Interviews with the crew

Day of Service

In July we were visited by students from the Center for Talented Youth Civic Leadership Institute at Johns Hopkins. The students worked with the members of the Neighborhood Youth Employment Program to clean up Ellwood Park. This is the group photo we took at the end of the day. Both the CTY and NYEP kids gained a lot from the day of service, and we hope that they'll come back and work with us again next year!

- Mr. Eric

My Black to Me

A poem by Shelly Greaves

I like the way my people used to rock afros
I hate it when the only things that come out of my people's mouth is nigger, slut, and whore
I like the way my people dance
Full of tradition, style, and rhythm
I hate that my generation ignores how their ancestors strived, cried, and died for what they believed in
Black is so beautiful
That's what I hear my black ghetto sisters say on TV
But why is it in this world I can't even be me?
I admonish the fact that we put our ancestors to shame, playing all these games!
I wish that instead of nigger, my people would say brother!
I wish that instead of bitch, my people would say sister!
I'm proud to be black because of my history
Boys and girls today think that committing a felony makes them look good
Boys say, "I got street cred in my hood!"
I wish we would give our ancestors the "cred" that they deserve!

The Summer of 2009

The summer of 2008 was exciting and the memories I will cherish forever. The 2009 summer is shaping up to be great if not greater then last year. I interviewed several outstanding young people for the NYEP and had the daunting task of narrowing my search to six young adults. The crew as we call ourselves consist of four young men, two young ladies and myself. They have met or exceeded my expectations and i'm sure they surprised themselves. They have worked extremely hard on the streets of Baltimore cleaning, mulching, and cleaning out tree pits.
Each member of the crew had a chance to learn and exhibit leadership skills. Depending on which block we worked in determined who was going to be the supervisor for the day. Who ever lived in the area designated to be beautified was the supervisor and was in total control. Each person did a fine job at managing breaks, personnel and productivity. They felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. They also expressed how hard it was being in charge and getting their peers to take them seriously.
The crew had an invitation from Mr. Harry Anapa to visit BGE and get a lesson on electricity and how it works, as well as possible employment. It was a success and the crew learned a great deal on the dangers of ignorance as it relates to electricity. A few of the youth expressed interest in working at BGE and stated that they would have never thought about it until their visit (the importance of exposure). We were also invited by Senator Mikulski to be her guest at the United States Capital and have lunch in the Senate Dining room. The crew as well as myself were very excited about the prospect of not only going but the possibilities of meeting important political people. It has been an exciting and rewarding summer thus far and we are looking forward to more exciting opportunities in the future.

- Coach Carter, Crew Supervisor