Fall 2025

We have started off the program year with a bang! Beginning with our orientation retreat in August, we welcomed new eleventh grade Fellows into the Fellowship and twelfth grade Bridgers into their second year. Fellows and Bridgers have been busy attending skill-building sessions, committee meetings, hearing from our alumni, and joining together for team building and bonding activities. Read more below and check out some highlights of the season!

MY OLDER SISTER’S ADVICE

by Caroline Kollander

I live on the Upper East Side of New York City and attend Jewish day school. As an eager freshman awaiting my first day of school, I asked my older sister and her friends for their best advice for high school. Between things like the classes I should take and the best vending machine to use, one thing my sister mentioned stood out to me, her excitement for her first year of YouthBridge. Going into junior year, she embarked on the annual YouthBridge retreat. Before having even started the classes, she had already learned so much over one weekend. She talked about the people she met (who would later become close friends), and real-world issues she knew nothing of prior. At that moment, I knew I would commit to YouthBridge the second I could. Watching my sister throughout her junior and senior year come home from classes full of endless information and experiences to share, my excitement grew stronger. Finally, when it was my turn to go on the retreat myself, I made sure to make the most of every moment. Fortunately, YouthBridge made doing that very easy. I was constantly grouped with new people to try new activities like archery, a ropes course, and an inflatable park in the lake. Every window of time was spent participating in engaging team-building exercises that are relevant to my everyday life and future as a member of society. Today, I am so excited and honored to be a part of the healthcare disparities group. I look forward to spending more time with the people I met on the retreat, and soon mastering a topic I know so little about right now.    

DEEPENING MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD AROUND US

by Jessie Kim

I joined YouthBridge through a web search to learn more about communities and gain a deeper understanding of diversity, as I had begun to deepen my passion for activism and advocacy through my school. I found that Youthbridge truly aligned with my values, specifically becoming more aware of commonly held stereotypes and prejudices, as mentioned in YouthBridge’s impact. When I joined Youthbridge, I was excited to hear the different opinions from teens scattered across New York. Entering the retreat, I was timid, but engaging in the workshops provided by YouthBridge allowed me not only to learn about the program but also to form lifelong friendships through the engaging icebreakers. Hearing about the experiences, cultures, and religions of my peers opens me to learning about their upbringings and their environments. It was truly an experience where no one was judged or critiqued for their opinions, and we could truly relate to one another. 

One of the biggest highlights for me was during the criminal justice reform workshop when the Rikers Island commissioners came in to share their insights and experience with Rikers Island. I was able to learn about such an important topic that I had previously known very little about. Thanks to the wonderful, hardworking people at Youthbridge and the resources and opportunities provided to me and other fellows, I look forward to the impact we will make as committees! In the future, I am excited to continue exploring different social issues with my peers through skill-building workshops and to deepen my understanding of the world around us.

EVERY PERSON TELLS A NEW STORY

by Ryan Lo

When I decided to apply to YouthBridge in the spring of my sophomore year, I had underestimated how much the program would show me about the world. Of course, I had looked into the program before and the mission of the program really resonated with me. But even from the couple workshops and discussions I’ve learned so much from everyone around me; hearing the different voices and results of different life experiences through other Fellows has shown me just how diverse NYC is. Each person tells a new story, and each story gives me a new perspective. As I hear more and learn about other Fellows, I’m gaining more than just new friends; I’m also bettering my understanding of the world. Even from the first Skill-building workshop, I got to reflect on my own identity. It’s something I thought was so much simpler, but we started breaking down the many different components of identity and I realized just how complex my own identity is. I got to reflect on how my own life experiences have shaped me. It was super humbling to examine the influences that have shaped me and to hear others do the same. I look forward to getting to know everybody around me even further because I know it’s programs like this that form the most genuine relationships.  

YouthBridge is a space where we have authentic discussions, covering topics and issues that are relevant everywhere around the world. I never thought I’d get to learn about Healthcare Disparities in the level of detail I’ve been learning about it at YouthBridge. Hearing about the different inequities minorities face in healthcare made me realize how lucky I have it already, but how much further society can go to make it equitable for everyone. It sparked deep reflection for me, leaving me to think for that whole night about what changes we can make for it to be accessible for everyone, even small changes. It affects so many more people than I thought it did. I’m glad I am a part of this committee; I’ve gotten to become more aware about the world and learn about issues that I can create a lasting positive change for. I’m so grateful I got the chance to join YouthBridge, it really has changed the way I see the world.