THE
NorthPhilly
CORNER
April 2013 Issue 5 COALITION MEMBERS Alice Baker Della Baker Kim Balknight Valerie Bell
PHILADELPHIA
COMMUNITY
ADVISORY
GROUP
Douglas Bellamy Lt. Blackmorr Lola Blount Sonia Blount Delores J. Brown Diana Brown Erna L. Bryant Geraldine Bryant Barbara Cooke Norman Doman Sekeya Duncan Laverne Dwight Douglass Evans Phyllis Gerald Esther Hodges Irene Hagans
NORTH
The Eyes and Ears Town Watch Needs You! The purpose of the “Eyes & Ears” Program is to establish a foundation for Town Watch development and to impact the quality of life in the community. The “Eyes & Ears” Program promotes a sense of community and empowers citizens to address their neighborhood concerns. Citizens like YOU are trained by Town Watch Integrated Services to recognize, report suspicious activities in their neighborhoods and become Town Watchers. Benefits of Town
Watch are: crime reduction, improved quality of life, greater sense of security, organized blocks, and a healthy neighborhood. Town Watch organizations take on many forms of involvement, like mobile patrolling, walking block watches, skating, biking and dog walking.
Nicetown and North Philadelphia CAG members hard at work.
There are “Eyes & Ears” Town Watch groups on blocks, in apartment buildings, retirement communities and business districts throughout Philadelphia. This makes the TWIS program unique. To start a Town Watch, please get information by calling 215-851-1968.
Joshua Hawkins Alice Henderson Quentin Hoye
Interested in joining the Nicetown & North Philadelphia Community Advisory Group?
Elder Yvonne Hughes Sherry Hunter Carmenta Johnson Jessica Kennedy Elizabeth Lassiter Officer Lukaitis
Do you enjoy helping others? Do people in your neighborhood turn to you for advice and assistance? Then you may be a natural CAG member. Since March 2012, YOACAP and the residents of Nicetown and North Philadelphia have joined together to help the formerly incarcerated, guide youth, and spread information to keep the community safe and STD-free. If you’re interested, contact Tajuana at 215-851-1968.
Maggie McCall Ann Miller Pamela Munroe
THE
A PROJECT OF YOACAP
Pearl L Nicholson Aletta Parris-Olday Eugene Parson Ann Proctor
Block Captains Rally Major Success Special thanks to Townwatch Integrated Services for sharing a table with the Nicetown & North Philadelphia CAG members at the Block Captains Rally held at the Philadelphia Convention Center! The groups aimed to get 200 block captains to sign onto a safe communities petition and to inform block captains about the CAGs to get them involved.
Gail Pryor
MOBILE UNIT SCHEDULE
Mildred Rice
(6 pm — 9 pm):
Carlos Rolland Mary D. Smith Pastor Billy Thompson Tajuana Wall Cassandra Whiters Monica Williams Carol Willis
Monday 15th, 18th & Wingohocking Germantown & St. Paul Sts. Tuesday Broad & Dauphin Sts. Dauphin & Colorado Sts. 18th & Susquehanna Sts.
Wednesday Germantown & Erie (by Max’s) 8th & Butler Sts. Thursday 22nd & Cambria Kensington Ave. & Ontario St.
Free resources: Condoms STI testing Job training information Computer training information Tutoring information GED class information
YOACAP Gets Philly 311 Trained Do you know who to call if there is a huge pothole in the middle of your street? What about someone drew graffiti on your wall or if there’s an abandoned car on your block? What if there’s a raccoon? It’s not an emergency, you can’t call 911. Just call 311 on your telephone. Philly 311 is a great tool to help people get the resources they need from the City. YOACAP will be holding 311 training once a month to get you to be a 311 Community Liaison. If you have a computer or phone with Internet access and you want to be directly connected to the City to get this fixed, call Tajuana at 215-851-1968.
Great Turnout at Youth Summer Job Workshop Anyone who can remember being a teenager or who had a job themselves knows how crucial having a summer job can be. When youth work for their own money, it teaches them how to be responsible, how to manage funds, and how to become independent. More importantly, it may keep them away from risky behavior like drugs and alcohol. YOACAP is proud to announce that last month’s youth summer job workshops at the Kingsessing Rec. Center with the SWCAG and Nicetown Boys & Girls Club for the Nicetown & North Philadelphia CAGs were a success. Both youth and their parents were able to learn about the application process so parents could be a supportive part of the youth employment process. For information about summer jobs, please call Tajuana Wall at 215-851-1968.
Taking Care of Business A few weeks ago I wasn’t feeling well. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed because I thought I may have a problem down there, if you know what I mean. I wasn’t sure so I decided to go to the van (mobile unit) that was parked a few blocks from my house. When I got there, I was able to speak to an outreach worker who gave me a pamphlet on sexually transmitted infections and some free condoms. I felt very comfortable with her and found out about YO-A-CAP’s job readiness program. They offered me STI testing. I will keep if I got tested between me, myself and I. I was really impressed with the staff, and I am glad that they were in my hood. — KJ, a 27-year-old female.
Free Mentoring and Tutoring Opportunities Do you know a teenager who is not applying themselves, having difficulty in school, or may not be focused on the right things? Then they are a good candidate for Project Build. If your teenager is interested in improving themselves, enroll them into a program that can help them academically and socially. Youth meet after school from 4pm-7pm each day and are taught life skills, health, goal-setting, and ways to prepare for young adulthood. If you know a teenager trying to improve, have their parent call 215-851-1968 to find out more information and to get them enrolled.
STD Spotlight on Trichomoniasis Everyone knows about the itch and drip of syphilis and “the clap,” but not everyone is familiar with trich, otherwise known as trichomoniasis (trick-oh-moe-sis).
This STI can show symptoms 5 to 28 days after sex, and if it isn’t caught early it can lead to long term health effects. Like other STIs, trich doesn’t always show symptoms. But when it does, they are noticeable. Trich affects both men and women and is spread during vaginal sex In women, it may turn up as itching, burning or irritation in the vagina, or a yellow, greenish or gray discharge. Men could see a watery, white drip from the penis, feel burning or pain during urination, and need to urinate more often.
If you or one of your partners have shown signs of this STI, call YOACAP at 215-851-1968 now to find out how you can get tested.
YOACAP WANTS TO GO GREEN! If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically from now on, please email Tajuana at Tajuana@yoacap.org to update your subscription status.
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