Brooklyn students tackle social ills, one bench at a time

Brooklyn students, fifth-to ninth-grade students from eight public schools, have hand-painted eight benches since last January. Each school has been assigned a different focus to address and call for social change.

These benches were designed with murals that include a call to social action. These murals are created with a social issue in mind. These issues range from gun violence, homelessness, drug addiction, age and gender equality to self love, gratitude, and appreciation.

The colorful benches now line the walkway of Prospect Park Parade Grounds. The purpose is to call for social change, act on it, and transform the negative into something positive.

The project is part of the CEI BENCHMARKS program by the Center for Educational Innovation, a New York City-based nonprofit that promotes reform for public education. Read the Entire Article


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Ganesh Natarajan is the Founder and Chairman of 5FWorld, a new platform for funding and developing start-ups, social enterprises and the skills eco-system in India. In the past two decades, he has built two of India’s high-growth software services companies – Aptech and Zensar – almost from scratch to global success.