'Use Your Differences to Make a Difference,'
Student Leaders Learn
June 8, 2007 – "It is because of your differences that you will be able to make a difference," Edward Bullock, vice president of diversity at L'Oreal USA told 259 students, 35 Bridge Fellows, and 60 educators and youth professionals gathered for the Fifth Annual YouthBridge-NY Summit today.
His words were echoed by one speaker after another, as well as by workshop facilitators, youth professionals and teachers, as participants convened on the shores of the Hudson River at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust for the annual flagship event of YouthBridge-NY, a teen diversity training program based in New York City .
Emcee Monica Morales, a reporter for the local affiliate of NBC-4, told the attendees at a breakfast fundraiser that she is a Catholic of Bolivian and Norwegian descent. "I have known what diversity feels like from the time I was a child," Morales said, noting that not all experiences focusing on her diversity have been joyous ones. She imparted words of advice to the students. "My mother told us that life was given to us to feed our soul. Pick a career that nurtures your soul."
All of the programming, including workshop themes, keynote speakers, breakfast and lunch menus and giveaways, were organized and orchestrated by the Bridge Fellows, the students who form the heart of YouthBridge-NY. Not a single staff member of YouthBridge spoke at the Summit or was listed on the program. "That's the whole purpose of YouthBridge-NY – to really empower our students so they can empower other peer leaders," said Elana Bekerman, director of YouthBridge-NY. "Once they learn how to find their own voice and their own leadership skills, they can help train others. That's a powerful ripple effect."
Honoree Maura Bluestone, president and chief executive officer of Affinity Health Plan, related a childhood experience at a YWCA camp where she was singled out for being Jewish but made the best of it by finding other campers – several blacks, Catholics, and a Christian Scientist – who had also been isolated from, and teased by, their Christian peers.
"That was my first personal experience with overt discrimination, and my first experience with diversity," Bluestone said. But the experience catapulted her to lead a company of 700 employees of roughly 40 ethnicities serving 200,000 people. "Today I feel there is such joy in variety, and yet there is so much more to do. YouthBridge-NY puts folks together who have much more in common than they have in differences."
She encouraged YouthBridge-NY's Fellows, who are chosen to participate in the program for a year of learning and service, to "socialize with your flock. Be ambassadors – go out there and celebrate diversity."
The Summit included 21 workshops and discussions including "Making the News," "Event Planning" and "How to Be a Change Setter." Additional honorees included Amita Mehta, vice president and diversity manager of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Sabia Schwarzer, vice president of communications for Allianz Group; and Seth Wittman, a YouthBridge-NY alumnus who is in the Class of 2009 at the University of Michigan.
Mehta discussed her background as a youngster born in Africa who immigrated to Lancaster County , Penn. , home to the Amish people. "I fought hard to get where I am today," she said. "Being open to new challenges has served me well." And Schwarzer, who spent her childhood as a Christian living in Pakistan , noted, "All of us who go through life with our eyes open have something to give to this world. Look around and see the power that diversity gives to you."
The event, at which students conducted a lunch hour "poetry slam" under the supervision of Jamele Adams, assistant dean of student life in support of diversity at Brandeis University, raised
$76,855, including $25,000 from the event sponsorship by Affinity Health Plan.
YouthBridge-NY operates under the leadership of Rabbi Bob Kaplan, Lara Mayouhas and Elana Bekerman. The program receives financial and office support services from the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
Diversity is New York City's greatest strength, and YouthBridge-NY Bridge Fellows and their supporters are proving that they have the skills to lead the city well into the 21 st century. That was the message of Fox 5 news anchor Rick Folbaum, who emceed the first-ever YouthBridge-NY student fundraiser, which raised nearly
$6865
for the 10-year-old organization's newly named Bridging the Gap fund. The funds will be used to disburse grants to one of 35 organizations that have applied for support through the YouthBridge-NY Shared Resources for a Shared Future philanthropy. Fellows on this committee are being trained by John Vaughn in the mechanics, strategies and decision-making required of grant-making. (See our new slide show from our April 2007 Student Fundraiser above!)
