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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Alejandra Ng, Assistant Director of Community Tennis Programs at New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL)
3:37:23
ยท
140 sec
Alejandra Ng, Assistant Director of Community Tennis Programs at NYJTL, testifies before the Parks Committee seeking a $1 million increase in funding under the council's physical education and fitness initiative. She emphasizes the organization's impact on introducing tennis to children across New York City and the need for increased funding to maintain program quality.
- NYJTL serves over 10,000 kids annually across 25 parks in all five boroughs
- Over 75% of participants identify as black, African American, Latino, and/or Asian, with 80% from low-income families
- The organization employs over 100 coaches yearly, with 50% being high school or college students
Alejandra Ng
3:37:23
Hey.
3:37:24
I hope you can hear me.
3:37:26
Thank you, chair Krishna and members of the Parks Committee.
3:37:29
My name is Alejandra Ng, and I am the assistant director of NYJTL's community tennis programs.
3:37:36
I'm speaking because we are seeking a million dollars under the council's physical education and fitness initiative, which should be our first increase in over sixteen years.
3:37:45
During the past sixteen years, everything has gone up, labor permits, minimum wage, and we are struggling to maintain the quality of programming that we are used to, at our current level of funding.
3:37:59
So, please, increased funding to NYJTL's community programs is vitally needed.
3:38:04
It is our belief that talent is universal, but access and opportunity are not, and that is why we have strived for over fifty years to introduce the sport of tennis to all children.
3:38:13
And with the council as our partner, NYJTL has become the largest tennis and education organization in the country.
3:38:21
I'm gonna kind of just take a little tangent.
3:38:23
I'm a product of this organization.
3:38:25
I grew up, you know, doing programming in New York City parks, in playgrounds.
3:38:32
And I wouldn't be where I am without this organization.
3:38:35
I wouldn't be able to help the over 10,000 kids that we help we bring tennis to annually every year.
3:38:42
We're in over, I think, 25 parks across the city.
3:38:46
You know?
3:38:47
All five boroughs, you know, including Staten Island, we've just forgotten a lot.
3:38:51
The majority of our participants, I think over 70% are ages 10 and under, and that's, you know, that's we need to be able to combat, you know, the obesity crisis, get these kids young, get them active while we still can.
3:39:06
Over seventy five percent of the youth that we serve identify as black, African American, Latino, and or Asian.
3:39:12
Over 80% of our families reported being low income based on New York City's area median income.
3:39:20
And let's not just think about the younger ones that we serve, but also our older kids.
3:39:25
We sorry.
3:39:27
We employ over a hundred coaches every year.
3:39:31
50% of these coaches are in high school or college.
3:39:33
For a lot of them, we are their first job.
3:39:37
And we would just wanna be able to continue providing programming, the way we are.
3:39:42
Thank you.