Summer 2018
Special Feature
Graduation
Below are some reflections from our graduated Bridgers about their time in the Fellowship. We want to wish a hearty congratulations to all of our graduated Seniors, it has been a pleasure knowing each and every one of you, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish in the years to come.
Special Feature
Graduation
Below are some reflections from our graduated Bridgers about their time in the Fellowship. We want to wish a hearty congratulations to all of our graduated Seniors, it has been a pleasure knowing each and every one of you, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish in the years to come.
Finding a Different Type of Family
by Abisola Akinfenwa
Abisola is a graduating senior at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in Manhattan.
YouthBridge has been a gateway to opening my eyes to so many different ways of life and ways that people think. Through YouthBridge I met amazing teenagers like myself who work hard, have fun, and inspire those around them on a daily basis.
I went camping for the first time in my life and I was away from my family. But being around the other Bridgers and instructors did not make it seem like that at all. I was with another type of family, the type that even though the moments with each other were not long, I felt comfortable around them because they knew what it meant to be respectful and open to people.
I hope that everything I learned will go with me through college, and that the family I see here today will be a family I will always cherish with all my heart. Thank you guys for being as amazing as you are and never change the ability to be fearless. If I have learned anything from my peers over these years is that you gotta be the biggest cheerleader and a great hype man.
There was not a day that when I came to YouthBridge that I did not learn something new. Knowledge is powerful and overwhelming, but I learned here how to make what I know benefit my community as a whole. To end this off...there is more to the world than what meets the eye, but once you have learned to walk on the bridge to knowledge, you never know how much you may learn.
My New York City Moment
By Michael Zheng
Michael is a graduating senior from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan
I know this is cliché but in my time at YouthBridge:
I have had the chance to meet extraordinary people, not only intelligent but diverse
The people I met have become not only friends, but family.
The list of connections from YouthBridge has not only expanded my personal network but my professional network as well (Yay Engaging Workplace Diversity!)
The opportunities I have taken through YouthBridge are unmatched anywhere else.
Many of you may know, or not, but I moved to New York City from Alabama at the beginning of high school. Freshman and Sophomore year, I was a socially awkward, immature child. I did my work at a subpar level, went home, and played videogames for a couple hours.
Then I joined YouthBridge-NY and I had my New York City moment.
YouthBridge has shown me how to be a real person. It motivated me to change my life, to find my passions and my hobbies, and to create a personality out of myself. YouthBridge gave me one of the most important abilities to have: the ability to talk. For that, I could not be any more grateful, and I could never imagine what my life would have been without it.
For four years, I may have had lived in New York City. But my two years at YouthBridge have earned me the honor of calling myself a real New Yorker.
YouthBridge-NY Made Me Who I Am
By Ceyda Guleryuz
Ceyda is a graduating senior from Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ
YouthBridge-NY let me become who I am today. A mature, proud, brave, and strong woman who knows how to talk, how to meet and greet in a professional environment not without feeling shy, but despite feeling shy.
We have had so many great workshops, met incredible people, learned amazing things, and traveled to most fascinating places that we wouldn’t otherwise travel. We came with our most incredible memories to the retreat and now we are going to college with all the great ones we have collected through YouthBridge.
One memory that still shines in my mind is when we were talking about feeling shy while making a speech and Karen told us, “sometimes I get scared to death, but everyone gets scared in front of people, the most important thing is not showing it.” And like lots of other great knowledge I gained through YouthBridge, I took it with me. These things came very handy during my internships, then my college interviews, daily life, and when I started my business. Yes, I started a business with the help of the skills I gained through YouthBridge. YouthBridge helped me to grow and I became a board member of One Project, which is a non profit organization in New Jersey that aims to connect people to help others.
YouthBridge has taught me how to have courage to do things that I didn’t know, showed me how to step into a path I have never seen. But above all, it made it possible for me to build great relationships with most amazing people, who helped me through my life.
So, I wanted to thank all of you for making it possible for me to be a part of YouthBridge and for who I am today. Thank you.
My Favorite Place
By Brittany Mendoza
Brittany is a graduating senior from Midwood High School in Brooklyn
Everyone has their place or hobby that they can look forward to. No one ever needed to guess mine... YouthBridge and singing. All my friends would see me in a great mood those days and I'd get to explain that I was going to that monthly Youthbridge meeting. It was funny to me that no matter how much I gushed it didn't stick in their brains like their phones stick to their hands.
