Urban Tech Works for Students

With over a decade of experience as an executive and sales leader, Janina Casey has worked for notable New York City financial companies. Janina Casey enjoys giving back to the community by supporting nonprofit organizations such as Urban Tech.

Founded in 1995, Urban Tech, or the National Urban Technology Center, works to advance the educational system and change students' lives by promoting social-emotional learning and critical thinking. Since its establishment, Urban Tech has been creating opportunities and bridging the digital divide for disadvantaged communities. SeedTech, for example, is a program that helps underrepresented populations develop leadership and technology skills.

In 2020, Urban Tech announced the launch of a new program called Parents Care. Urban Tech aims to implement the program across New York City in early 2021. Five Brooklyn-based schools were selected for the launch. The Parents Care Program will work to provide a smart classroom in every student's home as long as schools are closed. 

Urban Tech’s YLA Interface and How It Works

An experienced finance professional working in sales and equity research, Janina Casey earned her finance bachelor’s degree from St. Johns University, which recommended her for a Citibank summer management training program. Janina Casey is a supporter of Urban Tech, a nonprofit organization where she has recently been named a board member.

Also known as the National Urban Technology Center, Urban Tech is committed to change education and create solutions for students through critical thinking, digital storytelling, and social-emotional learning. Urban Tech engages students by utilizing popular music, relatable language, gamification, and animation, and this is achieved through applications such as the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA).

YLA is a software that provides teachers with an online multimedia program that develops essential life and social skills with the help of twelve online courses. The software interface counts with activities such as On The Reel, a set of animated short stories with thought-provoking questions related to issues that adolescents face on a day-to-day basis.

The Write To The Point activity allows participants to express their perspective in an e-journal, which strengthens their reasoning and language skills while promoting critical thinking. For assessing and evaluating the students learning, the software uses a TV-style quiz game called Final Answer - it measures retention but is not a traditional test.

Urban Tech Offers Online Exercises to Promote Social Growth

A former child actor, Janina Casey graduated with a degree in finance from St. Johns University. In her charitable work, Janina Casey serves on the board of directors for Urban Tech, an agency that promotes emotional and social growth for children of low-income families.

A major part of Urban Tech’s mission is its Youth Leadership Academy. The YLA offers 12 online courses that develop social skills for children ages 8 and up. Programming includes bullying, conflict resolution, and financial education. Teens learn about relationships and avoiding STDs and drugs.

All sessions begin with narratives that explore values and problem-solving. Team leaders then replay animations that help participants identify problems and draw conclusions in group discussions. 

Next, students write their thoughts in an electronic journal, stimulating critical thinking and language skills. Then they take part in role-playing and games in order to reinforce their lessons and work as a team.

Finally, they participate in quiz-show style programs that provide enjoyment while measuring their progress. The application also defines unfamiliar words and links students to relevant web material.

Urban Tech Bullying Prevention Program

New York City-based managing director Janina Casey has extensive experience working in research and equity sales at some of the world’s largest financial institutions. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Janina Casey is a long time advocate for social programs for at-risk youth and serves on the board for Urban Tech, a nonprofit curriculum developer.

Urban Tech's Dignity for All (DFA )program is a comprehensive bullying prevention curriculum designed to increase empathy, respect, and other soft skills among adolescents. The program incorporates Common Core standards of grade-relevant English language arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lessons.

DFA uses a holistic model that supports the development of safe and accepting school environments. Evidence has shown that students are less likely to experience bullying in schools staffed with supportive adults. 

The DFA curriculum is divided into three learning stages and combines readings, digital tools, and interactive activities to inspire discussion around important topics such as the dangers and signs of bullying and the concepts of mindfulness and restorative justice.

The Financial Education Network from Urban Tech

New York-based financial executive Janina Casey supports a wide range of community efforts. Besides mentoring and sponsoring two underprivileged high school students through private school, Janina Casey serves on the board of the National Urban Technology Center (Urban Tech).

