As the Prospect Park Youth Advocates stare longingly at the changing leaves outside their classroom windows, daydreaming of a car-free Prospect Park, we begin to reflect on a summer of success.

This summer, four high school students hijacked and revolutionized Transportation Alternatives' historic campaign for a Car-Free Prospect Park.

This summer, three park-side members of the New York City Council rallied for a car-free Prospect Park, and wrote the Mayor in support of a green, safe, healthy, car-free place for young Brooklynites to play.

This summer, Mayor Bloomberg, for the first time in his near eight years in office, said that the City should look into making Prospect Park car-free. "It would be great if we could keep cars out of all parks," he said.

This summer, masses of Brooklyn high school students marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to deliver letters from 10,000 New Yorkers to Mayor Bloomberg's City Hall doorstep, asking for a car-free Prospect Park.

Perhaps most importantly, this summer, four young people from Brooklyn who wanted to learn how to make their neighborhoods a better place, were transformed into dedicated and experienced community organizers and advocates, with a penchant for orchestrating press events and communicating with the public. Of all the great successes of the Prospect Park Youth Advocates, the greatest source of pride should be that four young Brooklynites set out to change New York City, and then they did.

Following Brooklyn Brings It to Bloomberg: Youth Rally for a Car-Free Prospect Park, Youth Advocate Oswald Bowman wrote, "Although the rally was a big part of the campaign, it's not the finale. There is still a ton of work to be done, and although my contract is over, I will always be a Prospect Park Youth Advocate and I will continue fighting for a car free park until we win. So keep supporting our cause until the mayor listens to our rallying cry."

As the YouthForCarFreeParks Blog signs off, we look forward to a future for the young people of New York City where places to hang out and play are safe, healthy and green; we continue to hope, and call upon our elected officials to ask, for parks that are car-free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Write to us to find out how you can continue to join us in the fight for a Prospect Park that is safe, healthy, green and car-free.