Before I joined the fellowship I was a debater and on student government, but despite having public speaking skills I was quiet most times. I was just following the motions of others without being enough of a leader myself. Of course look at me now and I'm a lot less quiet but I still like to listen to those around me before speaking.
Being surrounded by so many strong minded teens made things diverse in ideas and methods. I will always remember the boat exercise we did with Don Kao. In brief words we had 14 people to save and a boat that could fit 10. Well some groups just chose who was the “most worthy” and moved on. Not us. The group I was in managed to somehow not save anyone.
These meetings allowed me to meet some of my best friends. My two foodie friends know who they are. There was also someone that I knew from College Now but became friends through YouthBridge showing me just how important connections are and how long they last.
My time here has been amazing and even though that WhatsApp chat didn't work out I have no intention of losing contact with you all. It’s a "see you later" type of send off not a goodbye. I can't wait to see where all of us end up.
Stepping out of the comfort zone
By Amy Ren
Amy is a graduating senior from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan
The first time I felt out-of-this-world proud of an accomplishment was last summer, when my Engaging Workplace Diversity partner, Netanel, and I won the Entrepreneurship Competition. It was such a big deal to us. We spent hours video-chatting trying to come up with a solid business plan, hours rehearsing our pitch, hours picking out a nice outfit for the big day.
The second time was at this year’s Youth Summit, where I surprised myself by signing up to do opening remarks. It was a short speech but I was proud.
YouthBridge has done this magical thing to me. It has given me so much experience and so much more confidence. Four years ago, I wouldn’t have volunteered to give a speech and I didn’t have anything I was super proud of. Today, I am standing in front of a room of incredible and lovely people, teens like myself and adults I look up to. It is so crazy to me.
I wanted to thank my fellow Bridgers for being a part of this program with me. You guys have influenced me and moved me in unforeseen ways. I go to a high school where 70% of the student population is Asian. It was always comfortable, but sometimes comfortable isn’t the way to go. YouthBridge has introduced me to students from all over NYC, all different socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities. I always look forward to learning about how different yet alike we all are. The people I have met have taught me so much, things that I wouldn’t have learned within the four walls of a classroom.
I am so incredibly grateful for this program, the people I have met, the opportunities it has opened up for me. And so, with all that said, I wish you all the best of luck, the best of health, the best of street snacks and happy days, and the best of the best. Because you all deserve it. Thank you.
Our Graduates:
Abisola Akinfenwa
Christy Atangana
Ashley Bisram
Margalit Braginsky
Eliyakol Djokoto
Alyssa Garraway
Ceyda Guleryuz
Ayelet Kalfus
Netanel Kamel
Ishika Kasliwal
Markia Neufville
Victor Podvalny
Amy Ren
Matthew Roberts
Nickala Stephens
Jia Yi Sun
Dell Wednesdae Tangente
Ellery Weiner
Jaclyn Wildes
Michael Zheng
Davida Krauss
Wendy Lau
Marcus Lerner
Eric Li
Jada Lindo
Jared Lopez
Caden Macdonald
Bilitte Mana
Charlize Marinez
Brittany Mendoza
Fall 2017
A BUSY BEGINNING...
We have started off the programming year with a bang! Beginning with our orientation retreat in August we welcomed 30 new eleventh grade fellows into the Fellowship and 31 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 photo highlights of the year so far!
A busy beginning...
We have started off the programming year with a bang! Beginning with our orientation retreat in August we welcomed 30 new eleventh grade fellows into the Fellowship and 31 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 photo highlights of the year so far!
Spotlight on....
Shared Resources for a Shared Future
By Nicole Nieto
Nicole is a Junior at Northside Charter High School in Brooklyn
Grant-making: this was all I thought about when I saw the words Shared Resources for a Shared Future. Going into this committee I didn’t really have any expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised after the first committee meeting. Three committee meetings later, the Tuesday of the month on which the SRSF meeting is held has become one of the highlights of my month.
