News & Updates

In the wake of violence, a call for peace

9/12/2019

Roads to Success Summer Youth finish up their rehearsals at Street Corner Resources, Harlem

Tragic events in the news this summer have reminded Americans about the dangers of gun violence. The epidemic, according to our Summer Youth, is a reminder of the trauma that has affected far too many American families, including here in NYC.

That's why our SYEP (Summer Youth Employment Program) participants who were hosted at Street Corner Resources of Harlem have developed a performance that they hope will spread a message of "Love, Peace, Safety, Awareness and Acceptance." Because our government has not succeeded in curbing deadly shootings with adequate policy reform, the group decided to use their melange of performance skills - a combination of acting, dance, song, spoken word and rap - to create a piece that focuses on personal choices including whether gun ownership is worth the serious risk that comes along with fatalities from homicides, suicides and accidental death.

The ensemble discussed how their SYEP experience taught them that they could use their summers to gain new skills and passions while also inspiring communities affected by violence to bond together. One participant, Nahshon added "This is my first opportunity acting, but it now feels like a passion for me. And now I realize that everybody's going through their own situations and traumas, but we're not alone."

This SYEP group is only a small portion of Roads to Success Summer Youth, 550 of whom we have placed in paid summer jobs, internships and training programs in fields such as the arts, law, criminal justice, fashion, culinary, retail, education and much more. The program has been made possible by successful fundraising efforts by Roads to Success supporters, all of our SYEP work site partners and the Department of Youth and Community Development.

The ensemble aims to take their piece to local theaters and school assemblies to inspire people of all ages to be conscious and make safe choices when it comes to gun violence, police brutality, bullying, honoring the elderly and more. This August, they had their first performance at PS 166 in Manhattan.

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College, Careers & Camps!

9/12/2019

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College and Careers
Over the summer, participants joined in an array college and career events such as our Annual Youth Leadership Summit, where dozens of volunteers joined our middle school youth at PS/MS 57 in East Harlem to speak about post-secondary options and pathways to successful careers. Roads to Success also hosted new College Access For All programs at schools such as Phillipa Schuyler in Bushwick and IS 499 in Flushing. Students sampled different college majors through hands-on projects, heard from current scholars about college life and visited campuses such as Yale, Villanova and Morgan State.

Educator and IT professional Bryant Estrella speaks at our Annual Youth Leadership Summit, hosted at PS/MS 57 in East Harlem. Also pictured on this panel: Jennifer Bakry from Viking Global and Nasim Peretsman from Prada USA.

Summer Camp!
Throughout July and August, Roads to Success held day camps serving hundreds of youth throughout the Bronx, Manhattan and Central Brooklyn. At our K-5 program Camp Create, our days were filled with play writing, S.T.E.M. projects, athletics and a whole lot of community-building. Our School's Out NYC (SONYC) campuses gave Middle Schoolers in East Harlem, Upper West Side and Brooklyn a chance to participate in performing arts, sports, science and art. Given what a hot summer it was, campers really enjoyed cooling down with fun summer water activities each week - a summer camp essential!

Eddy and Isaac at Camp Create take a break from their theater project to enjoy water games in the park.

Workforce Readiness
Meanwhile, Roads to Success hosted it's first Younger Youth SYEP program where 200 14 and 15 year-old participants spent six weeks learning workforce preparedness, making new friends and enjoying intensive courses that aligned with their interests in journalism, dance, athletics, S.T.E.M and visual arts. The summer program also included a field trip to Yankees Stadium, where they participated in a career exploration panel with sports management professionals and enjoyed a thrilling NYCFC soccer match.

Instructor Ashley Cartagena mentors a group of Younger Youth SYEP teens through project-based learning in S.T.E.M.

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News & Updates

In the wake of violence, a call for peace

College, Careers & Camps!

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