Tiffany Moreno 1/7/21 Tiffany Moreno 1/7/21

Winter 2021

WHAT A YEAR

The end of 2020 brought a lot of challenges to YouthBridge-NY and the teens we work with. Despite that, YouthBridge-NY successfully kicked off our 2020-2021 programming. Utilizing Zoom, we welcomed a new cohort of Fellows, as well as our Bridgers who are back for their second year. By thinking creatively, we have been able to adapt our skillbuilding sessions, committee meetings, and bonding activities to a virtual setting. Read more below about how our teens have been impacted by the pandemic, and what role YouthBridge-NY plays in their experience of it.

What a year

I don’t have to wait until I’m an adult to make a difference

By Gabriella Calabia

An empty, rainy street in Gabriella’s neighborhood

“As you may already know, the school system will be fully remote starting tomorrow, November 19, 2020. We know we will stay fully remote through Thanksgiving but we do not know what date Blended Learning will resume...” So read the email sent out a month ago by my high school officially announcing their doors would not be open.

This would be the second closure, eight months after the initial one in March. Burned into my memory was that last Friday of my sophomore year. No one knew it was the final day but I remember constantly hitting refresh on The New York Times’ Coronavirus Outbreak page, back when cases were measured in double digits. I heard feet tapping as the school administration made unorthodox trips to each classroom trying to explain the forthcoming future. Students coming to school were shrinking and just that morning my history teacher posed a discussion question to those that remained: are we overreacting? We chuckled at the headlines of colleges sending everyone home but I knew we were really trying to mask a growing fear. No one was laughing the next month and I was left to wonder how it seemed to happen so quickly.

After all this time I feel I should be more comfortable. Still, six hours of zoom is weird. I am slightly unnerved with never having met my teachers in person. I sit on edge watching the news and reading headlines like never before. Throughout all this, I keep telling myself that New York City was the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States and I lived through that. The US Navy sent us a ship to handle the overflow of patients and doctors and nurses from across the globe volunteered to assist us. I don’t think that a global pandemic will ever be normal, and in the same way, I don’t think existing through our devices will ever feel normal either.

As a Fellow I was selected for the Health & Inequality committee and right now we’re working to better understand how different social factors affect health outcomes with a focus on the most vulnerable populations. COVID-19 may not discriminate, but it has disproportionately ravaged low-income communities of color, exposing long standing inequalities in healthcare, and our overall society. I came to YouthBridge-NY with a passion for medicine, and through the articles, conversations, and incredible speakers, a crucial third dimension to my perception of science has been added. I have been able to realize that no action truly lies in isolation and have reckoned with my own place in the world.

In many ways the pandemic has only seemed to hasten the future and like many other teens I do envision my adult life and aspirations, but I no longer ask myself solely what I want to do. I now follow that question up with, what problems will I work to solve? How can I collaborate to build sustainable solutions for an inclusive path forward? Living through the pandemic, in NYC nonetheless, I have witnessed some of the most challenging times in recent history. However, I will be a testament to the overwhelming fortitude, perseverance, and compassion exhibited by each and everyone. Nothing about this is normal, nor are the selfless actions that carry our city and world.

The school email continued on letting us know that they would “alert the school community when we resume blended learning.” It dawned on me that this was one of the first times when there was no one I could turn to for the answer because we were all thrust into this together. The cadence of the message was hopeful and even six feet apart we were there for eachother. Through the support of my school and YouthBridge-NY, I know we will forge forward together. I also know I don’t have to wait until I’m an adult to make a difference.

A Pandemic Among Us

By Mahesa Miah

Mahesa’s screenshot from when our Fellows played Among Us in December

Never did I think, a year of my life would be spent almost entirely indoors and virtually. I went from exploring the different avenues of New York City to gaining expertise in the features of Zoom and Google Classroom. Despite the aches and pains that accompany a primarily virtual world, YouthBridge-NY has done an excellent job in minimizing those effects. We engage in activities that almost make us forget we’re looking at each other in small boxes.

