City of White Plains Youth Bureau Summer 2016 Report

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203 youth were employed during the summer of 2016

Youth Employment

219 youth submitted Summer Youth Employment applications201 youth attended the job fair146 youth worked in F01225 youth were placed through TANF funds (grant)23 youth were placed through Friends money (Donations)9 youth were placed through WDAY funds (Grant)8 youth were hired through the private sector

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94% of youth expressed gaining skills that have improved their ability to communicate effectively with adults and peers as a result of their Summer Youth Employment experience.

91% of youth expressed being better prepared to accomplish their future goals because of their Summer Youth Employment experience.

92% of youth stated that because of their Summer Youth Employment experience, they are better at organizing their work.

93% of youth feel their Summer Youth Employment experience has improved their ability to set goals for their future.

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Bits N’ Pieces Tutorial CampOne-hundred eighty one (181) elementary aged students enrolled in the Bits N’ Pieces Enrichment Camp. This year’s curriculum focused on the mastery of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). Under the newest national standards, educators are required to instruct students in science and technology with active question-and-answer teaching and hands-on investigation. The camp’s theme STEAM was interwoven in the coursework which included classes on core subjects such as ELA, Math and Science. Lesson plans were designed for each subject and used interactive hands-on class work. The core focus was to use convention and non-conventional teaching methods that engage the spirit of learning and strengthen the student’s prior knowledge of each core subject’s concepts and strategies learned during the school year.Technology class reinforced the students knowledge of computers and it’s functions. The students learned about coding, which helps children develop new ways of thinking and fosters problem-solving techniques. Abstract Art engaged the student’s critical thinking through visual mediums as an avenue to discuss and

exchange ideas and expands a student’s point of view. The students were allowed to use ordinary items and materials to create projects that displayed creative expression and free will.In Science, campers created hands-on projects, which fostered critical thinking and developed self-confidence in their ability to solve problems. Experimental science was hands-on-scientific experiments that involved using green energy sources such as wind, sun, and water to create electricity.As part of the ELA curriculum, D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) students participated in read a-louds for the younger campers; the older students could choose an age-appropriate book and read in groups with their counselors or independently. General discussions were held during the latter part of class to assess vocabulary and comprehension. ‘Learning by doing’ was effective in achieving campers’ attention, focus, enthusiasm and retention of information and material.

Liberty Science Center: Field trips are special times of learning

and inspiration. Liberty Science Center

understands educators’ needs and offers an

array of age-appropriate, curriculum-linked

STEAM programs. All of their programs

include links to the Next Generation Science

Standards (NGSS). Kids had a ball as they

traveled through the current exhibitions that

included Nano Science, Communication,

Energy and Animal Life.

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Special Events:Field Day - Recreation and sports day sponsored by Back Yard Sports. Safety Day - An annual event sponsored by Bunge Corp & New York Volunteers featuring Special Guest Speakers, Multiple Safety Stations, T-Shirts, Back Packs, Water Bottles and Prizes. The children traveled from station to station learning everything from first aide, cyber safety, and electrical safety to fire safety. Along their travels they were able to participate in art projects, create solar energy bracelets and construct first aid kits.

KEN KEN Day - A fun filled day of math, sponsored by IBM, KEN KEN and New York Volunteers, included Math Games, Prizes, a Pizza Party, Robots, and a Laser Show. The children competed for prizes in math games that were both educational and fun!

Outcomes:• 90% said that by participating in the camp they would do better in science

and math the next school year.• 96% said that by participating in the camp they learned how to follow

instructions.• 94% said that by participating in the camp they would be able to get along

with teachers better.• 100% said they made new friends at the Summer Camp• 92% said that participating in the camp taught them how to respect

difference in other people.• 98% said they would like to come back to the camp again next year.• 90% of parents polled felt that providing students with academic

enrichment during this six week summer period better prepares their child to start the new school year.

Quassy Amusement Park:Quassy is a unique family-oriented park. They offer

swimming, picnicking, a huge family redemption

arcade, Splash Away Bay Water Park and more

than 20 rides. This trip allowed the children to both

cool off and heat things up as they enjoyed a host

of thrilling rides, games and the water park.