A social enterprise, Urban Tech uses social emotional learning and critical thinking to alter the educational landscape. The organization uses interactive curriculum that includes programs such as the Financial Education Network (FEN).

Formed through collaboration between Urban Tech and Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking, FEN is an online learning destination being tested through partnerships in Miami, Seattle, Atlanta, and Dallas. The program is available through colleges, organizations, and schools dedicated to building a community around financial education. Once tested in these areas, FEN will expand across the nation.

FEN offers a variety of online modules for students, including money management, buying a home, and banking services. Through each module, individuals learn about everything from the basics of savings and checking accounts to the step-by-step process of purchasing a home as a young adult. They also have the opportunity to learn about dealing with debt problems, creating a spending plan, and reading a credit report.

Dignity for All - Urban Tech’s Tool to Combat Bullying

Janina Casey is a financial executive based in New York. Outside of work, Janina Casey serves on the board of Urban Tech, an organization that provides students and schools with computers. In addition to its primary mission, Urban Tech has developed various programs for schools, including Dignity for All, which aims to combat and prevent bullying.

Dignity for All provides both offline workbooks and interactive digital components to teach children empathy and mindfulness. Materials were designed to inspire reflection and discussion about compassion. The program includes three distinct quests for students, based on acquiring understanding, altering attitudes, and reforming behaviors. 

National surveys have shown that 70 percent of secondary students have experienced bullying, including cyberbullying. This staggering figure makes it extremely important to bring programming to schools to stop this behavior. Dignity for All inspires students to become more reflective and compassionate in their relationships with other students as a means of stopping this problem at its root.

Urban Tech’s Dignity for All Program Addresses Bullying

New York-based financial executive Janina Casey possesses more than a decade of experience in research and equity sales. A dedicated philanthropist, Janina Casey mentored and sponsored two underprivileged high school students and was recently added to the board of the National Urban Technology Center (Urban Tech).

As part of its effort to help students realize their value to society, Urban Tech maintains Dignity For All (DFA), a bullying prevention and supportive schools program. Through the use of role-playing, storytelling, and popular culture, this program inspires critical reflection and discussion among students to create a more compassionate society.

DFA consists of three quests: Attitude Shift: How Reflection and Empathy Can Change Your Life, Knowledge Acquisition: Understanding Bullying, and Behavior Transformation: Creating Reflective and Restorative Communities. These three quests help students break down the issues surrounding bullying. Each quest also teaches skills that promote a supportive and safe culture in students’ schools through a combination of interactive tools and workbooks.

In addition to these three quests, DFA hosts regular panel discussions for students. During these panels, students are free to talk with their teachers, classmates, and facilitators about bullying problems. Students are encouraged to share their own experiences with bullying and talk about possible solutions to bullying problems. Meanwhile, panel facilitators use guided questioning to help students recognize the relationship between their decisions and views, and learn to modify their behavior.

Urban Tech GHGS Module Components

An equity research sales professional in New York City, Janina Casey stands out as an active philanthropist who has has mentored and sponsored two high school students through four years of private school. Janina Casey also supports fundraisers for Urban Tech and was recently added to the organization’s board.

Urban Tech, also known as the National Urban Technology Center, prepares students for the 21st century by improving education through unique learning strategies. The organization accomplishes this through numerous programs, such as Get Healthy, Get Smart! (GHGS), a holistic wellness program that increases awareness of childhood obesity in middle schools and high schools in New York City. The program operates under the rubric of Urban Tech’s Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) and consists of lessons related to self discovery, conflict resolution, and personal relationships.

Each module within GHGS consists of several activities. Most students first watch an animated short film about the theme. These videos feature characters that students can relate to and provide questions about personal growth and problem-solving. Once students have watched the video, they can review specific parts that have been chosen by YLA Team Leaders as a lesson focus. These portions highlight specific issues and help students learn strategies for effective communication. 

GHGS also features a writing, game, and quiz component. The writing activity serves as a journal that allows students to express their views and reinforce the lessons. The game activity uses role playing and puzzle games to encourage group work, and the quiz component measures how well students retain the information they learn over the course of the module.