The Issues and Assets of African Youth on Staten Island's North Shore:

day without proper identification. On theother h<strong>and</strong>s, there are drugs, guns, <strong>and</strong>people smoking on the street <strong>and</strong> in thebuildings...” 26Figure 10What do youth think will help improve theircommunity?“Safety is most challenging for me, safety formy children. I live in 160 [Park Hill Avenue];before there was security in the building,now we don't have any… Anything couldhappen to our children on their way out <strong>of</strong>the building <strong>and</strong> you would not know until itis late. Recently I heard that a girl was rapedin one <strong>of</strong> the buildings…” 27Park Hill-base youth-serving organizations pay closeattention to keeping participants safe, <strong>and</strong> those locatedoutside Park Hill must address how youth get to <strong>and</strong> fromtheir program. After several youth from Century DanceComplex were physically <strong>and</strong> verbally attacked on their wayhome from the program by youth near the Stapleton Houses,CDC‟s staff organized its youth participants living in Park Hillto walk in a group <strong>and</strong> take a longer route home to avoid theStapleton houses, at least until the organization reaches itsgoal to provide consistent pick up <strong>and</strong> drop <strong>of</strong>f service.63%Moreprotection45%Betterhousingmaintenance42%More jobs39%Morerecreationcenters31%More schools7%Other26 Parent interview, <strong>African</strong> father, February 7, 2009.27 Parent interview, April 17, 2009.18