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Another Red Hook Summer

...And this is much better than the movie.

We kicked off the summer with our third annual Free Book Fair in front of the Red Hook Library. We were able to give away hundreds of books to encourage kids to keep reading during the summer months. A 12-year-old at the book fair said, “My mom is going to be upset that I brought all these books in the house but, I don’t care, I love to read!”

New York Juvenile Justice Corps Member Shows a Young Reader a Book

We celebrated another Youth Court graduation with Deputy Inspector Schiff from the 76th precinct. The Red Hook Youth Court continues to be a model for other Youth Courts around the country and an important program for the community and the court.

This year, 15 students participated in our Just Works Summer Internship Program, which aims to connect teens and young adults to professional development opportunities. Our interns, along with our Youth Court members also participated in a college trip to Hofstra and St. John’s University.
 
Interns at Hofstra University
 
We continued our successful JustArts programming over the summer for teens and young adults and celebrated with two exhibitions. Our JustArts drawing program “Make Your Mark” hosted an end of season exhibit at our partner’s gallery space, the Kentler International Drawing Space. This summer we ran a brand new photography program called PhotoVoice, in partnership with the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Brownsville Community Justice Center, and funded by NYC CEO. The students’ works were exhibited at the Justice Center and will be exhibited as part of a public art project called Photoville in Brooklyn Bridge Park this September.

PhotoVoice Participants at the Red Hook Perspectives Exhibit

As we continue to expand community service to clean up our neighborhood, our Neighborhood Restitution Crew assisted Visitation Church in Red Hook with services including weed whacking, power washing, trash removal and painting this July.
 
The Neighborhood Restitution Crew at Visitation Church


And we capped off the summer with another successful National Night Out Against Crime. Hundreds of Red Hook neighbors came out to celebrate the 19th annual National Night Out in Coffey Park. Every year, along with the 76th precinct, we host this event to strengthen partnerships that make Red Hook a safe and thriving community. There was plenty to celebrate as Red Hook is experiencing record low crime levels. Volunteers from the New York Juvenile Justice Corps, Red Hook Youth Court, and the NYPD Youth Explorers program helped make this year our most successful to date.

Neighbors Enjoy National Night Out in Coffey Park

~Jessica

 

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