The first committee meeting was a bit nerve-wracking, but throughout the meeting it became more comfortable and less scary. The ice-breaker exercise that we used to learn names really helped us ease into the meeting. We were given a series of questions which related to how we got our names and what we like to be called. It made me realize I do not know that much about my name. The icebreaker was also our first task in active listening. We partnered up when answering the questions and when we regrouped we had to tell everyone our partners answers. After the icebreaker we came up with our goals and expectations for the committee year, and a group agreement. Following that, we discussed the basics of grant-making and answered the question, What would you do with 10 million dollars? It was really difficult to answer. I didn’t really want any money for myself, I wanted it all to go to different charitable organizations. The difficult part was not being able to give money to everyone. We shared what we would do with the money and then listed different causes we cared about. We started to decide what causes we were going to discuss in our next meeting.
Our second committee meeting was really interesting. We started the meeting with a communication icebreaker. Someone from our group read instructions aloud and we had to draw the image he was describing. We folded a paper and made a design with our eyes while someone gave us instructions on what to do. I personally liked the paper folding activity because it turned out more like the description than the drawing exercise. After that we paired up with someone we hadn’t partnered with before. We discussed our feelings on school this year and what we find difficult about this school year, this was another active listening activity. Consensus building is very important in our grant-making process. The committee split into groups of three and determined our grant priorities. I felt it was a very productive meeting.
But overall, my favorite meeting was the third committee meeting. In our third meeting we individually chose which issues we were most passionate about. We broke into small groups which slowly got bigger as we completed the task of eventually deciding on the three causes we would be focusing on while making our grant. This committee is really special and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!
Bridgers confront Bias
By Brittany Mendoza
Brittany is a senior at Midwood High School in Brooklyn
Throughout our past meetings I have learned and expanded on many skills. One that stands out the most is looking at things in a new perspective. On October 26 we looked at homophobia and heterosexism.
Whenever we stepped into Project Reach and saw Mr. Don Kao and Ms. Katherine Chambers we never left with the same ideas on the topics presented during the trainings.
Bridgers take some time for one-on-one discussions during their session at Project Reach
During this training in particular we began by discussing our first memories of when homosexuality was not a problem. We also discussed why heterosexism is so prevalent. However, we found ourselves presented with a challenge to not use certain words in our discussions. As always, it was refreshing and surprising to see how easily we say certain things that can alienate someone else without a second or ill intended thought. Furthermore, looking at a ratio of how many heterosexuals are in America vs otherwise (in the closet or not) was different from what I expected based off of what I see in society today.
My favorite part was when we created a safe space circle. By this point we had learned more about each other from memories and discussed why we thought certain stigmas existed. We were able to describe how people are treated differently due to heterosexism but also how it changes depending on gender. It also gave anyone in the room the ability to disclose something about themselves without the usual fear of judgement, sexism, or other confrontations.
Overall, by exploring the root causes of homophobia and heterosexism and their links to sexism and misogyny we were challenged to see things in a new light.
Alumni reflections
By Khadija (Molly) Bhuiyan YBNY Alumna '13
Below YouthBridge-NY alumna Molly Bhuiyan reflects on her participation in our alumni college round table. The round table is an annual event where our 12th grade bridgers hear from YouthBridge-NY alumni about how YouthBridge-NY has impacted their college experience and their view of the world.
Molly and YouthBridge-NY Managing Director Karen Lander pose for a photo after the event.
On Tuesday, September 12th I was given the opportunity to come back as an Alumni panelist to an organization that has given me so much. I wasn't born to be a leader, I was trained. I truly believe that. If you met me when I was younger, you would have never guessed. I was shy, lost, and confused. Fellowships like YouthBridge, changed me and turned my life around. I didn't realize back then, but I see it now.
An accomplished panel of alumni gave advice to our 12th grade Bridgers
YouthBridge New York taught me that diversity is an asset in every organization. Look at me, I am a Bangladeshi immigrant, first generation college student in business school, studying to become an Actuary. I am a Bangladeshi GIRL in business school. My culture tells me that women are meant to be home cooking, cleaning and taking care of kids. I strive for more. I can and will be a leader in my respective field. YouthBridge gave me the confidence to defy gravity. YouthBridge drilled in me the very leadership skills I use every day now as a campus leader at Baruch College.
I can say hands down, that anything I've accomplished since is because of the skills I gained at YouthBridge. So I wanted to take the time out and say that I was incredibly humbled and honored to have been given the chance to talk to the next generation of bridgers and tell them what I know now.
Thank you Karen Lander, YouthBridge New York and everyone at the Jewish Community Relations Council!
winter retreat at Chelsea piers
On Sunday, December 10, YouthBridge-NY teens enjoyed a day of team-building, sports, and games at Chelsea Piers! We worked on communication, strategy development, and even conquered our fears on the rock-wall! Our teens had an amazing time and we are so grateful to Ian Lane for organizing and John Swist for his incredible facilitation of the day's activities. Check out some photos below!