Chinese lion dancers from Bayside High School in Queens and the Hostos Lincoln Academy Step Team, led by Bridge Fellow Christina Molina, also highlighted the 90-minute event, attended by the 35 YouthBridge-NY Bridge Fellows, as well as by YouthBridge-NY staff, board members and staff of the Jewish Community Relations Council, of which YouthBridge-NY is a part.
"These wonderful teens lift my spirits," Folbaum said in a pre-event interview. "Young people like the YouthBridge Fellows play a pivotal role in our community. Every single ethnic community stands to benefit by their work, which is serious, careful and committed."
Abenna Abboa-Offei, YouthBridge-NY board member and vice-president of customer service and public affairs at Affinity Health Plan, a major YouthBridge-NY sponsor, spoke of the common humanity shared among New York 's citizenry. "This moment is very profound," she said in an interview, referring to the fundraising event. "There is a lot to celebrate in what's different, but a lot more to celebrate in what's the same."
YouthBridge-NY Bridge Fellows helped run the event, which also included short speeches by board members and a raffle by Bridge Fellows. Fellows proudly showed off the organization to family and friends by introducing their colleagues and by carrying plates of food and drink to the balloon-festooned tables. Christina Molina, a second-year Bridge Fellow who attends Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science in the Bronx, sang a solo, "What About the Children," which was followed by a long ovation. Afterwards, she beamed as friends congratulated her. "YouthBridge-NY means so much to me," she said afterwards. "I can prove that being brave on stage is part of showing the world that enhancing diversity and solving the problems of diversity requires taking risks of all kinds."
The event was held at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP in Midtown Manhattan.
Bridging the Gap Student Fundraiser: April 18, 2007
High School Students Gather For Youth Summit 2006
June 10, 2006
More than 200 high school students from all around the city gathered in Manhattan Friday along with media personalities, school officials and business leaders for Youth Summit 2006 aimed at developing future leaders.
"Talking about diversity amongst teenagers who are future leaders is important because that ricochets to the next generation," said high school student Christina Molina.
NY1's Dominic Carter was the keynote speaker and addressed the importance of teenagers believing in themselves. He also led a song to inspire the students, who joined him on stage in a sing-along.
Three Hundred Youths Explore Self-Expression
and Critique of Media.
By Claire Chen, The World Journal, June 10, 2006.
About three hundred youth leaders from New York City high schools attended the Youth Summit 2006 on June 9th. The theme of the year is Youth & Media. Victor Wong, a member of The YouthBridge-NY, the organizing group, said that media’s portrayal of youth often contains a lot of stereotypes. They hope to get a better understanding of how news is presented in the media through open discussion. They also wanted to remind youth not to rely on one single medium as their news source and to use their own knowledge to analyze news coverage.
YouthBridge-NY was founded by the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY ten years ago. It is a one-year training, attended by selected high school students of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, to develop their understanding and respect for different cultures and experience.
Victor Wong, a Stuyvesant High School 11th graders, was encouraged to attend the Youth Bridge program by his mother. Wong said he now has “more confidence and self-respect since joining the program. I am no longer afraid to express myself and I believe that I can change the world for the better,” said Wong.
Wong said that he was quite shy and afraid of public speech at the beginning. After a year’s training, he can now eloquently articulate himself in front of the public. He has also become more conscious of the differences among cultures and races. He has not decided on a definite career plan except that he wants to go to Harvard University and is leaning towards a science major.
The Youth Bridge has 25 members with three Chinese students. Wong said they usually meet once a month but met much more frequently to prepare for the Summit. They also visited a CBS-affiliated TV station and the Independent Press Association. Anyone who is interested can visit their website at www.youthbridgeny.org.
The Summit was held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Invited speakers included Dominic Carter, a NY1 political reporter and Sade Baderinwa, anchorwoman of WABC. Virginia Kee, a founding member of the Chinese-American Planning Council, with four other people who helped the Youth Bridge, were interviewed and honored by students.
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
70 West 36th Street, Suite 700
New York, NY 10018
ph: 212-983-4800
fax:
212-983-4084
YouthBridge - NY is managed by CAUSE- NY, a division of the Commission on Intergroup Relations & Community Concerns at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. The JCRC is an affiliate of UJA-Federation of NY.