I believe having conversations with others is fundamental to growth and personally, helps me develop a stronger knowledge base. One of my fears with the online transition was being limited in how much I was learning about the world. However, with YouthBridge-NY, I no longer have that fear. Although we meet only twice a month, each meeting is filled with companionship, support, and knowledge. A moment that really stuck with me was the first time the Fellows and I engaged in a skill-building activity by playing a game of Among Us. It was so fun to see everyone with their thinking caps on. Even though the impostor caught me really quickly, I still enjoyed the conversations that went on during emergency meetings. It was entertaining to watch everyone work with each other to identify the impostor. Although I’m sure being in person would be a lot more fun, YouthBridge-NY has done a great job in making sure we still get the full experience. This virtual experience has taught me that adaptability is important because you never know what will hit you.

Tiffany Moreno 2/26/20 Tiffany Moreno 2/26/20

Winter 2020

A busy beginning…

We have started off the programming 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 photo highlights of the year so far!

A busy beginning...

I found myself excited at the thought of my next two years with YouthBridge!

By Asha Lawrence

As the long, hot summer of 2019 was drawing to an end, there was one final thing to look forward to before I had to start thinking about school and the stresses of junior year - the overnight YouthBridge retreat. Having met a couple of the other fellows at the Popsicles in the Park event, I wasn’t going without knowing anyone, but I was definitely still nervous about what people would think of me and what the retreat had in store for us. However, these nerves were soon quelled when I arrived at the meeting spot and was met by smiling, friendly faces.
We kicked off the retreat with some awesome ice breakers and soon enough we were all laughing and engaged. A lot of the things I was initially worried about, such as learning names or making friends, seemed much less scary and I found myself excited at the thought of my next two years with YouthBridge. As someone who has only lived in New York for five years, it has been hard making friends outside of school but over the retreat, I was able to get to know some awesome teens, passionate about leadership and social justice just like me. A highlight of the trip for me was the bonfire where we all shared an object we felt was important to us - it was a great way to connect on a more personal level (and the smores were delicious!). We also had workshops on racism and discrimination in which we delved deeper into our unconscious biases and discussed our experiences in our schools and communities.
The retreat was a fantastic experience and made me ten times more excited to be a part of YouthBridge. Since then, I have got even closer to the other fellows and I am learning a lot in the Cultural Eye Committee.

Spotlight on...

Cultural eye

By Ilana Drake

Upon being accepted into the Cultural Eye group, I had thought we would simply look at photographs, discuss their significance, and, perhaps, connect these photos to the modern world. However, throughout the past four meetings, our group has bonded over potato chips and cups of water, while we discuss so much more than just the photos. We have learned a great deal about each other and our different communities that are all situated within the same city. Although our city prides itself on being a diverse melting pot, we have begun to realize that diversity does not necessarily mean desegregated or inclusive.

Viewing photographs and discussing them as a group has enabled us to practice our public speaking and have meaningful conversations based on particular details in a photo. Each of us has opened up about our challenges and hardships through our session ice breaker (at 5:05 pm), and this has highlighted our similarities, even if we attend different high schools and live in different neighborhoods that may only be separated by a single block.

One of our first tasks this fall was to depict our daily lives through a series of five photographs. We then were able to present these photos and provide a detailed explanation of the photos to the rest of the group. We certainly had a lot of laughs and giggles during that meeting as we all heard each other’s stories and began to establish our own community. Another assignment was to depict our families through photographs. We learned more about each other’s culture and home lives through this assignment, and some of us took videos, which enabled us to glimpse into that person’s life in more detail and depth.

In our last meeting, our assignment was to illustrate how our communities can overlap. New York City neighborhoods may dramatically differ simply by one city block, as being on one side (or the other side) of a given street or block may have dramatic implications with regard to being associated with a given neighborhood. While we are all separated by zip code, address, and school, we all come together when we gather at West 34th Street. When we take the subway or bus to and from school, we are crossing paths with others, who may be on their way to an unfamiliar destination that could be made more familiar with an ice breaker and a photo.

We have grown as a group and, during our last meeting, we had a long, authentic conversation about how our particular cultures are portrayed in the media. We discussed the pros and cons to social media, and we watched a video on how the Internet has changed us in ways we might not have anticipated.

