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Strengthening Relationships, Building Community
Summer 2008
Greetings!
 
This is our summer edition. You won't see us again until we publish our September edition in late August. So, today we wrap up the past year and anticipate the next.

And, don't miss our article on summer jobs for young kids. Learn what business Martha Stewart started as a summer job when she was in grade school.
- Editor
In This Issue
Summer Headlines
When Does a Routine Become a Ritual?
Ten Good Things Rituals Do for Children
New Rituals for Changing Families
On My Mind - Dom's Wanderings
Summer Headlines

McKee GraduatesMcKee graduates Anthony Rice and Brandon Lindo show off their diplomas. They both participated in our WAVE Career and Education Program.

WAVE had a stupendously busy year-end. They traveled to John Jay College for a tour, played at Four Flags, and bid WAVE manager Jamie goodbye and good luck. She's moving on to the position of personal advocate at our new Olympus Academy.

You can see a slideshow of their adventures here.

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What's the Advantage? Twenty-one students at Port Richmond High School found they lacked the social studies credits to graduate with their class. Then, in March, our Advantage program opened. Working closely with the Chairperson of the Social Studies Department, Barry O'Brien, the Advantage staff taught a class in economics and another in US Government. Students attended class from 3-5 PM, Monday through Friday for a two week, twenty hour program to earn their missing credits. Twenty-one additional graduates. Twenty-one pleased families. And, a great start for a new program.

The NY Center's Advantage program at Port Richmond High School opened this spring with funding from NYS OCFS. Advantage offers tutoring, conflict resolution, career and college exploration, drama, sports and recreation, the youth council, counseling, and credit recovery. Over 160 students took 'advantage' of the programs.

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Many thanks go to auction co-chairs  Maryann Lauria & Lindy Marrazzo, See Mike Baver's article below.

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How Neutral Can You Be? CDRC Spotlight Series
Good mediators reflect on their practice and our mediators are no exception. In June, fourteen mediators from our Community Dispute Resolution Center considered how their personal judgments impact their role as a neutral party in their mediations. Using two recent articles on neutrality to kick-off the discussion, we explored the importance of being aware of our judgments and reflected on some of them.

Next month's program? We'll reflect on the importance of baseball on life in America. We're taking our mediators to a Staten Island Yankees game! It's a special thank you for the time and effort our mediators invest in the CDRC. Enjoy the game!


***** advertisement*****
DO YOU NEED A RESOLUTION TO WORKPLACE CONFLICT? Our experienced staff can help. Contact Sequoia Stalder, NY Center Director of Conflict Resolution Services, at 718-947-4038.


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Update on Open Positions --  Brooklyn and Staten Island.  Do you know someone who'd like to work for the NY Center?
  • Personal Advocates - part-time Staten Island.  BA in social work or other human service field and youth development experience preferred. SI & Brooklyn locations.
  • Career and Education Counselor for our after school programs, full-time, masters-level and related experience preferred. July start date, Staten Island.
  • Administrative Assistant, part-time, Brooklyn
  • Program Assistants, part-time, Sept. start date. Staten Island.
If you know someone interested in one of these positions, have them email their resume to Candace Gonzalez.


On-Time for Class; On-Time for Graduation

Antoinette Peters

Antoinette Peters proved that no distance would keep her from a high school diploma. On June 27th, the Staten Island Young Adult Borough Center presented Antoinette and thirty-eight other graduates their hard-earned high school degrees.

It's not easy to get to our new YABC home at Tottenville High School. It's at the southernmost tip of Staten Island. But, our kids make the trip.
  • Thirty nine students graduated.
  • Sixty earned elective credit and work experience through the Learning to Work program.
  • All six students preparing for Regents/RCT exams passed.
And, this year, Antoinette is the recipient of the Judge Barbara Panepinto Young Woman of Achievement Award. Here's her story.

Antoinette started high school at John Dewey in Brooklyn, where she says, "I simply just didn't go to class. We were encouraged to work at our own pace at Dewey and the school is like a college campus. So you'd go to school every day but you didn't go to class."

Antoinette couldn't handle this kind of freedom. The school was more than an hour away, so, when she did try to go to class, she was always late. She found herself involved in a lot of "drama" and fighting. She was once arrested for "causing a riot" in school.

