Thursday, August 5^th

Obama Supports Pennsylvania Student's Anti-Bullying Quest

Most kids who get bullied don't tell a soul. Far fewer may report the harassment to their parents or teachers.

When Ziainey Stokes was teased incessantly by a couple of bullies at her West Philadelphia Catholic school, she wrote a letter to the president of the United States.

And he replied.

Buoyed by this, the soft-spoken, precocious 11-year-old is now on a mission to end bullying by creating an organization that would help others find their voice and urge adults to pay attention – starting with President Obama.

"What I wrote about (in my letter) was that the kids at my school were being bullied and how it wasn't right," Ziainey said during a recent interview in her West Philadelphia home. Read More

Federal Oversight for Troubled N.Y. Youth Prisons

Four of New York's most dangerous and troubled youth prisons will be placed under federal oversight, strict new limits will be imposed on the use of physical force by guards, and dozens of psychiatrists, counselors and investigators will be hired under a sweeping agreement finalized on Wednesday between state and federal officials.

The agreement will usher in the most significant expansion of mental health services in years for youths in custody, the vast majority of whom suffer from drug or alcohol problems, developmental disabilities or mental health problems.

Currently, the state does not have a single full-time psychiatrist on staff to treat young offenders. Read More

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Re-entry Program Focuses on Turning Around Younger Offenders

Gerald McGee grinned sheepishly as several hundred people erupted in applause Friday at Carson's community center, cheering his success.

To those attending a daylong event called the Young Offender Reentry Summit, the 22-year-old represented the pinnacle of their grueling challenge - to turn around lives.

The Los Angeles man, who has also lived in Inglewood, spent his youth on the streets, committing crimes, mostly out of boredom and the desire for money.

He chose gang members as friends in his South Los Angeles neighborhood, despite opportunities not afforded others in his community. Not only did he attend Beverly Hills High School for its football program, but he was offered college scholarship, which he declined. Read More

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Art Exhibit Brings Anti-Gang Message To Long Beach

They call themselves the Messengers of Peace, and together, the five artists have over 100 years of combined experience of gang intervention and counseling. Long removed from their lives of crime, the Messengers of Peace now host this traveling art show and speak to attendees about leading a positive life.

"We're so dedicated to what we do, we wanted to get our message out in other ways," said Danny Flores, one of the artists. "We thought, let's get it on canvas and take it on the road."

The show has been all around Southern California, from Whittier to East Los Angeles and Oxnard to Montebello. The City of Norwalk presented the Messengers of Peace with a certificate of appreciation when they held a show there. Read More

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Least-Disruptive Turnaround Model Proving Popular

School districts are now receiving millions of dollars in federal money to turn around their chronically underperforming schools and, in a number of states, local educators overwhelmingly are opting for "transformation," the least disruptive of four school intervention methods endorsed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

All but eight states have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education to receive their share of the $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement Grants, the supercharged program aimed at reversing years of academic decline at some of the nation's most troubled schools. Read More

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