Having to talk about these things in such an unguarded fashion lowered some walls

By Viyan Poonamallee

When I walked into the main space for Project Reach for the second time of the year, on the fourth floor of the what is quite possibly the shadiest building in Chinatown, I can’t say I was expecting much. The place had atmosphere, sure. The dimly lit hallway leading into a rickety graffiti smacked elevator that sounded like a microwave when it moved made it seem like we were entering a safehouse for the mob. This made for quite the ambiance and was—to put it with eloquence—totally rad, but my previous experience with the actual activity wasn’t anything special. As per routine, we did the usual light intermingling and team building exercises relating to some skills regarding either friendship or networking.

Honestly, it wasn’t anything particularly different compared to the other skill building workshops that we had at the YouthBridge office, so when we went back to Project Reach, I was expecting more of the same. However, that’s not what I got. For the first time, the session had a sense of intimacy. Rather than some TedTalk styled group work about career building, the topic was mainly on issues of homosexuality, and we had to speak about it on a very personal level.

Throughout the talk, we reflected on our own sexualities, our thoughts on bigotry against the LGBTQ community, and how those topics affected us in our own lives. Having to talk about these things in such an unguarded fashion lowered some walls that made our interactions somewhat duller before. For other sessions, the majority of YouthBridge members serve as coworkers at best—people that interact purely by a circumstantial assignment but for which who would never connect with each other. But for once, I felt like I understood my peers at the fellowship program at a deeper level. There was a degree of truly endearing honesty in the collective apprehension and eventual addressment of the topic, without the screen of social posturing segregating every interaction. That earnestness isn’t something I get to see very often from this group, but I hope to see more of it in the future.

Winter Retreat at Escape the Room NYC

On Sunday, January 26, YouthBridge-NY teens enjoyed a day of mysteries and puzzles at Escape the Room NYC! Everyone braved the winter weather to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of bonding. Fellows and Bridgers put their brains together to solve each problem to figure out how to escape the room. It was so fun to see everyone working together to win and make it through the rooms! We definitely could not have done it without each other! Check out some photos below:

Retreat

Cultural Eye

Bridger Workshops

Winter Retreat

Tiffany Moreno 6/13/19 Tiffany Moreno 6/13/19

Spring 2019

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

What Makes Us Different is Nothing to be Ashamed Of

By Chelsea Cheung and Jessica Gruboy

Jessica Gruboy and Chelsea Cheung are both graduating seniors at Stuyvesant High School.

We both go to Stuyvesant high school and became fellows in the program two years ago. Amidst the chaos of entering our junior years of high school, we were also entering an unfamiliar program. Soon, though, it became something that was to be looked forward to every month.

I [Jessica] was in the Engaging Workplace Diversity committee. I worked with my partner, Ashten, to make a business plan and proposal in front of a boardroom of business people who I wanted so deeply to impress. Through the committee I was able to work at a law firm for six weeks and gain a sense of direction as to what I want my career to look like.

I [Chelsea] took part in the Shared Resources for a Shared Future Committee. Our goal was to advertise a grant of $2000 to nonprofit organizations whose cause either centered on hunger, education, or the environment. In the process, we learned valuable skills such as coming to a consensus, advertising, and how to truly listen to one another. At the end of several months, we ended up choosing Radical Living, a nonprofit whose mission it was to cultivate a vegetable garden to aid in solving the issue of BedStuy being a food desert.

In a world that is becoming increasingly diverse, YouthBridge is playing an integral role in educating us on how to not only be global citizens but leaders. YouthBridge has shown us how important it is to have conversations with people all across the spectrum and those who on the margins. Additionally, this program has also served in helping us navigating and understanding the complexities of our own identity, and how that what makes us different is nothing to be ashamed of, but to be treated as an asset.

YouthBridge-NY has also become a family to me. It has become almost like a respite in the craziness and business of our academic lives, where we are able to meet with other peers all across NYC, amazing, compassionate people we wouldn’t have met otherwise. I have no doubt that our paths will cross again.

All in all, YouthBridge-NY was an incredible experience that has done us a ton of good and has provided us with memories that will never be forgotten.

The Perfect Vehicle for Me to Realize My Altruistic Goals

By Ali Harb

Ali Harb is a graduating senior at Razi School.