Spring 2017
Special feature
graduation
Below are some reflections from our graduated Bridgers about their time in the Fellowship. We want to wish a hearty congratulations to all of our graduated Seniors, it has been a pleasure knowing each and every one of you, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish!
Special feature
graduation
Below are some reflections from our graduated Bridgers about their time in the Fellowship. We want to wish a hearty congratulations to all of our graduated Seniors, it has been a pleasure knowing each and every one of you, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish!
from retreat to a world of opened doors
By Hawa Drame
Hawa Drame is a graduating Senior at the Beacon School in Manhattan.
YouthBridge-NY is a nonprofit leadership development organization that convenes, trains, and prepares young people to meet the challenges of an extremely diverse New York City" and it did just that!
I remember the first day of the retreat. I came in upset because my bagel wasn't toasted and I was starving. Once we got on the bus I automatically placed my headphones in my ear and the bus drove off. We started with ice breakers but I wasn't in the mood to participate. I remember Jelani asking me, "what's your favorite movie?" "I don't have any." I said annoyed. "What's your favorite song?" He asked. "I don't have one," I said, annoyed again. What a bus ride.
Once we arrived at this unfamiliar area I knew I had to put the bagel aside. My first friends were Chaaya and Justin and we complained about the lack of service. But if it wasn't for no service I would have never met Amya, Baldino, Eric, Tahany, Matt, Jordan, Samantha, Roland, Arifa, Gabi, Hannah, Emily, Zarif, and Molly, and soon after, Kristina, Ethan, Celine, and Michelle.
Build bridges and not walls, that's what YouthBridge is all about, where diverse teens become tomorrow's leaders. I live in Harlem, a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone, when I came to YouthBridge, it was like these doors opened up to a world with endless opportunities. I came from a middle school where people like me were the majority, then transitioned to a high school where I was the minority of the population; it wasn't an easy transition. For freshman and sophomore year without YouthBridge I realized the school was very cliquey, but the moment I joined YouthBridge, attended the group workshops, and filled my body with the sugary snacks, I knew there had to be change. I helped organize student councils, town halls, forums, a place where everyone can share their grievances and trust each other. Implemented cultural day into spirit week so everyone can appreciate and observe other cultures. Last summer I visited the major buildings of Washington D.C and without these workshops I would've never seen myself sitting in the White House, the House of Representatives, meeting senators from around the country, asking questions to the dept of education. Youth bridge gave me skills, inspiration and hope.
From that first retreat until this very day and into the future, I learned that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that every door has endless opportunities. I just want to give a special thanks to Karen, the founders and everyone that helped built youth bridge for allowing me to fulfill my body with sugar but most importantly for the help of shaping me into this young black young lady that I am today.
Its not goodbye...
By Amya Stewart
Amya is a graduating Senior at Summit Academy Charter High School in Brooklyn.
There was this feeling, one that I would get twice a month. This feeling of solace and content. Every conversation, every question. We all brought something to the table. We fellows built a bond. One that led to plenty of laughs and inside jokes, snap streaks, and commencements of standing in front of buildings.
YouthBridge sparked a change in my life. The start of an affinity. That feeling that I got as a beginning fellow, has followed me the last two years. I thank YouthBridge for the friendships I've made that I hope will last my lifetime, for introducing me to other non-profits that stand and advocate for the same things I do, and for expressing the importance of networking and character building. But what I thank YouthBridge most for, is making me realize the importance of connection. I have connected with individuals here I never would've met. All from different backgrounds, boroughs, religions and ethnicities. We've come together. Now we're Bridgers and the time has come for us to say not goodbye, but until next time.
Three words, countless memories:
By Baldino Baldeo
Baldino Baldeo is a graduating Senior at Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School in the Bronx.
I want to express my enjoyment as a YouthBridge Member by using 3 words. I know we’ve been in the program for two years and you may think that I can do better than three words, but trust me on this. Those words are Growth, Family, and Future.
Before being apart of YouthBridge I struggled with myself, I simply knew I was different, which at the time equaled bad, weird, or whatever word a high schooler could come up with to belittle me. Shortly after being apart of YouthBridge I came to know that I was different, and that’s just the way I wanted to be. I was strong leader, and YouthBridge allowed to see that.
