As usual thank you to all the parents who helped us!!!  ~Avery Racine

On Wednesday, November 28th, The Jersey City City Council honored volunteers from the Jersey City Sandy Recovery Program who helped the city get back on its feet after super storm Sandy. The council recognized individuals who gave up their time to perform clean-up duties and to donate and distribute food, clothing, water, and other supplies to the people who needed it most. Teen2Teen RISE Envoy, Tommy McManus of Basking Ridge, NJ was among those invited to the Council meeting to be recognized.

“As it is Teen2Teen’s mission to aid teens who are victim of disasters and poverty”, McManus said, “my focus in the Jersey City Sandy Recovery Program was specifically directed towards the teens, handing out goodie bags, and knocking on doors to see how I could help them. There was a great response.”

The JCSR mobilized more than two thousand members who walked the streets, and knocked on the doors of people’s homes, to determine needs and how they could help. Many residents had significant flooding in their homes, the program sent people over to help repair the damage done to many families’ basements and garages. The council showed their appreciation, acknowledging how much volunteers did for the city, and how Jersey City would still be reeling in the aftermath if it weren’t for this program.

Teen2Teen  was started by Avery Racine who came up with the idea while watching news coverage of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He noticed that teens were not cared for, ignored compared to women, elderly, and children. Avery’s mom, Lyvie, would come home from a Haiti relief trip, and talk about all the cute kids, but never the teenagers. I am proud to be a part of an organization that is about teenagers helping other teenagers that often seemed to be ignored.  So, to help the teen victims of Sandy who were worse off than I, I led Teen2Teen volunteers in Jersey City on Saturday walking around the town encouraging teenagers without power, and giving them goodie bags filled with candy, chips, applesauce and water. You should have seen the smiles! Sometimes just knowing that there are people who care about you can make a huge difference. I am looking forward to taking trips to Haiti and Honduras to help the teens effected by disaster there, but for now, there is a real need right here at home and even day trips to help New Jersey teens that need it, can make a difference one step at a time. We will keep you posted on our efforts.

- Tommy Mc Manus, T2T RISE Envoy

How did you come up with the idea for Teen2Teen Rise?
I came up with Teen2Teen while watching news coverage of disasters such as those in Haiti, Chile etc. I noticed a pattern of care and concern directed primarily at women and children. I understand and agree that they are the most vulnerable. However, the disconcerting part was that teens, which can also be a vulnerable group, were never mentioned. It was as if we did not exist. When my mother started her foundation and started going to Haiti we saw the same thing. She would come back full of tales of the “cute kids” but never mentioned the teens. When I asked her about the discrepancy she admitted that it was really not something that she thought of. So I decided that as a teen I needed to take action.

Have you been to Haiti?
Although my family is Haitian, I have yet to go to Haiti. My first trip is planned for June of this year. My goal for that trip is to hold a one week sports and peer counseling camp at Ile-a-Vache.

Do you have any plans and dreams for Haiti in the future?
My goal is that Haiti is fully rebuilt after the damage done by the earthquake, and that its economy becomes strong and self-sufficient. I would like to see teens finish school, go to university and be able to find jobs and stay on the island as adults and make it stronger.

Do you think that some kids your age take some things for granted?
Yes I feel that most kids my age do take many things for granted, including myself. Living in the United States, many are sheltered from the difficult things that happen around the world in places not as fortunate.

What has Teen 2 Teen Rise accomplished so far?
Teen2 teen got off to a great start. We launched the organization at a fundraiser for Phoenix Rising for Haiti and as our first project, we went to a half-way home in Phoenix AZ called Family Promise and had a fun day themed Make your Own Masterpiece. The event was the brain child of one of our youngest Regional Envoys, Cedric. Next, we went to an orphanage in Mexico and did electronics drive for the teens. It was fantastic. We had plenty of other fantastic people from our church bring clothing. But the teens were so happy to get true teens stuff such as MP3, video games etc. One of our Regional Envoys Danni Pietz is working diligently to set up a peer group in CA. The goal is to be a positive influence to teens in high risk areas. We are working on a partnership with another group in order to cover a wider area. We are also raising money for scholarships to sponsor students at some of the schools in Haiti and have many other short term and long term plans to really make a difference in the lives of teens affected by disaster and poverty.

Article written by Kathleen Cherie.

Original article available at Kreyolicious.

Youth Arm of Phoenix Rising for Haiti

Phoenix – Today, Phoenix teenager, Avery K. Racine announced the launch of Teen 2 Teen RISE, the youth arm of Phoenix Rising for Haiti, and recognized the appointment of its inaugural board of regional envoys.

“I noticed that after tragedies, women and small children seem to receive most of the attention in relief efforts.  I wondered if and how teens like me were being helped during these difficult situations.  As a teen myself, I really wanted to make sure that the teens were not the forgotten victims,” said T2T President and Founder, Avery Racine a sophomore at Phoenix Country Day School.

To that end, Racine, whose family hails from Haiti, founded Teen 2 Teen RISE(T2T). T2T is an international teen-led community outreach program serving teens in need around the world.  T2T will utilize sports camps, peer counseling, mentoring and tutoring to engage teens living in turmoil in impoverished countries beginning with Mexico, Haiti, the Philippines and India. The team of regional envoys will also work to raise scholarship funds, provide CPR and first aid training, and distribute used electronics and sports equipment to the teens they serve. 

The plans have been well received in Haiti and Mexico, where the organization has already begun to have an impact. “I’m ashamed to say that before learning of T2T, teens never entered my mind,” said Secretary of YMCA Haiti, GwénaëlApollon. “Although when you think about it, if we lose them, we lose the war.  What an incredible opportunity to be able to make a difference with this important demographic.  Please count me in!”

Each envoy will be responsible for spearheading efforts in a particular country and will be supported by the other envoys. The team, ages 13-21, is comprised of high-achieving students who care deeply about helping others. They come from four different states and have diverse backgrounds in terms of both nationality and interests, which include sports, philanthropy, business, technology and health.

Racine announced the following inaugural regional envoys:

Lukas Slipski Cedric Vicera

Sofia Angeles Isabel Angeles

Danni Pietz Jordan McDonald

Alexander Angeles Jordan Bivens-Ammons

About PRH
Phoenix Rising for Haiti is a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team that provides complete care in one of the poorest regions of Haiti. The organization restores functional mobility by providing comprehensive evaluation and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including prosthetics, orthotics, physical therapy, casting and wound care. PRH aims to create a network of sustainable rehabilitation clinics throughout rural Haiti run by local PRH trained Haitians. For more information about PRH visit  www.phoenixrisingforhaiti.org.