When she turned sixteen, it dawned on her that she was so far behind she'd never get out of high school. A credit count that showed she was a freshmen when she should have been a junior. After a heart-to-heart with a guidance counselor Antoinette enrolled in the Brooklyn YABC. But, Antoinette says that "when you're still around the people who you were "down with" in one school, then they keep you down in any school."

She knew she needed a change. With her dad in her corner, Antoinette moved to Staten Island and enrolled in the Staten Island YABC program.

"This is where everything changed for me. The Center staff always wanted to talk about 'me.' They didn't care if I didn't know how to keep a conversation short - they listened and they guided me through. I found myself having goals after talking to them."

Antoinette has been on every Honor Roll since her first term at the YABC. She has nearly perfect attendance despite the fact that it still took her over an hour to get school. She completed an internship in our Learning to Work program has enrolled in the College of Staten Island for the Fall 2008 semester.

The end result is that she was on time. And, this is her time to shine.

First Auction Successful Thanks to You
 

Sold Yankees Tickets

The evening was a complete success! On Thursday, June 5th, the New York Center held its first auction fundraiser Strengthening Relationships and Building Communities.

Over 120 guests bid on fantastic items ranging from art work to Yankees Red Sox tickets with waiter service and an international timeshare! In all, there were over 80 silent and live auction items diverse enough to speak to everyone's interests.

Winning a bid is fun but the powerful moments of the night came from our youth testimonials. Our programs provide many opportunities for at-risk youth, but it is up to them to meet us halfway. Shanasia McClain, Kevin Grainton, and Arlyssa Contreras shared their struggles and successes. They have become leaders for their peers and inspirations to us all.

The NY Center also premiered our new video that night and the Dynasty Step Team from our after school program at Curtis High School delighted the crowd.

Fundraisers are always important, but when the Mayor and Governor are both predicting cutbacks in existing contracts, they become critical for us to continue services to the Staten Island community.

Our deepest thanks go to all of you who attended and bid on items, contributed items and wonderful food, and helped us organize the evening. We depend on you, our friends, to help us spread our arms and reach all of our neighbors seeking assistance.



Summer Jobs for Young Kids
Wedding photographer
 
Tips for kids first jobs from FamilyFun.com

Did you know that Martha Stewart ran a birthday party planning business when she was still in grade school?

Summer jobs help kids discover careers they'd love and those they'd hate. You're never too young to start a summer job.

FamilyFun.com has 23 creative ideas grouped by interest--from businesses for kids who love crafts to cash cows for animal lovers. You and your child need only turn to the category that excites them most, then pick a business within that category. For further inspiration, the site includes a few childhood jobs of the now-rich-and-famous; marketing tips; pointers for parents; and advice from business kids.

Please help us expand our circle of friends. Use the "Forward email" link below to send this newsletter to someone you think would be interested. Your friend's address is protected. We don't keep it and won't use or sell it.
ON MY MIND 
Dom's Wanderings
Dominick Brancato
Another year. Graduations. End-of-year parties. Summer vacations.

Pause, oh so briefly, to catch our breath.

Then summer camp started - our first has 150 campers. Training for staff at the new transfer school, Olympus Academy in Canarsie. And, this year, serious consideration of how to deal with the budget cuts the mayor and governor have indicated will come.

As I struggle with contracts and vouchers, budgets and staffing issues, I sometimes forget that the staff are serving real people and dealing with issues that can have a life-long impact. But i
n June, I hear such wonderful stories.  I wish we had recorded them so I could share them with you. (Yes, it's time to learn how to do podcasts.)

It's hard to consider budget cuts when the end of year celebrations paint such vivid pictures of the impact our work has on people's lives. So, we're looking first at how to increase our revenue.

Can we charge fees for additional services? Can we increase our donor base?

We don't know what cuts we'll have to absorb in our contracts, but we hope you'll help us get the word out about our first new revenue-generating program -- workplace conflict resolution services.

We've already contracted with a large Manhattan employer. Every dollar we earn offsets those cuts coming down the line.

Call me if you can help us find ways to generate revenue. We need all the creativity we can muster.
Have a great summer.

All the best,

Dom




Our Calendar
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ACT Classes
Helping separating or divorcing parents  understand how to help their children cope with the changes. Visit our calendar for this month's dates.

Take a break.
It's summer!


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WAVE Year-End Slide Show

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NYC DOH Report on Teen Suicide

Electronic Monitoring to Curb Truancy
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