Family came naturally, we helped one another grow and even saw a little of ourselves in each other. Although we are a big family, we work on ourselves. We understand there is no “I” in team, but that the chain is only as strong as the weakest link.” I love my whole YouthBridge family, but I found my sister, best friend, soul-mate, someone who makes me feel whole, happy and complete, and I would even do this journey all over again just because of the awesome times we’ve had -- Amya C. Stewart, you’ve played the most important part in my growth so lets see what our future holds.
Talking about future, every single moment in YouthBridge has paved the path towards my future. I’ve been introduced to and equipped with the skills of public speaking, human rights, self-exploration, and networking, just to name a few. I am no longer afraid of the future because of the amazing valuable skills and trainings that I’ve received from YouthBridge-NY and once again I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you to you all.
YouthBridge Taught me to choose love
By Celine Agard
Celine Agard is a graduating senior at Midwood High School in Brooklyn.
There is so much YouthBridge has done for me in terms of networking with inspiring leaders, making the most lit friends I’ve ever met, exploring different parts of NYC and supplying me with food from all those meetings. But becoming a member of this diverse family has taught me that accepting others and choosing love over contempt is a vital characteristic that many people in this world don’t have. It’s unfortunate that every time we listen to the news, acts of terrorism, violence, and prejudice, whether international or domestic, engulf our lives. People fail to open their eyes and accept a changing world, they stick to their own perceptions instead of observing all aspects of a situation, and that ignorance develops into hate, which ultimately leads to destruction.
Before YouthBridge there were many things I wasn’t open to and simply didn’t know. However from the first meeting I was eager to let YouthBridge make a change in me and open my eyes. But, as I became friends with my many peers I learned that yes, people may be different than me through culture, race, religion, sexuality, but by listening to them, the struggles they go through, the circumstances they’ve overcome, dreams they have, their talents, the way they want to drive our generation in a better direction, it made me realize that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you were taught at home, because we are all the same.
Our monthly sessions at YouthBridge with Karen, Rebecca, and Don Kao, just to name a few, gave me opportunities to take part in engaging activities, speak about my personal insecurities, learn how to look at every perspective before judging others, and converse about different issues that engulf our communities. YouthBridge has made me realize that we have to give back to our communities by loving one another, lending a helping hand, standing up for what’s right, accepting people who are different and combating hatred through understanding and peace.
Soon I’ll be entering college and I don’t know where life will take me, hopefully you’ll see my name on TV and I’ll be making 6 figures. I know entering the real world will bring about many challenges, but with the great skills that YouthBridge has taught me I hope to strive to be an influencer of peace and tranquility, always remembering that no matter how different people are, we must choose to love if we want to combat the social challenges of this world.
our graduates:
Arifa Abid Jordan Chan Matt Indar
Celine Agard Lydia Diebel Eric Krebs
Kristina Bajic Hawa Drame Emily Ma
Baldino Baldeo Roland Fang Zarif Mahmud
Ethan Benedek Samantha Gendler Tahany Moosa
Molly Blaustein Chaaya Grazette Michelle Padilla
Gabriella Cantor Jelani Green Justin Spears Hannah Hoff Amya Stewart
To see more of these photos and pictures of our graduation, click here.
Winter 2017
spotlight on...
the bridger roundtable: a night of networking
By Justin Spears
Interview tips, professionalism, advice to help me be successful in the work force, and more: these are all the things I gained from the Bridger round-table...
spotlight on...
the bridger roundtable: a night of networking
By Justin Spears
Justin is a Senior at Francis Lewis High School in Queens
Interview tips, professionalism, advice to help me be successful in the work force, and more: these are all the things I gained from the Bridger round-table on January 12th. At this meeting we were given the opportunity to network one-on-one with professionals from different fields, where they gave us tips on how we can succeed in the workforce and find a job we really love. It was such a great learning experience for me as well as my fellow Bridgers. Through our one-on-one sessions with the professionals, we were able to build on our skills and grow from that point forward, no matter our skill level before coming to the meeting. Given that we are seniors in high school, preparing for college and the work force can be a stressful and daunting task. However with the help and resources that Youthbridge has given us, we are actively obtaining the skills we need to succeed.
