COMMUNITY NEWS 2017: ISSUE 2
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
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SERVICE WITH A SMILE
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IN THIS TOGETHER
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CELEBRATE SUMMER
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ALL IN FOR ADULT LITERACY
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CATCH!
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IT TAKES A VILLAGE
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THUMBS UP FOR THE CITY
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Y CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS PREPARE TEENS FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES
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s the Y’s national Youth and Government program motto states, “Democracy must be learned by each generation.” The YMCA of Greater New York takes this motto to heart, reaching teens throughout the city with civic engagement programs such as Youth and Government and Teens Take the City. Each of these programs prepares teens to tackle a range of community concerns. The YMCA Youth and Government Program, which started in 1936 and now reaches more than 46,000 youth in 38 states, empowers teens with tools of legislative drafting, policy debate, and parliamentary procedure. Each year NYC
teens join peers from across the state to take over the state legislative chambers in Albany, and a select group of teens attends the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs in North Carolina. Teens Take the City enables participants to learn about city government and debate policies in Brooklyn Borough Hall and the City Council Chambers. In partnership with City Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito (below right), Council Member Helen Rosenthal (right), and the New York City Council, and with support from Capital One, Con Edison, and the Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, the Y offers Teens Take the City at 27 afterschool sites, serving approximately 400 teens per year. •
Y civic engagement participants travel to Washington D.C. to advocate for youth programs. (l to r) Christopher Williams Claxton, Congress Member Yvette Clarke, Olayinka Daramola, Pacielly Morelo, Claudia Figueroa, and Joshen Ayukawa. 1
Council Members Brad Lander (above), I. Daneek Miller (above right with YMCA Chief Operating Officer Natalie Norton and teens), and Ritchie Torres (right) share their love of public service with Teens Take the City participants. (right) Y teens join Council Member Paul Vallone at a PTA meeting to advocate for improved safety near their Beacon program at JHS 194 in Queens.
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2017: ISSUE 2
SERVICE WITH A SMILE Y TEENS ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE THROUGHOUT NYC
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he YMCA of Greater New York has adopted a service learning model that links school-day learning with meaningful community service. Teens in Y programs across the city, such as Leaders Club, Teens Take the City, and Rowe Scholars, all complete a minimum of 50 hours of community service each year. The Y also has specialized programs with volunteerism components. Our Global Teens program is a competitive program that sends groups of teens on domestic and international trips to engage in service learning activities focused on issues such as food injustice, environmental awareness, and human rights. Our ECHOES (Every Child Has an Opportunity to Excel and Succeed) program uses service as an integral part of connecting youth referred by the Department of Probation to their communities. •
(top) Teens from the Flushing Y help out at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. (bottom) Global Teens participants serve fruit to runners at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Run for the Wild event.
(above) Teens from the Jamaica Y Roads Center join other community members to beautify Rufus King Park in Jamaica, Queens. (left) ECHOES participants remove invasive species in Cunningham Park in Queens; teens pick up seed bombs while volunteering at the Student Conservation Association’s Earth Day service event at Riverbank State Park in Manhattan.
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IN THIS TOGETHER
SERVICE TO COMMUNITY HONORED AT DODGE DINNER
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he YMCA of Greater New York celebrated the 43rd Annual Dodge Award Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, generating $1.6 million in support of Y programs such as the Y’s New Americans Initiative. Created in memory of the Dodge family of New York City, the Dodge Award is the Y’s most prestigious honor, presented to an outstanding individual who epitomizes the Dodge family’s 164-year-old tradition of service to
fellow New Yorkers. This year the Y broke tradition and honored two stellar community leaders: Ed Skyler, Executive Vice President for Global Public Affairs at Citi, and Ursula Burns, retired CEO of Xerox and the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. The event also honored two Y teens who have exhibited strong leadership qualities: Ahmed Abdalla and Christopher Williams Claxton
(pictured below with Board Chair Chris Blunt). Both teens received the 2017 von der Heyden Scholarship, which will provide $20,000 of college support over four years. Guests were treated to touching musical tributes performed by Hamilton’s Christopher Jackson (below). • (l to r) YMCA Board Chair Chris Blunt, honorees Ursula Burns and Ed Skyler, and YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger
CELEBRATE SUMMER MACY’S HELPS SEND KIDS TO CAMP AT THE Y
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acy’s teamed up with YMCAs across the nation to raise nearly $1 million in Y summer camp scholarships. Offering a discounted Fashion Pass, Macy’s encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to chip in $3 each to make disadvantaged
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young people’s camp dreams come true. Funds raised at local Macy’s locations benefitted local Ys and communities, generating $35,000 for campers across New York City. These funds will provide scholarships to day and
overnight camps, enabling children who may not otherwise have been able to attend to develop confidence and independence while keeping their minds and bodies active during the summer. •
2017: ISSUE 2
ALL IN FOR ADULT LITERACY THE Y AND PARTNERS ADVOCATE FOR CONTINUED FUNDING
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tudents from the Y’s New Americans Initiative came from across the city to join council members, advocates, and fellow newcomers at rallies in support of adult literacy programs. Adult literacy funding from the New York City Council provides an essential lifeline to residents seeking to better themselves through high school equivalency and English language classes. As Council Member Mark Treyger (below right) said, “literacy equals empowerment.” • Council Members Carlos Menchaca (above left) and Rafael Espinal (below left) speak passionately about the need to protect adult literacy programs for New Yorkers.