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13 youth participated in the Growing White Plains’ Summer Garden Program.This year’s program included:

• Six 14 and 15 year olds summer employees and

• Seven 12 and 13 year old volunteers. The summer programs main focus centered on maintaining and developing two community garden sites: • New York Presbyterian Hospital and • Bethel Community Garden at the corner of Prospect

St. and Sterling Avenue. The summer crops are grown using only organic methods and once harvested the crops are donated to the White Plains Emergency Ecumenical Food Pantry. Not only were youth exposed to the joy of gardening but they learned the importance of holistic eating and lifestyles. Often the staple of any urban teenager’s diet includes fast food and more fast food. This project engages youth in the understanding of food and the thrill of seeing the results of their labor: seeds planted, cultivated, grown and harvested in front of their eyes. There is nothing better than watching a

young person eat a freshly harvested organic tomato right out the ground. They are often surprised by the taste, texture and size of the vegetable. Through the wonders of a garden, students experience hands-on lessons in biology and ecology, horticulture, wellness and nutrition, recycling, composting and community building.Our program included learning excursions to the Food Pantry of Westchester’s garden at the New York School for the Deaf, a Groundworks community garden in Yonkers, to the Science Barge in Yonkers learning about energy conservation and hydroponics.

During our six week program 93.75lbs. of food was harvested and donated to the food pantry.Harvesting continues well into the Fall. Our young people planted a great variety of Fall vegetables, including bush beans, spinach, mustard greens, arugula, Swiss chard, turnips, lettuce and beets.

Growing White Plains

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Healthy & Fit for Life ProgramThe Health & Wellness Boot Camp kicked off with 24 middle and high school youth, participating in a six week intensive fitness and wellness program. The program was executed in partnership with a variety of community partners – Shop Rite Nutrition Program, Planned Parenthood, Barnes & Noble Book Store, Digital Arts Experience, and the Youth Bureau Community Garden Program.In addition to fitness activities, the youth also received prevention education with evidence based programs, such as ”Making Proud Choices” presented by Planned Parenthood, and the Botvin Life Skills. Students were exposed to an element of fun that also promoted rigorous fitness as a routine by hiking up Bear Mountain and also through Central Park. A major component of healthy lifestyle includes food choices; youth also visited Stop N Shop Supermarket where they learned how to read nutrition labels and make healthy food choices on a budget. A community volunteer also taught them the basics of money management skills.

At the end of the program students articulated the following outcomes:• 100% of the participants stated that as a

result of participating in the program they understood the negative effect that illicit substances would have on their health.

• 99% stated that as a result of participating in the program they understood the importance of practicing safe sex

• 99% of the participants were able to articulate what “safe sex” practice meant

• 100% of the participants stated that as result of participating in the program they were staying physically active at least 60 minutes every day

• 98% of the participating youth said they would like to enroll for the camp again next year and also recommend the camp to a friend.

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This year’s program included 16 youth, 8 males and 8 females.In six short weeks students developed and designed a viable business plan and presented the plan all while learning the basics of being an entrepreneur. The youth followed the curriculum developed by our partner, the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and learned business concepts such as return on investment, determining the cost of goods, time management and market segmentation, by participating in on the job training activities that reinforced these concepts and guest speaker presentations.By far, the most popular activity of the summer was the Wholesale Shopping Trip and Retail Sale, where the youth were afforded the chance to use their newly acquired skills to make a little extra money. Using a NFTE advance of $40 each, the youth visited the Wholesale District in New York City and purchased

wholesale items they thought would be of interest to shoppers at the summer concerts held at Renaissance Plaza. Most of the students were able to earn back the seed money and gross a profit of range from $1-$51!While the youth certainly appreciated the opportunities to earn cash in addition to their hourly pay, the best take-away from the Entrepreneur Program are the skills the youth will use the rest of their lives, even if they don’t become entrepreneurs. While discussing ideas like what to name a candy bar they were supposed to create, the youth learned about working as a team, negotiating, understanding an audience’s motivation and looking for the competitive advantage to set their product apart.The youth who mastered these skills and used them in their business plans and presentations, wrapped up the summer program as the winners of the Business Plan competition.

The Entrepreneurship Program

Mya Kennie, earned first place and $150 for her organic, deep hair conditioner.

Henry Stern came in second and won $100 for his gourmet chocolate chip cookie business.

Arman Gill, a student at Fordham Prep took third place for his tutoring service.