I'll be honest with everyone, when I signed up for YouthBridge-NY, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. While in high school, my older brother had gone to an inspiring Youth Summit. He was ecstatic when he got home. The first words that came out of his mouth were “bro swing your laptop, you gotta sign up for this.”

He, being my mentor, I didn't bother to question him. I knew he had my best interest at heart. After looking at the website, I knew I had to join. Leadership, creating an atmosphere of respect, and improving the quality of ALL lives are topics that caught my attention. However, I was still unclear about how we would go about these major issues. I was confused about experimental learning and workshops. Even though, I knew this was a place I belonged.

So, I went ahead and applied, and what a great decision that was. It's hard to describe what YouthBridge-NY is because it does so much. The only way to truly know is by being a part of it, part of the family.

My True Potential

By Jocelyn Tang

Jocelyn Tang is a graduating senior at Stuyvesant High School.

At last year’s Night of Celebration, I gave a brief speech with Jessica, watched the Bridgers give their speeches, and wondered if I could muster the courage to give my own speech when I graduated. Well, here I am. I’m at a point where public speaking is still a bit nervewracking, but I don’t let those nerves get the best of me.

YouthBridge-NY has helped me realize my true potential. It’s taught me what it means to speak up, even if I’m not always comfortable or confident. It’s allowed me to recognize the power of my voice, whether it’s through sharing an opinion or promoting advocacy.

Throughout YouthBridge-NY, I’ve been challenged to consider issues from new perspectives. I’ve met a group of open-minded and welcoming people. I’ve made great memories from our monthly workshops, overnight retreats, and office visits. YouthBridge has helped shaped me to be the person I am today, and I am forever grateful for everything I have learned.

Guidance in a Fast Paced and Rigorous City

By Alif Matin

Alif Matin is a graduating senior at The Bronx High School of Science .

My name is Alif Matin, and though I was never a timid guy, I definitely started out YouthBridge-NY as a young boy scared of the world. I was only a sophomore at the Bronx High School of Science when my cousin Akif, who is also a Bridger graduating with me today, and I discovered YouthBridge online.

We were both skeptical as our typical high school schedule consisted of hanging out with friends after school. However, we applied, got through our interviews, and soon we were on our way to an overnight retreat with 35 other Fellows and Bridgers. I did not know what to make of it, and honestly I was not expecting much more besides cliche lectures and activities.

But quickly I saw something different, I saw as a Fellow, that there was great diversity among the Bridgers. We began the retreat with activities and games that not only brought us closer, but engaged in fruitful conversations relevant to our society regarding stigmas, the power of generosity, and friendship. The retreat was the start of something beautiful.

From there on, our first year workshops gave us young students guidance in a really fast paced and rigorous city. We were taught to network, to build resumes, and to respect our school janitors the same way we respect our Principals and our parents. We were given the freedom to explore and ask meaningful questions, and soon our YouthBridge center became a safe haven for aspiring teenagers transitioning into early adulthood.

I noticed that my involvement in the program correlated to my increased confidence in school. Sophomore year I ran for a position on the school board, but dropped out. After a year in YouthBridge-NY, I was able to run again for a position and became the Vice President elect at Bronx Science. I knew the lessons learned here would carry through the rest of my academic and professional career, and the people I met at this program taught me how beautiful our city could become with the right education and mentality.

The mentality that when you bring in students of different backgrounds, ethnicity, race, and personality, and encourage them that embracing this DIVERSITY will breed stronger character and a more fruitful perspective. YouthBridge became a home for me, and I am grateful to have been a part of this program. I am thankful for my peers graduating with me today, who made this journey remarkable and every workshop a great time.

our graduates:

Max Kaneff
Samuel Kim
Alexander Liu
Alif Matin
Harold Miller
Elliott Ottensoser
Oscar Rachmansky
Akif Rahman
Ashten Rodriguez
Jocelyn Tang
Rachel Weiss

Zoe Bernstein
Chelsea Cheung
Tess Futterman
Aura Glazer
Rachel Gorman-Cooper
Cameron Greene
Jessica Gruboy
Ali Harb
Nia Howard Fenton
Kelli Hu
Rachel Jacob
Abigail Jacob

To see more of these photos and pictures of our graduation, click here.

