhard began operations ing out of the current location (on the of the program at a Clinton corner of Hicks and West 9th Streets) Street location donated by in 2010 after a two-year period of func- tioning without a home and with an the Police Athletic League. It uncertain future. was called the Red Hook Ini- In 2008, RHI went into crisis mode tiative (RHI). Jill Eisenhard, Founder and Executive Director of Red Hook Initiative, sits in the RHI when it lost its donated space on Clin- lobby with Peer Counselor Mohammed Martinez. (photo by Matt Graber) ton Street. Between 2008 and 2010, By 2006, what started as a community services were afloat while Eisenhard health project had evolved into a unique and others sought contributors for the institution. The focus was no longer just the culinary arts. He hopes to soon start what makes the organization unique - on health, but on youth development a culinary program at the center, which is that participants are trained to train $400,000 needed to establish a head- and leadership training, and on giving is equipped with a kitchen. others. Young people of ages 14-18 have quarters. During this time, tutoring ses- young people in a community troubled This is the kind of thing that young the opportunity to become employed as sions were held in places like the cafete- by high drop-out and unemployment people are encouraged to do at RHI - lit- a Youth Counselors. The position in- ria at IKEA. Amazingly, in the middle rates a place to come and breathe. erally, to take the initiative and create volves a year-long training process fo- of a recession, they managed to secure cusing on social and emotional health. funding from philanthropic organiza- RHI employs 65 people on a full- and something. Eisenhard says that part of High School seniors can become Am- tions, individual donors and govern- part-time basis, and 62 of those 65 em- the organization’s mission is to facilitate bassadors and work with individuals on ment grants, allowing RHI to move into ployees are residents of the Red Hook that kind of creativity. “When people meeting their education goals. the empty warehouse space. Houses. Thirty-eight are teenagers. Mo- in the neighborhood have an idea - as hammed Martinez, 17, started out as a long as it is consistent with our mission Tyteana Griem, 17, is an RHI Ambas- Eisenhard hopes to continue building peer counseler and is now working on - we’ll help make it happen,” she says. sador and peer-councilor. “I help young capacity, particularly by “enhancing the radio program, called Red Hook Ra- A holistic approach to youth students look for scholarships and look our young adult program model to bet- dio, which is a serious of youth-produced development for colleges,” she says. She also teaches ter serve 18 to 24 year-olds; carrying out podcasts. “It’s not really something that RHI uses a “pipeline model,” working sex education and anger management, the work of our strategic plan, which in- I’m considering as a career,” he says. with individuals from the age of 10 to and takes young people on field trips to cludes documenting and improving our “But I’m learning ways to express my- 24, placing emphasis on schoolwork places like The Door, a Manhattan cen- community hiring model to train resi- self, and how to use certain computer early on, and then employment. Par- ter now 40 years old, which focuses sim- dents to take on leadership positions at programs. It’s an experience.” Martinez ticipants of high school age are trained ilarly on youth development and em- RHI, improving our evaluation methods attends William Grady E. High School, in job searching and resume-building. powerment. Griem, who hopes to study to better capture our long-term results, a vocational school where he studies Most importantly - and this is part of meteorology and acting in college, is a and raising more funds to employ more (continued on page 5) Also In This Issue: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2 3 4 5 6 7 15 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 2 3 4 5 6 7 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 2 3 4 19 6 20 8 9 21 11 12 13 22 15 23 2 3 4 5 24 7 8 25 10 26 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 27 28 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 29 30 31 4 5 6 7 8 32 33 11 34 35 36 37 38 2 3 4 5 6 7 39 9 10 11 40 13 14 15 Bar Tabac reviewed, page 17 Red Hook Crossword, page 16 Kimberly and George 41 2 3 4 5 6 7 42 9 10 11 43 13 14 15 get out of town, page 9 1 2 44 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 45 46 47 46 10 47 12 48 49 50 1 51 53 52 53 6 7 8 54 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 55 3 4 5 6 56 8 9 10 11 57 13 14 15 1 58 3 4 5 59 7 60 9 61 11 62 13 14 15 1 63 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Welcome to YOUR community newspaper! Growing Up Red Hook The Red Hook Star-Revue Good deeds are their The News of South Brooklyn Volume 3 No. 4, February 16-29, 2012 own reward Founded in 2010 by Frank Galeano and George Fiala by Danette Vigilante Staff Reporters ........................... Elizabeth Graham, Matt Graber, Curtis Skinner an you do me a favor? Can you take a couple of seconds Staff Photographer ..............................................................Elizabeth Graham to think about something for me? Okay, cool. Thanks. Cartoonists ................................................... Vince Musacchia, Harold Shapiro CDo you realize that no matter how big or little you are, Historian ....................................................................................John Burkard or how much you have or don’t have, you hold the power to Contributors ....................Mary Anne Massaro, Danette Vigilante, Robert Geelan change someone’s life, possibly the world? Sound corny? Well, ...........................................Reg Flowers, Michael Racioppo, Mary Ann Pietanza why don’t you try it out right now? Oh, come on! You’re still Calendar Editor ............................................................................... Eric Ruff reading which means you agreed. No backsies! Besides, you’ll feel wonderful afterward. Restaurant Critic ......................................................................... Erik Penney Advertising Representative .................................................... Angelika Mitchell Now, here we go. Are you sitting on a train? Take a look around— try not to creep people out so no staring, please. Is there someone who looks like they really Co-Publisher and Editor ........................................................ Kimberly G. Price need to sit when there are no available seats? Maybe their back hurts from lifting Co-Publisher and Graphics .......................................................... George Fiala heavy boxes all day at work and the hard stops and starts are only making it worse. The Red Hook Star-Revue is published twice a month by Red Hook Publishing We need letters to the editor as well as press advisories which can be mailed to: What do you think would happen if you offered him your seat? Or maybe there’s a mother struggling up the bus steps with a stroller in her hand and a child on RED HOOK STAR-REVUE, 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 her hip. What do you think would happen if you simply held your hand out and 718 624-5568 - news tip line 917-652-9128 or emailed to [email protected] offered to carry the stroller up the steps for her? No bus? No train? 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