Board President's Letter

Dear Friends,

Cuts to youth services proposed in Mayor Bloomberg’s budget jeopardize our city's future in order to balance next year’s budget.  In today's increasingly complex environment, students spend much of their free time playing organized sports, taking enrichment classes and career/college preparation courses to keep up with their peers.  Young people from poor and working class families depend on community-based organizations to provide these services which offer them access to higher education and eventually meaningful employment. Their families can work knowing that their children are safely in the care of trained professionals.  Cutting funding streams that support excellent community-based after-school programs closes doors for these young people and their families. 
 
Queens Community House is a multi-service organization which has served Queens families for 35 years.  Our programs build character and confidence, teach personal and civic responsibility, and develop interpersonal skills.  Program success rates are regularly evaluated by supervisors and programs are adjusted or discontinued if they are not contributing to the growth of participants. 

Many of our alumni are the first generation of high school and college graduates in their families. After aging out of our programs and graduating from college, many alumni have come back to the agency as staff and board members.  When our participants demonstrate the leadership and confidence that they gained in our programs, tax dollar funded programs pays dividends.

As taxpayers, we have the right to demand accountability and the right to expect our elected officials to increase efficiency and eliminate waste. But when vast numbers of highly successful programs are sacrificed alongside less efficient programs, one must wonder whether the government possesses the analytic skills or political backbone to evaluate the impact of the valued programs. Ultimately, when essential programs are cut, the city loses. Whenever unprepared young people enter the labor force, our tax base is further eroded, placing an even greater burden on already highly taxed New Yorkers.

Before the City moves forward with its plan to destroy youth programs, I ask the public to challenge our representatives to look closely before cutting youth programs that inspire youth to succeed and take their place as consumers and tax-payers. Certainly, investing in our youth is as important to the future of New York City as building new bridges, tunnels and the Second Avenue subway.

Michael Stellman, Board President Queens Community House.