Tiffany Moreno 1/7/19 Tiffany Moreno 1/7/19

Winter 2019

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...

Spotlight on....

Cultural eye

By Victoria Andre

Victoria is a Junior at Midwood High School

When I applied for the Cultural Eye Committee I thought it would simply be a photography class. However, it is so much more than that. It isn’t just about a group of people taking pictures. With each monthly session I have been able to truly learn the art of photography while also learning the correlation to important issues like culture, identity, diversity etc.

In my opinion, the discussion we had about diversity had the most impact on me. During that conversation we discussed how New York City consists of people of all different walks of life, races, religions etc.. Yet at the same time we felt/discussed how New York is still very segregated, especially in high school. We discussed how everyone is not equally represented in New York City high schools. As well as how some of us have been around the same people for most of our high school journeys. We all really enjoyed that conversation because it was a reminder as to why most of us wanted to be a part of Youthbridge-NY. We each wanted a getaway from school where we could be a part of a diverse group of people to learn, grow and possibly gain future friendships.

However, aside from conversations, one thing that makes the committee really special is the work we do outside of the Youthbridge office. The take home assignments we do vary depending on the objective behind the photos we take. The best part is when we post them on the Flickr app and present it during our monthly meeting. It’s very therapeutic and emotional for some of us when we present and have discussions because some of the photos we take have a lot of emotion behind them. However, everyone is very understanding and we are able to receive mutual feedback that will help each of us grow as photographers. I’ve had quite a lot of fun being able to take the pictures that I take. I also take pride in them because they are a reflection of me. Some of them also tell a story and I find that to be very powerful. Being a part of the Cultural Eye Committee truly has taught me that a picture does say so much more than a thousand words.

Bridger Round table

By Rachel Gorman-Cooper

At the Youthbridge round table, I learned important life skills and acquired new resources to which I didn’t have access before.

At one table, I learned how to conduct a proper interview; I should bring a notebook, study facts about the company and its competitors and core values beforehand, and follow up after the interview the day of. The next table taught me the importance of making a brand for oneself through social media, and utilizing networks such as LinkedIn. I also learned about how to write a proper cover letter and to constantly update my resumè but keep the old ones in a file.

This workshop is valuable to me as a young person, but also as someone with many goals and strong drive. It’s crucial that throughout our lifetime, people organize their goals and make connections with the people they meet who can help them achieve such goals. I would strongly recommend future bridgers to take advantage of this workshop.

The Youth are the future of the world

By Ayal Smith

The Youth are the future of the world. If so, then we need to learn how to be the future leaders. The skill building workshops we have are teaching us exactly that. We live in a city with so many people form different backgrounds, experiences, ethnicities, and more. We’re also in an ever changing and growing world, where inclusivity and acceptance is more important than ever.

In our sessions, we focus on a range of things. Some include learning the best way to handle situations we might find ourselves in. We did an exercise where we each took turns on how we would diffuse an argument whilst trying to make everyone satisfied. Each person did it their own way, and I got to learn different techniques for when mine fails. In another workshop, we were given a crash course in marketing from a successful professional. She taught us that it’s important to use our creativity and focus on the best way to succeed, while also thinking of how we can be most inclusive to everyone. For one project we were put into groups to think of how we would market a specific item to different audiences. Our groups were diverse, with each individual bringing their own ideas and knowledge of communities to the table. I learned so much form my fellow peers when we discussed what spoke to certain people, and what didn’t to others.

Diversity, Kindness, and Leadership. These are things we need in order to be compassionate, understanding, and successful adults. The workshops we have are teaching us exactly that, and with these skills, Youth-bridge is setting us up to be the future leaders of the world.

Winter retreat at Dave and Buster’s

On Sunday, January 13, YouthBridge-NY teens enjoyed a day of arcade and video games at Dave and Buster’s! Everyone braved the winter weather to enjoy a Sunday afternoon together. Fellows and Bridgers were given a playing card with unlimited games and credits to play each game in Dave and Buster's. It was so fun to see the teamwork to win and friendly competition! Check out some photos below!