Recognizing that young people in Washington Heights lack safe, structured, and engaging ways to spend time in the non-school hours of the day, Fresh Youth Initiatives (FYI) was launched in 1993 as a community-based youth organization that focused on community service. Throughout the years, FYI realized that leadership skills were being developed through the community service activities. Since then, FYI has redefined itself to become a youth development organization that uses community service and enrichment activities as a vehicle to teach young people leadership and life skills.
FYI maintains a healthy network of relationships - both in and out of theWashington Heights community- in order to carry out its mission most effectively.
This orientation towards collaboration has been part of FYI's culture since inception, as FYI started in 1993 working closely with the Post 280 "Dreamers," a Scout Explorer Post running a range of athletic, outdoor, and academic support activities. Also in FYI's early days, we worked closely with the WOW program, a school-based dropout prevention program run by Columbia University, and the Ivy League, a year-round, girls-only program. This four-way collaboration presents a menu of varying activities for neighborhood youth and is one way to craft a holistic approach to youth development.
Over time this collaboration has taken many forms and over time, things change. For instance, the Ft. Washington Armory at 168th Street and Ft. Washington Avenue opened much of its space to youth programming in 1998, with the Police Athletic League moving in to operate youth activities. The Dreamers now run under the PAL umbrella, and the WOW program uses space there as well. Teach for America also has an office in the Armory, and has become a valuable member of this collaboration.
We are all trying to work with young people, providing them support and working towards their growth, safety and positive development. It would be self-defeating to look at other groups as "turf" or "competition," especially when there is a burgeoning youth population in the neighborhood. We have found that maintaining this network of relationships has contributed to a stronger sense of community in Washington Heights.
It is also important to acknowledge the two adult leaders of the Dreamers, Al Kurland and Dave Crenshaw, who are among the most important community builders in Washington Heights. FYI would never have gotten off the ground without their sustained help over time.
Other important youth organizations in Washington Heights with whom we work include:
Children's Arts and Science Workshop (CASW)
181st Street Beautification Project
Other Washington Heights agencies which are influential and who work with larger numbers of youth through beacon schools are:
Alianza Dominicana
Association of Dominican Progressives in the Community (ACDP)
Children's Aid Society
Other Washington Heights organizations which have distinct youth programming pieces include:
Community League of 159th Street
RENA-COA
Dominican Women's Development Center
Washington Heights-Inwood Coalition
# of board members = 15
# of staff members = 13
Operating Budget = $885,242 For Fiscal Year 2007
# of hours of community service completed by participants = over 115,000
Who Are The FYI Volunteers?
The typical FYI participant is 10-18 years old, of either Latino or African-American
descent, and lives in a family with an income close to or below the poverty
line. Academically, they are usually in the "middle of the pack"- the kids who
often fall between the cracks of the educational system because they are neither
underachievers nor are they "gifted" - but have tremendous potential if
given the attention and encouragement of a supportive environment. Most participants
live in our home community of Washington Heights, in Upper Manhattan, New York
City.
FYI rests on the premise that young people are a respectable,concerned, powerful, yet under-utilized force in their community FYI views young people as assets to be developed (not problems who need fixing), who have the time, ideas, creativity, connections in the community,and willingness to work hard in order to help themselves and others. Providing them with support and encouragement, experience,and skills, FYI endeavors to demonstrate that young people, given the chance, can be strong and positive change agents, playing a meaningful role in meeting community needs.