SYEP (Summer Youth Employment Program) Youth In Action
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As of July 3, 2009, CPC has employed approximately 2, 344 SYEP youth throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
provides New York City youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four with summer
employment and educational opportunities. Participants work in a
variety of entry-level jobs at government agencies, hospitals, summer
camps, nonprofits, small businesses, law firms, museums, sports
enterprises, and retail organizations. Here at Central Office, (Steve, how many SYEP kids are here?) SYEP are employed doing various tasks from filing to rewiring. We were lucky enough to be able to interview two Central Office SYEPs working as assistants to Andrew Huang, the Technology Specialist.
Zi Qi Huang Kay Luo
Zi Qi Huang from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn has worked through SYEP for four summers and has had many unique but diverse working experiences. In previous years with SYEP she has worked at City Hall and a hospital performing administrative work. This year at central office she has learned skills such as wiring, repairing computers and printers, networking, and cabling. She enjoys working at Central with Andrew because of the laid-back and fun atmosphere; everyday she is challenged and is able to learn from her assignments. When asked about the effectiveness of SYEP, she said that her peers look forward to it every summer and that it provides an excellent alternative to an unproductive summer. Zi Qi will be attending SUNY Albany in the fall, and we are certain that her involvement with SYEP will help her in all of her academic and professional endeavors. SYEP employees are not only high school students, Kay Luo from Coney Island, Brooklyn is a rising junior at Hunter College and is a Computer Science and Math double major. Along with Zi Qi he works in the technology department assisting Andrew Hoang with tech support. It is Kay's second summer as an SYEP; he previously worked in childcare. Although he learned how to communicate with children in this past experience, he is happy this summer to be working in something closer to his academic interests. When asked what he thought about SYEP extending the cap age to twenty-four, he and Zi Qi agreed that in the midst of this recession, an extension on the age limit would be a relief for older youth seeking jobs.
SYEP is a very beneficial program; not only does it provide summer employment for young people, but it also provides a way for them to learn real-world work skills and etiquette that they may not have gained otherwise. This early preparation for the working world is invaluable.
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CPC Partners with New York Cares: Summer Volunteers Venture Outside of Chinatown
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This summer CPC partnered with New York Cares for four individual service days from July 7th - 28th. CPC volunteers participated in projects all over New York to serve meals to the hungry, play with children, visit seniors, revitalize neighborhood parks, and engage in other meaningful service opportunities.
New York Cares is a non-profit organization that was founded by a group of friends who wanted to take action against the serious social issues facing New York City. Their goal is to meet pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers for volunteer service.
What better way could CPC get involved with New York Cares than by selecting some of their best youth volunteers to help marginalized communities in New York?
Volunteers have served meals and packed pantry bags for people living with HIV/AIDS at a soup kitchen. They have also painted and beautified Seward Park. They have also had valuable time visiting seniors and doing arts and crafts with children.
CPC offers many volunteer opportunities throughout the year. However, through the volunteer opportunities with New York Cares, CPC volunteers have been exposed to new neighborhoods and people outside of Chinatown. Most importantly however, volunteers learn through their service experiences how to change their community for the better, and encourage others to do the same.
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Workforce Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
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To honor the hard work of volunteers at Workforce, staff held a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on June 30, 2009 complete with certificates, Best Buy gift cards and Thai food.
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News from Workforce's Adult Literacy Program
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Simon Chiew: The Man behind the CPC Literacy Program
By Dara K. Fulton, ESL Teacher for Adult Literacy
Interview conducted by Adrienne Lew, former ESL teacher at CPC
Simon Chiew is the coordinator of the CPC literacy program which serves predominantly Chinese communities in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. He is a former ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. He has experience teaching students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Simon is very dedicated to his staff and the CPC student population. He was asked several questions about his experience teaching English and learning new languages.
Why were you interested in teaching ESL?
English is a common language that people, from different backgrounds, use to talk to others. It's very exciting to help others learn the skills needed to make connections.
Have you faced difficulty learning a language?
I grew up in a bilingual family, learned English and Spanish in school and studied Japanese while working in Japan. Learning a new language is a challenge but is is also very rewarding. My goals for learning a language are to communicate with different people and to learn about different cultures.
What is your vision for the Literacy Program at CPC?
The Literacy Program at CPC is growing so that we can serve more people in the community. We are always studying and learning about how we can make our program better. In the future, I want the Literacy Program to be in more communities and to have a bigger presence.
Students' Spotlight
By Kim Mui, ESL Teacher for Adult Literacy
Spotlight: (noun) bright light on one area to center attention on a persion
"My name is Sammi Xie. I'm from Guang dong, China. I have lived in the United States for eight years. I'm learning English right now. I'm happy because I can speak a little English with my children and shop in American stores."
"My first name is Sherry. My last name is Wu. I'm from Venezuela. I speak Cantonese and a little English. I live in Brooklyn. I'm learning English right now. I want to learn English because I want to communicate with American people, and find a good job."
"My name is Zhenhua. My last name is Sun. I'm from Jiang Su, China. I speak Shanghainese and a little English. I feel very happy learning English because I can communicate with my neighbors. I can shop at American supermarkets and stores."
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Where is this?
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This is a photo of a place in Manhattan Chinatown. If you can guess successfully where this is, you will get your name and photo in the next CPC newsletter! Please send your guesses to newsletter@cpc-nyc.org with "Where is this?" in the subject line.
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CPC Summer Day Camp at P.S. 153 presents their 2009 Family Carnival
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Hate Crimes Prevention Art Exhibit
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