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Summer Youth Court

The 2016 Summer Youth Court training enrolled seventeen (17) 9th and 10th grade students. Youth learned about the intricacies of laws pertaining to youth offenses, the inner workings of the judicial system, and how to process low level criminal cases.

The youth had the opportunity to meet and hear from professionals from various individuals involved with law enforcement: Judges, Attorneys, clerks, police officers, probation officers, and more. They also had the opportunity to tour the Federal Court House in White Plains.

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Middle School STEM Camp• 26 6th, 7th and 8th graders participated in the

Middle School STEM Camp • Students explored the world of EverFi, a website

that uses online courses for students; the first course was Digital Literacy & Responsibility. This course taught students how technology works and introduced STEM careers, while also placing them in virtual environments to tackle issues including privacy, security, cyberbullying, digital relationships, and the viral nature of the web. Students also had the opportunity to apply their learning through virtual simulations. While working toward a goal of organizing a concert for their school, students demonstrated what they learned by creating a blog, managing a social networking site, and working to resolve cyberbullying situations.

• The second course was entitled Future Goals. The National Hockey League (NHL) partnered with EverFi to launch this program that provides students with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. The program provides cutting-edge, digital learning and prepares today’s students to be the innovators and leaders of tomorrow. Hockey Scholar used interactive gameplay and the sport of hockey to expose students to foundational STEM concepts, scientific thinking and data/graphical analysis through real-life STEM applications.

• Students were taught the basics of computer programming by Dr. Neeraj Jaggi. The online tool Scratch [2] was used to demonstrate the application of basic programming constructs towards designing animations and games. Students created and programmed games such as “Ball Drop & Catch” and Tic-Tac-Toe. Students were engaged in concepts of code execution, variables and randomness. They also engaged in hands-on programming concepts of conditionals, loops, message passing, and event based programming, and sequential vs. parallel execution. Students were also exposed to advanced concepts of data structures and functions using “list” and “block” constructs available in Scratch [2]. These concepts form the essential building blocks of all modern programming languages, and familiarity to these concepts early on significantly helps in preparing the students for a career in Technology.

iFly

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• Math was a focal point of the summer session. Students were engaged in math games that used coins, dice, and geometric shapes. Concepts from probability, simultaneous linear equations, arithmetic series, and geometry were used throughout the process. Material provided by Mixing in Math [3], a NSF funded project, was used extensively. Whiteboard and online videos were used to introduce and reinforce math concepts.

Math games as a medium are well suited to attract children. The game setup provided the opportunity to test the boundaries of students’ knowledge in math, and to push those boundaries even further. For instance, when the students did not have sufficient background in specific advanced concepts, they were willing to learn those concepts just to be able to participate in the game to the greatest extent possible.

• The STEM Education Leadership Center helped campers explore the principles of physics and physical science as per NY State Science Standards. Students learned the fundamentals of Newton’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd Laws by building and launching two types of rockets (compressed air & solid fuel), building and testing catapults and experienced the fundamentals by using iPad controlled robots called Sphere-O.

Museum of Math

Science Barge

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WHITE PLAINS COMMON COUNCIL

Mayor Thomas M. Roach

Hon. John Kirkpatrick, Pres.

Hon. Nadine Hunt-Robinson

Hon. Dennis E. Krolian

Hon. Milagros Lecuona

Hon. John M. Martin

Hon. Beth N. Smayda

MAYOR’S YOUTH BOARD

Thomas M. Roach, Mayor

Hon. Nadine Hunt-Robinson

Board Chair

Timothy Baird

Wayne Bass

Florence Bolton

Thelma Davenport-Tulloch

Rosemarie Eller

Erwin Gilliam

Katrina Jackson

Elizabeth Mark

Kelly MarxHenry McCants

Ayanna Pruedhomme

Ybelize Pilarte

Sylvester Price III

Lt. James Spencer

Tanya Wilson

YOUTH BUREAU STAFF

Frank Williams, Jr.,

Executive Director

Bhavana Pahwa

Catherine Backes

Sherry Bannister

Hilary Blackman

Sheila Foley

Nicolette Johnson

Agnes Kadavil

Laura Montoya

Adrienne Rivers

Martin Rudow

Byron Smalls

Janet Spencer

Patricia Staffiero

Raymond Tribble

Board Members

Celebrating 46 years of service and commitment to

the students and families of the City of White Plains.