Now everyone can dish

If you like to hype - or gripe about your, building, neighborhood or borough, here’s your chance.
The Citizens Committee for New York City is distributing its annual “Speak Out New York!” survey and they’re “asking Queens residents to dish about what life is like in their neighborhoods,” according to the group.
The survey polls residents throughout the five boroughs about neighborhood resources, community spirit and overall quality of life. It also polls what New Yorkers are willing to do to help improve their neighborhood.
“New York City’s most valuable resource isn’t its collection of skyscrapers, snazzy restaurants, or fine arts museums,” said Peter Kostmayer, president of the group, founded in 1975 to promote self-help and civic action.
It’s “The people who live here who make the city vibrant and unique,” Kostmayer insists. “The survey lets us know what people think about where they live and how they are working to make their neighborhood better.”
Kibitzers have been taking the survey in person on Saturdays since September 6, at tabling events across the city. Committee staff and volunteers will continue to host the survey locations until September 20.
The survey continues until Monday, October 13 and residents can take it online, in English or Spanish, at their web site: www.citizensnyc.org.
As they want to promote civic groups (and, being New Yorkers themselves, knowing what makes things happen), the committee is offering small awards to neighborhood groups that volunteer to conduct the survey.
Groups that submit 100 completed surveys will each receive an award of $100.
The group with the highest number of completed surveys will receive $500.
“Neighborhood groups have found the survey to be an excellent tool not only for finding out what their neighbors are interested in but also for recruiting new members for their block association, tenants association or neighborhood groups,” Kostmayer said.
Resident-led groups that are interested in collecting surveys in their neighborhood can call Citizens Committee at 212-989-0909 to request copies of the survey in English, Spanish or Chinese.
Twice a year, the group makes “New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods” grants to grassroots volunteer community groups “in economically under-resourced neighborhoods,” to work on “creative community improvement projects that bring neighbors together.”
Another semi-annual grant is their “Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your School Awards” which support student led projects that beautify schools or neighborhoods immediately surrounding schools.
These programs make grants ranging from $500 to $3,000; their current application deadline is Tuesday, September 30.
Once a year, Citizens Committee holds their “Mollie Parnis Dress Dress Up Your Neighborhood Contest.”
They judge proposals for “beautification projects that bring neighbors together,” from grassroots community groups in economically under-resourced neighborhoods.
The committee selects 12 such groups for $1,000 awards. The winning group gets an additional $3,000 to use toward another community-building project. Their next application deadline for this contest will be sometime next March.
For more information about the survey, the Citizens Committee or its grant programs, call 212-989-0909, or visit www.citizensnyc.org.