The Program

Community Youth In Action (CYA)

All of FYI’s programs fall under our “Community Youth in Action” umbrella. Throughout the calendar year, FYI runs two separate programs; the summer program (June- August), and the fall program (September – May), each with its own components:

Fall Program

After School Program: FYI’s after school program is the centerpiece of the organization. This is where we focus on retaining and cultivating our “core population” who will stay with the program throughout their adolescence. The vision of this program is to have participants come in as young children and leave the organization as mature and successful young adults.

Our core population is at our site between 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A typical schedule looks like this:

2:30 – 3:30 Arrival and Supper
Upon arrival from school, our participants sign up for one of the day’s scheduled community service activities, then proceed to the Café where they are offered a hot meal cooked on-site by our food specialist.

3:00 – 4:00 Pre-Service Time
Participants unwind after seven hours of school. Pre-service time can include: playing games in one of our family spaces; doing homework or research in the library; just socializing with peers – all under the supervision of FYI’s frontline program staff.

4:00 – 6:00 Community Youth in Action (Service Learning Time)
The FYI Menu of Community Service projects is always evolving and adapting based on the youth and staff’s interest at any given time. Our “staple” projects include: Traveling Clothing Bank; Graffiti Removal; Community Gardening; Parks Clean-Up; Mural Painting & Touch-Ups; Distribution Projects (various).

Community Service Learning Program (CSLP)
Community Service Requirement Students: Many local schools have implemented a community service requirement in order for students to graduate. FYI is collaborating with a local middle school, M.S. 324. This collaboration consists of FYI staff going into the school and facilitating a service-learning component. This population is an “outer shell” of participants for the organization. The outer shell population receives community service learning (in a classroom and/or outdoors) by our staff one hour per week, and is exposed to the FYI culture, philosophy, and experiences.

Welcome Program
The Welcome Program at FYI is a pilot project, launched in September 2010, targeting twenty elementary aged students (third graders this year) who attend classes for English Language Learners, are newly arrived to New York City, and who (may) have experienced interrupted education. The original and continuing purposes of the project are to assist students to:

1. Adapt to life in New York City;
2. improve their English speaking skills; and,
3. feel more comfortable speaking English.

The principal and teachers at our partner school, PS 128, have been highly supportive of the program which provides educational support to a group of immigrant 8-9 year olds two days per week during the after-school hours. Activities include English language tutoring and homework help; social and creative group activities; and community service projects such as food and clothing distribution to the needy, graffiti removal and mural painting. Welcome Program participants now have access to a safe, afterschool learning environment in which they are making new friends, building relationships with caring adults, getting help with homework and practicing their English speaking skills (with a specific emphasis on vocabulary building). Parents and students alike are highly satisfied with the program and attendance rates are around 90%.

Helping Hands Food Pantry
The Helping Hands Food Pantry (HHFP) is New York City’s only youth run, adult-facilitated food pantry. It was the brainchild of a 15 year-old participant (Mona Lisa Fermin) in 1996. The HHFP provides non-perishable goods, twice a month, to families, the working poor, and senior citizens in the Washington Heights-Inwood community. FYI also provides delivery service to approximately 25 homebound senior citizens. Read More...

Parents In Action (PIA)
FYI recognizes that in order to move youth forward, it is invaluable to work in partnership with the parents. Our Parents in Action group meets monthly with our Parent Coordinator to give parents a forum where they can discuss parenting issues, attend health & nutrition workshops, learn about community resources, and more. Our Parents in Action are our partners and supporters in so many ways!

Summer Program

Summer Job Training / Summer Youth Employment Program
During the summer, FYI employs young people ages 14-19 through the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development’s (DYCD) Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). This 7 week program offers young people an opportunity to gain a sense of professionalism and on-the-job-training. The participants are paid through DYCD and are expected to work twenty five hours per week.

FYI’s two “anchor” job placements are event planning for our largest community event (the Serve-A-Thon), and summer day camp counselor for our free summer day camp. Additional jobs are tailored to meet the particular needs and/or capacity of the organization in any given year. Along with on-the-job-experience, the youth are attend several educational workshops.

Summer Day Camp
FYI’s Summer Day Camp is a program for youth ages 10-13 and operates on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Summer Day Camp exposes participants to hands-on community service activities, enrichment trips, arts and crafts, daily reflection, and other recreational activities. Each participant receives two t-shirts (one for trips, and one for service) with the FYI camp logo, a water bottle, and a backpack. At the end of the summer semester, every young person who participated in FYI’s summer program is invited to go on a weekend trip to a sleep-away camp.