UrbanTech's Dignity for All Program

Janina Casey is a New York-based financial professional with over 15 years of experience. She is currently involved in research and equity sales. An active participant in community-based programs, Janina Casey has been supporting fundraisers for Urban Tech, a non-profit organization in which she is a board member. 

Founded in 1995, Urban Tech is a social corporation with a mission of revamping the education scene through several strategies which include digital storytelling, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning. The organization hosts several programs that aim to improve the educational experience, among which is Dignity for All (DFA), a bullying prevention program.

DFA is a part of the Safe and Supportive Schools program aims to build a more compassionate society. The program utilizes storytelling, role-playing, and even popular culture to instigate a collaborative effort towards breaking down the issues that accompany each step of the bullying cycle. DFA helps instill the necessary skills to sustain a safe and supportive culture in schools. 

DFA is divided into three quests:

1. Knowledge acquisition - this is where students are made to understand the foundational elements of bullying, including the roles in the bullying cycle.

2. Attitude shift - during this quest, students are required to critically reflect on their own belief systems and their essential needs.

3. Behavior transformation - after a series of theoretical activities, students complete tasks that entail practical application of what has been learned thus far.

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.

Three Benefits of Traveling

New York finance professional Janina Casey graduated from St. John’s University with a BS in finance. More recently, she has completed programs in management training at, among other institutions, Princeton University and developed a successful career in equity research and sales. Outside of work, Janina Casey enjoys traveling.

Below are a few benefits of traveling:

- Reduce stress and boost mood. Many people experience sleep deprivation in their daily life. When combined with high levels of stress, this makes you more irritable and decreases your cognitive performance. By traveling, you experience a break in your routine and can catch up on your sleep, thus making you feel rejuvenated when you return home.

- Explore new interests. Traveling to new locations gives you a better idea of how others live and what their cultures are like. Through this exposure, you may learn about new interests or ways of living that you can develop upon your return home.

- Expand your comfort zone. Regardless of whether you travel with a group, as a volunteer, or on your own, you are placing yourself in a new location and new situations that can help you expand your comfort zone. As a result, you will experience a boost in confidence and be more willing to accept new challenges.

Urbantech NYC Initiatives

Since 1999, Janina Casey has been working in executive level positions at financial institutions in New York City. Janina Casey supports Urbantech NYC fundraisers and was recently elected to the Board of Directors. 

Urbantech NYC is a company dedicated to fostering an entrepreneurship ecosystem that supports both innovation and entrepreneurs looking to make cities more sustainable and livable. To this end, Urbantech focuses on four main areas: work, build, demonstrate, and connect. 

Urbantech NYC offers more than 10,000 square feet of affordable private and co-working spaces at Urban Future Lab, Hub @ GCT, and Hub @ New Lab, providing areas for innovators to create and connect. The company has also teamed with New Lab and the Regional Economic Development Council to develop a prototyping center and commercialization program so that Urbantech members have the tools they need to build and create. 

Further, the company is also looking for ways to help its members demonstrate their innovations and technologies on New York City infrastructure, to show in a concrete fashion how their work can solve problems. To learn more, visit www.urbantechnyc.com.