80
Beacon Programs Address Needs of Young People Around the City
by
Michael Ognibene
When
hundreds of young people and community members gather at I.S.
488 in Morningside Heights every week to learn about African
dance, the New York City Department of Youth and Community
Development (DYCD) celebrates another successful Beacon Community
Center. Since the first 10 Beacons were established in 1991,
the Beacon Program has developed into an award winning nationally
recognized model of out-of-school time community programming
that serves over 1,200 youth and 150 adults at each of the
80 sites throughout New York City every year.
DYCD
provides funding to community-based and other non-profit organizations
that operate Beacon programs in schools in all five boroughs.
Beacons provide a broad range of services to youth aged six
and above, families and local community residents. With each
Beacon’s program tailored to meet the needs of its local community,
services offered during the hours when youth are not in school
often include homework and tutorial assistance, literacy programs,
computer courses, cultural activities and structured recreation.
Beacons also offer evening programs including English for Speakers
of Other Languages (ESOL), financial literacy classes and Adult
GED.
Beacons
operate year round, including weekends, holidays, and during
school breaks, to ensure that activities continue during the
times that school is not in session. The Beacon program model
requires extensive partnerships and linkages with other local
entities including police precincts, community district boards,
school personnel, religious and business organizations and
other government agencies in order to maximize resources and
services to participating youth and adults. To find out about
a Beacon program in your neighborhood, contact the DYCD Office
of External Relations at (212) 442-6009.#
Michael
Ognibene is the Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Youth
and Community Development.
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
|