Located at our Jamaica headquarters, our Youth Center offers teens a safe and secure after-school environment to socialize with friends, get help with homework and learn basic computer programs. They can also enjoy a variety of workshops specifically designed to open a world of creative possibilities and develop the life skills needed for success. These rotate frequently and have included self-expression seminars (photography, art, music and dance), financial literacy workshops, our Spectrum Series specifically designed for LBGTQ youth and our College Discovery program designed to help students and their parents navigate the college and financial aid application process.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM TWO OF OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
- Steps-to-Success is our job-readiness program that helps teens who are still in high school develop the basic skills necessary for locating, securing and maintaining a job. Participants learn about worksite expectations, learn how to create a marketable resume and practice interview techniques over a 12-week period. Many local businesses participate in our distinguished Career Day Panel designed to develop a job bank of potential employers for our graduates.
- Peer Outreach to Prevent HIV/AIDS, generously funded by the NYS Department of Health AIDS Fund, recruits and trains youth leaders to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in our community. Our peer educators conduct street outreach, public education workshops in schools and other community based organizations, and speak one-on-one to other youth about safe sex practices and issues of self-empowerment and safety. The youth receive a modest stipend for participation in this program and learn basic work skills and responsibilities.
Thanks to generous funding from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, "The Space" is also open daily to provide refuge and help to Runaway and Homeless Youth. Crisis counseling, intensive case management and referrals to other needed services are also available for all of the youth we serve.
SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS
Listen to a song created by our youth as part of the Music and Life program.
Please call for more information and a schedule of upcoming activities:
Jamaica: 718.526.2400