One of my favorite moments from this meeting was being able to meet professional people who had been in the same situation as I am now. Even though they were unsure of what they wanted to do with their future, they still went on to become successful in their fields. We got the opportunity to get up close and personal with these individuals and it was awesome. We asked questions like "how did you know what you wanted to do?" "Was this your first planned job or is it the back up?" Questions like these were asked by all the Bridgers, and everyone mentor in the room had their own unique response. Overall this meeting showed us that it is possible to be successful in whichever field that you desire, and it has given us skills to make us better equipped to enter the world.
Check out some photos of our amazing roundtable below: Full album can be found here.
On Friday March 17 over 120 students from 15 high schools across New York City came together for a day of community organizing, learning, and strategizing about issues in their communities at the annual YouthBridge-NY Leaders to Leaders Youth Summit! The day was an overwhelming success and we look forward to seeing the impact these students will have on their communities.
Below, current YouthBridge-NY fellow Brittany Mendoza reflects on the day in an article for her school newspaper The Argus:
coming together: Leaders to Leaders Youth Summit 2017
By Brittany Mendoza
Brittany is a Junior at Midwood High School
Student leaders learned some new skills on March 17 at the annual YouthBridge-NY Leaders to Leaders Youth Summit. The conference brought up some serious topics including cyberbullying, women's rights, and gun violence which left them with new perspectives.
The conference which is held in Manhattan gathers high schoolers and community-based organizations from all five boroughs. Through workshops the staff trains them to find problems in their communities and make changes through the lenses of diversity.
According to the YouthBridge-NY website, “The goal of this year’s conference is to inspire young leaders to take charge by empowering them with knowledge of the possibilities, skills, and the training they need to turn ideas into action.”
Taskin Khan ’20 said, “They taught me that there are many platforms I can peacefully protest for a cause to attract attention to it.”
During the day the leaders had case study sessions with company owners who made changes of their owns. They then had to ask their own questions about their communities and how they could make changes. After these there were skill building sessions where teamwork, advocacy, marketing, and campaigning were taught by the case study professionals.
One workshop was led by Art and Resistance Through Education. This company described the importance of fighting problems such as sexual trafficking, child slavery, and immigrant discrimination. The case study was to create an art project such as a mural, advocacy project, or public event for common neighborhood problems. One group created a idea for an annual walk to raise awareness for domestic abuse.
Alexis Buckner ’18 said, “It was cool to see theses companies because they stand for some of the things I stand for as well.”
Another workshop was about identifying cyber bullying. This facilitator taught everyone how to identify problems, goals, deliverables, allies, opponents, and tactics. The students walked away with plans for assemblies, mandatory lessons, consequences and other calls for action to take to their schools.
After the training sessions, there was keynote speaker Katherine Chambers, a transgender activist and educator. She taught the students to not give up and not to discriminate.
The conference was then opened up to a question and answer, a raffle won by a Midwood student, and a planning session. It was announced that there was a community project competition for those at the conference.
Khan plans to use the lessons from her workshops to create a documentary style video about Midwood for her community project.
Shared Resources for a shared future: grant making from a new perspective
By Victor Podvalny
Victor is a Junior at Xavier High School in Manhattan
While being fully informed that we, the YouthBridge community, as well as the rest of the world, are well into 2017, leaving behind that rather atrocious year of 2016, it has also occurred to me that we look at the past in an overwhelmingly negative fashion. When asked to recall major events in the 20th century, one’s mind instantly springs to the World Wars and other major conflicts, while early American history is stained by the prominence of slavery. However, 2016 was the year when our current YouthBridge fellows assembled, with varying methods to achieve the ultimate goal of poised, informed, and directional leadership.
For the Shared Resources for a Shared Future committee, our past three meetings took us from December of 2016 to February of a more optimistic 2017, yielding great personal and communal growth across all areas. The December meeting was, personally, one of my favorite, for we were able to see the direct impact of the grant for which we are currently responsible. Wendy Kaplan, a social worker at the Trinity Place Shelter, the recipient of the grant last year, held an open forum where she discussed the mission of the shelter, her role in the operation, and the various successes that the shelter enjoyed. It was heartwarming, to say the least, to hear about people who came into the shelter hopeless and rejected, and left confident, independent, and with a stable-income job. To understand that our grant directly translated to the consolidation of such a beautiful community gave heightened gravity and importance to our mission in the SRSF committee, bolstering the already-known fact that our actions and decisions have the real ability to change lives.
