Weeksville Society Weeksville Society Heritage CenterHeritage Center

Weeksville Today:Weeksville Today:

Bordered by• Atlantic Avenue to the North• Eastern Parkway to the South• Ralph Avenue to the East• Troy Avenue to the West

Who Lives in Weeksville?Who Lives in Weeksville?

U.S. Census 2000 1990

Total Individuals 34,856 33,314% Age 65+ 8% 9%% Age 18 and under 34% 35%% African-American or Black

85% 93%

% Foreign-born 36% 32%Average household size 2.8 people Not available

Some Aspects of Life in Some Aspects of Life in WeeksvilleWeeksville

U.S. Census 2000 1990

% Below Poverty Line 35% 36%

% Rented (vs. Owned) Housing Units

89% 89%

Average median income $21,942 $15,679

% of Rented Units with

5 Years or Less Tenure63% 67%

% Rented housing units where tenants pay 30%+ of their income on rent

47% 45%

Educational Programs & School Educational Programs & School PartnershipsPartnerships

Offered to groups of students on site.Tours and programs for students are developed within the framework of the New York State Learning Standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies and Visual Arts. All

programs are led by museum educators and professional teaching artists. • Visual Arts programs • Performing Arts and Oral History programs• Preservation Education trains high school students in traditional crafts such as

woodworking, stained glass, masonry, glass blowing

Programs have also been developed for implementation in and partnerships with schools.

• Green Weeksville: makes connections between science-based concepts and everyday life through traditional gardening and environmental education.

• Quills: high school students learn about the process of creating an anthology of work through graphic design and the art of creative writing because essentially they are the interconnected parts of the communication process. Designing their own book of written words cements ownership of their art and connection in their community.

• Primary Docs: teaches high school students about the creative, aesthetic, educational and historical role of documentary photography.

• Weeksville Farmers’ Market: a youth development program located on the grounds of the Weeksville historic site. Continuing historic Weeksville’s tradition of self-reliance and entrepreneurship, The Weeksville Farmers’ Market provides young adults with social and economic entrepreneurial training as a tool to promote sustainable community development.

PS 243 The Weeksville SchoolPS 243 The Weeksville School

PS 243 The Weeksville SchoolPS 243 The Weeksville SchoolThe mission of the Weeksville School is to produce literate, lifelong learners who are visionary and productive, aware of self, accepting of cultural differences, sensitive to others, and who apply knowledge to make morally responsible decisions in an ever-changing global society.

• There are about 400 students enrolled in Pre-K through 5th grade. Students are: 81% Black, 16% Hispanic and 1% Asian

• Located at 1580 Dean St. (District 16)

• Partnered with Green Weeksville: Second grade students in Green Weeksville have a unique opportunity to explore their communities through ecology and nutrition. They sepnd the first half of the program in school at PS 243 exploring local ecology. The latter part of the program takes place in the Kitchen Garden at Weeksville where they continue to work with two teaching artists to plant vegetables.

Kitchen Garden at WeeksvilleKitchen Garden at Weeksville

Cobble Hill School of Cobble Hill School of American StudiesAmerican Studies

Cobble Hill School of Cobble Hill School of American StudiesAmerican Studies

The mission of the Cobble Hill School of American Studies is to provide a full academic college preparatory curriculum with a special focus on the historical development of American political, social, cultural and economic institutions. The school will offer special electives and research opportunities in American History.

• There are about 700 students enrolled in 9th through 12th grades. Students are: 3% White, 65% Black, 30% Hispanic and 2% Asian.

• Located at 347 Baltic Street (District 15)

• Has worked with Weeksville over the last 3 years to implement the Primary Docs and Quills programsStudents in the Primary Docs program will understand the importance of exploring and preserving history, creating identity and exploring self-expression and how the information they learn relates to documenting their own contemporary lives through the medium of digital photography.In Quills, high school students learn about the process of creating an anthology of work through graphic design and the art of creative writing because essentially they are the interconnected parts of the communication process. Designing their own book of written words cements ownership of their art and connection in their community.

Primary Docs & QuillsPrimary Docs & Quills

High School for Public ServiceHigh School for Public Service

High School for Public ServiceHigh School for Public ServiceAt the High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow, students are constantly pushed to achieve excellence not only in academics but in civic-mindedness.

• There are about 400 students enrolled in 9th through 12th grades. Students are: 85% Black, 13% Hispanic and 1% Asian.

• Located at 600 Kingston Avenue (District 17)

• Works with the Weeksville Famers’ Market to provide young adults with social and economic entrepreneurial training as a tool to promote sustainable community development. Partnering with the High School for Public Service, youth volunteers operate a socially responsible market farming micro-enterprise, selling produce grown at Weeksville. Volunteers learn the business as farmers, business plan developers, data management specialists and salespeople.

Weeksville Farmers’ MarketWeeksville Farmers’ Market

Weeksville Community Mural Weeksville Community Mural ProjectsProjects

2006 – Partnership with Groundswell on Community Mural Projects for Kingsborough Houses

Weeksville BenefactorsWeeksville BenefactorsCorporations• * American Express• * Astoria Federal Savings• * Con Edison• * Fleet Bank• * Goldman Sachs & Co.• * Independence Community Foundation• * KeySpan Foundation• * Lowes Foundation• * Time Warner Foundation• * Verizon Foundation

Foundations• * Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority• * Bay (and Paul) Foundation• * Booth Ferris Foundation• * Carnegie Corporation of New York• * Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation*• * JM Kaplan Fund• * Lily Auchincloss Foundation• * New York Community Trust• * Rockefeller Brothers Fund• * Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation• * Starr Foundation• * William Randolph Hearst• * William T. Grant Foundation

Government• * National Endowment for the Humanities• * New York Council on the Humanities• * New York City Council Member Item• * New York City Department of Cultural Affairs• * New York State Council on the Arts• * New York State Office of Parks• * Preservation Services Fund (National Trust)• * United States Department of the Interior• * United States Department of Juvenile Justice

The Pratt Center is working to have Weeksville be a nationally registered historic district. What does this mean to the people living there now?

What are both positive and negative implications?

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

How does the current history of the neighborhood play a role at Weeksville?

What are the steps taken to be approved for, and to create a collaborative work of art in a public space?

Links & SourcesLinks & SourcesWeeksville Society Heritage Center

http://www.weeksvillesociety.org/

Weeksville’s on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Weeksville-Heritage-Center/76994302364

PS 243 Weeksville School

http://www.theweeksvilleschool.org/home

Cobble Hill School of American Studies

http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/15/K519/default.htm

High School for Public Service

http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/17/K546/default.htm

Community Board 8 Brooklyn

http://www.brooklyncb8.org/

U.S. Census, Decennial Census

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en