The five YouthBridge-NY Fellows participating in the Engaging Workplace Diversity (EWD) Committee recently completed their summer internship program.  The goal of the EWD internship program, which is sponsored by the Allianz Foundation for North America, was to emphasize the importance of diversity in the workplace and to expose Fellows to careers of their interests.  In addition to their six-week paid internships, Fellows met with key business leaders once a week to further discuss how diversity can be used as an asset and worked in two groups to create their own cultural competent businesses.

The internship placements varied depending upon the interests of the Fellows:

Jacki Bryk, a recent graduate of the YouthBridge-NY Fellowship and Ramaz High School, and rising freshman at Columbia University, interned with Fox News.  Jacki was assigned this placement given her interest in the media.

Sam Gersten, a rising senior at Ramaz High School, interned at the Office of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.  While at the Member Services Division, he was able to get an introduction into the world of local politics and assist in a variety of events sponsored by City Council.

Renee Kim, a rising senior at Saint Francis Preparatory High School, interned at Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP.  This opportunity allowed for Renee to work in the Legal Recruitment Department, and helped her decide that law is something she wants to pursue in the future. 

Hui Lin, a recent graduate of the YouthBridge-NY Fellowship and High School of Environmental Studies, and a rising freshman at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, interned at Health Plus.  While working in the Member Services Department, Hui was able to better understand the issues and concerns of the diverse community being served by Health Plus. 

Merlin Valdez, a rising senior at Washington Irving High School, interned at Sovereign Bank in the Community Reinvestment Department.  This experience introduced Merlin to the strategies banks use to improve low-income communities. 

Members of the non-profit and business communities served as vital guides to the Fellows both prior to their internships and throughout their placements.  They met with professionals over an eight month period, hearing an array of issuing relating to diversity in the workplace and business development.  Speakers included Rabbi Bob Kaplan (CAUSE-NY/JCRC-NY); YouthBridge-NY Board Members Marsha Haygood (Stepwise Associates), Grace Lyu-Volckhausen (Tiger Baron Foundation), and Ivy Cohen (Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications, Inc.); Antoinette Hamilton (L’Oreal USA); Lauren Tapper (Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP); Young Lee (Coney Island Hospital); and other top leaders from around the City. 

In addition to the internship program, Fellows focused on their entrepreneurship projects.  The assignment called for Fellows to create their own business plans for culturally competent companies, which they were to then present upon completion of the program.  Renee, Sam, and Hui created Envision (see business plan and powerpoint presentation), a recycling company directed toward large businesses, and Merlin and Jacki worked together on RecLess (see business plan and powerpoint presentation), an online program for digitally converting and editing home videos. 

The program was celebrated at the Engaging Workplace Diversity Closing Luncheon on Friday, August 14, 2009 at Weil Gotshal, and Manges LLP.  Fellows presented their companies, discussed their internship experiences, and celebrated their accomplishments with their advisors and YouthBridge-NY Board Members.

YouthBridge-NY would like to give special thanks to the wonderful supervisors who made this summer so enjoyable for the EWD Fellows:

Krista Gambacorta, Fox News

Howard Pollack, New York City Council

Lauren Tapper, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Michelle Bethea, Health Plus

Nia Rock, Sovereign Bank

End-of-the-Year Banquet
June 15, 2009
YouthBridge-NY held their first annual End-of-the-Year Banquet this year at CUNY Graduate Center. Board members, staff, past speakers, partners, supporters, family, and friends were invited to celebrate the accomplishments of this year's Fellows. Each committee shared their happenings and activities of the year. Diversity Lens premiered their photography exhibit, A Unique Lens, which will be on display at other locations throughout New York City this summer. Shared Resources for a Shared Future announced the recipients of their grant. Social Marketing & Media shared their anti-hate speech public service announcement and photo campaign, which can be found on their Facebook group: Hate Hurts-NY. And lastly, Engaging Workplace Diversity announced that they are gearing up to start their internships this summer. Special honors were given to Merlin Valdez, Timmy Li, and Gario Graham for their exceptional attendance; Laura Halperin received a certificate for "Going Above and Beyond" in the name of YouthBridge-NY; and Kevin Lin received a certificate for serving as YouthBridge Intern. We are going to miss our Fellows who are graduating and going off to college, but excited to start another great year!

YouthBridge-NY Fellowship Recruitment
Spring 2009
We received an overwhelming number of applications for the 2009-2010 YouthBridge-NY Fellowship. We are currently undergoing interviews and look forward to welcoming in a new batch of amazing Fellows!

Habitat for Humanity Build
March 8, 2009
Fellows volunteered with Habitat for Humanity-New York City at a new apartment building in Brooklyn. They had the opportunity to learn how to install wood flooring and interact with other volunteers from around the city, as well as those who plan on living in the apartment building once it is completed.

2009 YouthBridge-NY Reception
February 26, 2009
Over 130 people attended the 2009 YouthBridge-NY Reception at Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP. This year we honored fellow board members Martin Bienenstock (Dewey & LeBoeuf) and Grace Lyu-Volckhausen (Tiger Baron Foundation), along with Thomas Early (Health Plus) for their dedication to the mission of YouthBridge-NY. In addition, Speaker Sheldon Silver (New York State Assembly) was the proud recipient of our Leaders to Leaders Award. The reception was a great success as we surpassed our fundraising goal to ultimately bring in over $90,000 to benefit YouthBridge-NY.
The Shared Resources for a Shared Future committee held a special silent auction at the reception, with prized goods such as signed athletic memorabilia and an exquisite gift basket from L'Oreal. The committee is currently working on their own request for proposal and will be accepting grant applications from New York City organizations working on the issues of health, diversity, and/or health.