On Tuesday, December 1, NYU McSilver Chief Operating Officer Rose Pierre-Louis joined a “Leaders Roundtable” event hosted by the Eleanor’s Legacy Action Fund. New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, CBRE CEO Mary Ann Tighe and Janella Hinds of the United Federation of Teachers also joined the virtual roundtable to discuss how New York’s COVID-19 recovery can center the needs of women, girls and marginalized communities.
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins shared her outlook on how the state can get the funding and resources it needs to help rebuild during the COVID-19 pandemic. She described the prospect as challenging, but added, “We had a president who was targeting New York and now we have a president who actually understand what state and government does.”
Pierre-Louis explained her philosophy for advancing policies and interventions that will address the urgent health, economic and safety needs created by the pandemic: “My mantra has been when women are stable, we know that children and families will be stable.” The focus in New York State must be strengthening the safety net and addressing the future of work in a way that accounts everyone’s needs, she added.
McSilver’s COO also shared what the institute hears from youth participating in our school-based Step-Up program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- They feel isolated.
- They worry about losing a loved ones.
- They have problems accessing technology devices for remote learning.
- They are expressing more thoughts about suicide than in previous years.
Addressing their needs must include having more social workers in schools, said Pierre-Louis.