CATCH!
THE Y INCREASES REACH OF EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH PROGRAM FOR KIDS
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upport from the New York State Legislature enabled YMCAs across the state to increase the use of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in their after school programs. In New York City, that support enabled the Y to expand the implementation of CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health), an evidence-based program featuring nutrition, fitness, and family engagement supports. CATCH has been proven to improve students’ self-reported eating and physical activity behaviors. The Y had piloted the program at six sites and was pleased with early results. This year the Y expanded to ten new after school sites,
reaching more than 1,300 additional youth living in all five boroughs. As the Legislature continues to provide funding for HEPA initiatives in 2018, the Y hopes to enable more children throughout the city to take part in the CATCH program. •
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IT TAKES THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WORKS LIKE A DREAM The Jamaica Y Roads Center, which provides counseling, job training, and academic support to out of school and out of work youth, partners with Starbucks to prepare young people for the working world through hands-on learning at their training center in Queens.
HEAD OF THE CLASS Council Member Donovan Richards spent some quality learning time with Y After School participants at PS 197 in Far Rockaway.
SHARED GOALS Assembly Member Félix Ortiz met with the Y’s Vice President for Public Affairs, Sharon Levy, to discuss creating opportunities for youth in Brooklyn.
TO YOUR HEALTH As part of Healthy Kids Day, the Ridgewood Y hosted a Junior Knicks Basketball Clinic for 40 boys and girls ages 5 to 11. The clinic was led by NBA alum and NY Knicks legend John Wallace, who is a former Y kid himself. Other event supporters included the NYPD 104th Precinct, Jr. Knicks- Jr. NBA, BlueCross BlueShield, NYC HPD, SNAP, NY Life, Wyckoff Medical Center, Office of Child Support Enforcement Services, READY NYC, Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corp., GROW NYC, and the FDNY.
PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE Assembly Member Ron Kim (center) met with the Y’s New Americans Initiative Director Rachael Rinaldo and other advocates to discuss supports for newcomers. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS At the Bronx Y, Council Member Annabel Palma (above right) joined a Know Your Rights workshop for new Americans, while the Chinatown Y hosted a family resource fair offering free immigration information from partners such as Manhattan Legal Services. 6
GOING FOR GOLD The Bedford Stuyvesant Y Piranhas swim team got a special treat when Olympic medalist Maritza McClendon stopped in as a guest coach.
2017: ISSUE 2
A VILLAGE
PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES
WOMEN’S WORDS Y President and CEO Sharon Greenberger (far right) joined the many powerful women at City and State’s State of NY Women event, where she spoke on women’s role in healthcare. THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT With support from Capital One, 20 middle school students from the Chinatown Y attended a 10-week C1 Coders program and developed their own apps. At the end of the program students were rewarded with their own tablets and laptops!
CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN Council Members Mathieu Eugene and Barry Grodenchik joined Y youth and staff and the Campaign for Children in calling for more after school funding in New York City.
HELPING HANDS The Flatbush Y hosted an event to raise funds for summer camp costs for families in need and to honor those who epitomize the Y’s values of caring, respect, honesty and responsibility. This year’s community award recipient was Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, pictured at the far right with (l to r) Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, Flatbush Y staff member Princess Bey, Flatbush Y Executive Director Meishay Gattis, teen honoree Flora Akosah, Young at Heart recipient Eunice Nicholson, and honoree Bonnie Husbands. HOOPS HOPES JC Penny teamed up with former NBA champ Kenny Smith, and NBA draft prospects Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, to help Y teens suit up for success.
FLUSHING FACELIFT State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Assembly Member Ron Kim announced the allocation of $230,000 to renovate the Flushing Y’s lobby. Sharing his personal memories, Assembly Member Kim enthused, “As it did for me in the past, the YMCA continues to have a vital role in fostering youth development and bringing the residents of our neighborhoods together.” OUR ROOTS In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, more than two dozen newcomers served by the Y’s New Americans Initiative shared their personal stories at the West Side Y. 7
YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
THUMBS UP FOR THE CITY THE Y THANKS CITY LEADERS AND AGENCIES FOR THEIR SUPPORT
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he Y is thrilled that Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and the City Council demonstrated their continued commitment to the city’s most vulnerable families by funding a wide range of programs. Council members supported citywide initiatives such as Teens Take the City, Second Grade Swim and Y After School, as well as branch-based programs such as Counselors-in-Training, senior fitness, adolescent counseling, summer camp, and teen journalism. The Y also appreciates the continued trust placed in its work by city agencies such as the Department of Youth and Community Development, Department of Education, Department of Probation, and Human Resources Administration to provide programs such as COMPASS, SONYC, Beacon, Pre-K for All, and Adult Literacy and Immigrant Opportunity Initiatives. •