Crossing into the unknown territory of 2017 on an inspiring note, our meeting in January focused on amending and updating the application for our grant, as to make it more user-friendly, accessible, and telling. Personally, this experience was wholly foreign, in a very satisfying way. Often, we YouthBridge fellows find ourselves on the exact opposite side of the application process, putting ourselves out there and overzealously expressing interest through a plethora of essays, so taking a seat on the proverbial high chair was, at first, different. However, I soon became used to the authority and welcomed it; applicants would be answering our questions and giving us the proper information necessary to make an executive decision. Nothing tyrannical occurred, despite the wealth of power we all had at our hands, and the experience offered us all crucial insight into the other side of applications.
To our most recent meeting in February of 2017, I grant the superlative “most satisfying”, for one mundane reason: interviews. These are those feared events that begin in a misleadingly confident handshake and culminate in, more often than not, tears and reconciliation (not in YouthBridge’s case of course, my interview was rather lovely). As the second stage for applicants of our grant is a mandatory phone interview, this exercise was simultaneously necessary and revealing, for questions, answers, and reactions, to me, all seemed rather authentic. Three characters presented themselves in a mock interview: the interviewer, interviewee, and the disruptor. I, of course, took on the role of disruptor without much hesitation. I then proceeded to, as my formal title suggests, annoy the interviewee without much remorse, as to replicate a real-life situation in which Murphy’s Law was continuously applied. All jokes aside, this committee session was crucial to the progression of our grant, as we learned how to effectively conduct a phone interview and respond to any hindrances that may present themselves therein.
The current state of global affairs notwithstanding, 2017 looks to be a prosperous and productive year for the SRSF committee, where we’re able to positively and profoundly impact the lives of many, while also developing our understanding of the beauty of diversity in NYC and the world. 2017 sure is looking good.
communications, advocacy, and organizing oh my!
By Abisola Akinfenwa
Abisola is a Junior at the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics
Fellows Abisola, Maggie, Brittany, and Caden discuss advocacy during a breakout session at CCC-NY
YouthBridge-NY brings a diverse group of teenagers together to engage in multiple workshops with influential people. Throughout the past three skill-building meetings in December, January, and February, I have grown and learned new ways of communicating with the public on different levels.
In December, we were able to meet with Ivy Cohen, a YouthBridge-NY board member, who owns her own marketing and communications firm. She taught us all about communications and marketing to different audiences. I especially liked learning about how businesses catch their audience's attention in places like stores or movies. She taught me that even simple things like placement are important in marketing. The knowledge that a store cares about everything you feel from the moment you walk in, made me as an everyday shopper wonder what catches my eye so easily and the strategy behind it.
In January our topic of discussion was community organizing -- how we can bring together our community around an issue we care about. This topic gave us a lot to discuss as it had to do with politics as well and the groups that we place them in. We discussed strategy in community organizing, for example, thinking about our audience who we would reach out to based on a specific idea or project we have. However, this discussion made me feel kind of like I was categorizing people as good or bad based on whether or not they agreed with me.
In February we learned about advocacy and the tools that we can use around us to make a problem known and then to solve it. In our brainstorm on methods of advocacy I noticed that we all came up with the ideas of using social media, conversations, and posters to advocate for people who cannot let their voice be heard. After our brainstorm we split up into groups and used improvisation exercises to touch on different situations where advocacy could be used. This was really helpful. I also learned that every day we are advocating for people in our community.
Fellows get a crash course in the world of marketing and communications with YouthBridge-NY Board Member Ivy Cohen.
On Sunday, January 29th our Fellows and Bridgers enjoyed an afternoon of games, prizes, pizza and fun together at Dave and Busters. Below, current fellow Nickala Stephens talks about the day...
A day of fun at Dave and Buster's
By Nickala Stephens
The Dave and Buster's event was a wonderful experience! It was great seeing everyone again, especially the Bridger's who we don't see as often. Everyone who came to the event was given a playing card with unlimited games and credits to play each game in Dave and Buster's. It was so fun playing against each other and earning tickets together. Seeing everyone having fun and enjoying themselves was an awesome sight. I spent most of my time playing games with everyone and hanging out with people. I was also with a group of Bridgers, and we were trying to earn a lot of tickets so we could get a really good prize from the prize store. This experience was so fun because of all the laughs we shared and the memories we made together. It was so nice to see all of YouthBridge come together as one!
Photos from the Dave and Buster's event can be found below.
