Let This Tragedy Open A New Door
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo and Deborah E. Lans

As the horrible events of September 11 and its aftermath have shown us, when most deeply challenged, New Yorkers put aside their politics, agendas and divisiveness to come together and at great sacrifice to help others with extraordinary courage, selflessness, generosity, skill and inventiveness. In the same unity of spirit, we now have an opportunity to find ways to compromise the divisions and grievances that have impeded progress in the most important institution in the City–its public school system.

Education reform and the financial needs of our system have been at the top of the list of our priorities for some time. Our immediate need to rebuild the downtown area and affected New York industries is critical, but so is the need to educate our youth. The drastic funding cuts implemented earlier this year must be reexamined, and spending for building repair, educational improvement, after-school enrichment and academic supplements must be made a current priority. A child whose education is shortchanged this year may never catch up.

Mentoring USA will make changes to accommodate recent events. Our essential focus will remain to provide trained and individual adult support to youth living in high-risk environments. We are accelerating programs to teach non-violent techniques for conflict resolution and ways to address the experiences of grief, loss, death and uncertainty. While these workshops will be more widely presented than originally planned, they will always be an important part of the training for urban youth workers, including volunteers. In October, we will host a workshop at our offices on “The Hard Questions: How to Listen and What to Say to Children,” facilitated by a family psychoanalyst. Follow-up workshops will continue at mentoring sites this Fall and Winter, in addition to our regular monthly Speaker Series and Supportive Mentor Meetings.

Finally, because tragic losses spawn anger as well as fear and grief, Mentoring USA will be heightening our work in the areas of tolerance and non-violent conflict resolution. Last Fall, we introduced our BRAVE (Bias-Related Anti-Violence Education) program, offering non-violent ways to resolve disputes. We will reinforce and enlarge those programs this year.

HELP USA, Mentoring’s affiliate, organized its resources toward the many New Yorkers who are feeling traumatized and shaken. “New Yorkers Share,” a drop-in support center for New Yorkers to share their stories and concerns, was the result. The Center, located in the intimate community space of HELP’s Genesis RFK apartment building, served approximately 200 “walk-ins” in its first week alone. In addition, Genesis RFK vacated apartments have provided shelter for rescue and emergency workers.

We cannot turn the clock back to undo the events that have irreparably changed our City and which we will never forget. Americans can and must use their energy, skill and heart to repair not only the physical damage done but also the emotional harm. For the sake of our children’s futures, we must reaffirm our most precious values and goals and work to bring peace to our world.#

Matilda Cuomo is the Founder and Chairperson of Mentoring USA and Deborah Lans is the Executive Director.

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