My name is Diandra C. Peters and I am entering my senior year at St. Agnes Academic High School. I am sixteen years of age. During the summer of 2007, I have been placed as a Summer Youth Employee with NYC DYCD, and  I was placed in a worksite called Neighborhood Services of Jamaica, Inc.  Honestly, at first, I did not hear of NHS until I was assigned to work there. I was not aware of the services this organization provided. I was not aware that, in fact, some of my neighbors had requested help from NHS. I just assumed that other agencies like the New York City Housing Authority, helped residents find living spaces. I didn’t know that there was truly hope for people with low- to moderate- income levels to purchase a home of their own. With NHS, people can come closer to realizing the American Dream.

 

When I first arrived at my worksite, I knew what I was going to expect. Basic clerical work, data entry, even a bit of courier assignments was in my job description, I didn’t know I would be helping to improve our community. Even though I am just a teenager, the work of others can really help “build our city, block by block.” I really enjoyed working here, at NHS, and I will be considering taking a part-time position during the school year.

 

At NHS, some of the tasks I was assigned to do was data entry in a specialized computer program

called Nstep. Almost daily, I had to enter clients’ information in the program and print out reports.

 I also was assigned to normal clerical tasks, like copying, faxing, and scanning documents and filing

 folders, etc. I also dealt with mail delivered to the permanent employees at NHS and answering

 phones for calling clients. Working at NHS has improved my public speaking skills, my organization

 skills, and my skills dealing with technology. I would say that the working experience has

definitely allowed me to develop my skills, so when I enter the larger world of the  workforce I am prepared. 

Summer  Youth Employee

NHSJ Board Member Highlights

  Ghana School Benefits From Queens Women

 

When a 13-year-old girl from Ghana told St. Albans resident Adjoa Gzifa that she probably would have

be come a prostitute without her help, Gzifa knew her work had made a difference. Gzifa, 60, and her

partner, Barbara Bryant, have been raising money to educate students in the fishing village of Oshiyie

for the past three years.  So far they have raised $37,000, which has gone toward tuition, food,

uniforms and construction expenses for a new school.    “It’s about education and taking care of those

who are far less fortunate,” said Gzifa. ...An estimated $230,000 is still needed to complete the

12-room school for kindergarten through ninth-grade students. …“We want to educate anyone who

wants to get  an education,” said Gzifa, who is an educator in Queens as well. She is the assistant

director of the LaGuardia Community College Workforce Education Center, which trains students

for a variety of professions…. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the school, send a check to

Future Scholars Inc., 111-54 179th St., St. Albans, NY 11433.      by Kim Brown, Chronicle Correspondent 04/19/2007

Adjoa Gzifa,

Board Member

 

Empowering People •Building Communities •Strengthening Southeast Queens Since 1974