District 15 Sunset Park PAR Project Application
Did you know that the NYC Department of Education is opening several new school buildings in the Sunset Park area of District 15? Are you interested in learning more about the schooling experiences and needs in our area and making recommendations about what should happen with SP schools?

We, the PAR for Educational Justice Project (PAREJ) of Brooklyn College, City University of New York (CUNY),  the Department of Education Office of District Planning (DOE - ODP) and Voces Ciudadanas (VC) are collaborating on a participatory action research project (PAR Project) in Sunset Park.

This process replaces the usual rezoning process and aims to build a deeper understanding of what equitable schooling could look like in our communities. A team of local members, who will be directly impacted by changes in our Sunset Park Schools, will carry out the work.  We call this group of community researchers: the D15 Sunset PAR Team. We are actively seeking local community members who want to join the PAR Team!

The PAR Team will work together to figure out what we need to ask our neighbors to achieve equitable and thriving schools. The PAR team will be a group of people who will meet for 1 - 5 hours a week to:

• create community
• discuss and think through the biggest questions facing our community
• research history of schools and schools zones
• be trained in research methods and ethics
• carry out research (like interviews, surveys, focus groups) at laundromats, playgrounds, church groups, community centers, and other places
• study and analyze Dept of Education data
• compile and analyze community knowledge + DOE data
• lead art projects with children
• share back what we find via community forums
• produce recommendations to inform DOE policy

This is a project conducted by community members, with community members, and for our communities. The recommendations from the PAR team will shape the Department of Education’s plan for the future of schools in Sunset Park. The goal is an equitable education and thriving schools for all children in Sunset Park.

This participatory process will center families impacted by the school changes and particularly families from historically excluded communities.

We are recruiting 12 community members to join as the D15 Sunset PAR Team. You do NOT need to have any prior experience in any of these areas, or in writing or public speaking, and you do NOT need to be a U.S. citizen. Community researchers will receive a stipend for their participation.

The D15 Sunset PAR Team will launch in early December. Meetings will take place once/week. The PAR team of community researchers will be asked to commit approximately 5 hours/week between Dec - May on the project. The times for weekly meetings will be finalized once the research team is assembled.

Please Note: If you're interested in being involved there are multiple ways to participate - we need you! Within the application, you will have an opportunity to express your level of availability as well as the strengths you bring.

Applications are due Nov 29th.

Submit online or fill out this application and submit online or drop it off at Voces Ciudadanas 475 41st Street Basement Tuesday - Friday 12pm - 6pm and Saturdays 10am - 2pm. Or call/text/email for help with submitting the application.

For more information contact:
Maddy Fox at district15parproject@gmail.com at 917.560.8846 or
Voces Ciudadanas at vocesciudadanasinc@gmail.com 347.916.0968
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First Name: *
Last name: *
Email:
Phone: *
The best way to reach you (email, text, phone, etc): *
Address:
Are you 18 or older: *
What is your affiliation or connection to Sunset Park elementary schools? Please tell us which school(s) you are connected to and how. *
The project will launch in early Dec and run from Dec - May. Each week the PAR Team will meet once/week for 2 hours. Some weeks there will be additional community work for a maximum of 5 hours/week.
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 What times are you available to meet from the options below? Please check all that apply *
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Why are you interested in participating in this project? *
What strengths, skills, and gifts do you bring to the project? (It can be anything: knowledge of the neighborhood, launguage, experience, qualities, talents, open-minded, artistic, organized, good listener, relevant work/life experience, design skills, translation skills, documentarian - anything!) *
What languages do you speak? *
What is your preferred language?
We want to make sure our team represents the neighborhood as much as possible. Please describe your race/ethnicity.
Are you an employee of the City of New York?
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