News & Updates

DECEMBER 2024 | Newsletter overview

Our writers and alumni continue to make waves, embodying YC’s mission in incredible ways:

• Chantel Jackson started her new role as communications specialist at Osborne Association.
• Spencer Katz‘s story, “Arriving, Finally, as My Chosen Name,” won the 2024 Media for a Just Society Award presented by Evident Change, shining a spotlight on the experiences of transgender youth. The award is given to creators who exceedingly portray“our social systems” current realities and the promise of reform.
• Janay Collins was a finalist for the same 2024 Media for a Just Society Award with their powerful piece, “Something Good Out of Something Bad.”
• Liza Tuyuc won best essay in the 2023 Dr. K. York &Noelle Chynn CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest.
• YC alumni Cheyanne Deopersaud helped secure $30.7M in public funding for over 3,000 youth in care, reimagining systems to uplift underrepresented communities.
• Enoch Naklen is publishing an op-ed on high school journalism with Council Member Rita Joseph.
• Ronald K. Brown‘s recovery after his stroke was featured in the UK’s i Paper.

We are so proud of our YC writers and alumni and their impact!

This fall, we’ve continued to build partnerships and deliver impactful training:

• In October, YC provided trainings for Brooklyn Job Corps on using our On My Way and Real Men curricula. Brooklyn Job Corps is a workforce development organization that works with teens who are going into the workforce. They also provide educational services like TABE testing and HSE diploma acquisition. 
• We have also worked with Caliber Beta/Caliber Changemakers Academy in California on the middle school curricula.
• In addition, we wrapped up the Real Stories, Real Pathways program with NYC Public Schools.
• YC has kicked off the second year of our partnership with NYCPS Every Child and Family Is Known (ECFIK) initiative. Thank you to all the participants, our YC trainers, staff, DYCD Director Joshua Laub, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman for making the trainings a success! We’re grateful to be working together to create real change with teens across NYC.

If you are interested in learning more about these trainings, please email: [email protected]

ROSE PERNA HIGHLIGHTED IN CENTER FOR NYC AFFAIRS & ‘SEEKING SHELTER’ BOOKLET

YC teen writer Rose Perna’s housing story was republished by the Center for New York City Affairs and sent to their list of 12,000 people. Rose was also a speaker on our YC writer and alumni panel at our second annual Spring Benefit. 

NATHALI FELIZ, KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT ACS’S FOSTER CARE AWARENESS EVENt

Represent alum Nathali Feliz was keynote speaker at the plenary session for ACS’s foster care awareness event in May. She spoke about her experiences with the school system as a youth in foster care and now as a parent to a youth with special needs. She had specific feedback for social workers around building trust with youth and about advocating for them in the school system. 

YC PRESENTED AT KEY CONFERENCES: THE CASEL SEL EXCHANGE, PAVING THE WAY CONFERENCE, CSA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, AND THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN’S GRIEF SYMPOSIUM

• THE CASEL SEL EXCHANGE
  Janill Briones-Lopez, YC’s Director of Partnership Development and Tim Fredrick, PHD, YC’s Managing Director of Education Programs represented our mission at the SEL Exchange hosted by CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning).
• CSA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 
  YC exhibited at the CSA 2024 Leadership Conference and introduced our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Professional Development (PD) programs while engaging with dedicated educators and leaders.
• PAVING THE WAY CONFERENCE 
  Janelle Greco, YC’s Senior Director of Training presented at the Paving the Way Conference. A conference about supporting youth experiencing homelessness. Our session “Talk to Me: Building Relationships with Youth Experiencing Homelessness” was presented to over 35 participants.
• YC’s Partnership Team represented us at the Building Bridges to Opportunity hosted by the Office of Student Pathways at the NYC Department of Education (NYCPS). We connected with wonderful principals looking to help their students graduate college and be career ready. Our “Level Up” and “On My Way” curriculum prepares our youth navigating the transition from college to becoming an early career individual.
  

YC’S RESPONSIVE WORKSHOPS TACKLE SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES:

• With foster care agency, SCO Family of Services at their site in Jamaica with youth aging out of care and/or leaving their group homes. The youth ranged in age from 17-25, with in total 12 of them. The first workshop focused on Goal Setting and we used Xavier Reyes’ story “Maxed Out” from On My Way.
• In a workshop about Managing Transitions, and we used story excerpts from Natasha Santos’ “A Method to the Madness” and a story by Giselle John. The workshops were well received and we will be doing more work with them and their Passages to Adulthood program moving forward.
• Coinciding with Trans Awareness Week, we hosted the Visible + Vital Webinar: Protecting Transgender and Non Binary Youth. The high turnout and engaged participation demonstrated the commitment to creating inclusive and supportive environments for youth, and we’re thrilled to develop partnerships from this vital conversation.

YC’s WRITING PROGRAMS CONTINUES TO AMPLIFY YOUTH VOICE

This summer and fall, our year-round writing program published a over 15 incredible stories. One YC writer, Blonshe Katz, shared her experience about writing for YC:

“I’ve met some great people here – the writers, the editors, really the entire staff… I’ve learned so much about different aspects of life, and I’ve found a strong sense of community.”

SUMMER WRITING WORKSHOP

• We were honored to welcome NYC Council Member Rita Joseph to our office, where she connected with YC writers to discuss the critical challenges teens face today, from education and social pressures to mental health and emotional well-being.

Council Member Rita Joseph’s commitment to bringing journalism and student newspapers to more NYC schools is inspiring and aligns perfectly with our mission to amplify youth voices. Her work to change legislation ensures that students have the tools and platforms to explore their identities, challenge the status quo, and uplift their peers.

• “Restorative Justice is respect. Respect for all, even those who are different from us; even those who seem to be our enemies. Respect reminds us of our interconnectedness, but also of our differences. Respect insists we balance concerns for all parties. If we pursue justice as respect, we will do justice restoratively.” – Howard Zehr

A heartfelt thank you to Mychal Pagan, Creative Artist, and Cheyanne, Fair Futures Advocate for Youth in Care, for sharing your powerful stories of navigating the child welfare and criminal justice systems. Your journeys toward restorative justice remind us of the strength found in community and the power of healing through respect, kindness, and empathy.

• “Tell me what matters most to you.” It’s a simple question, but one that’s rarely asked. Joe Madonia from the Warner Fund did just that, sparking an inspiring conversation with our writers about what they care about and the changes they want to see in the world.
• We’re thrilled to partner with Goddard Riverside’s Options Center! Their dedication to supporting first-gen and low-income students inachieving their college dreams is inspiring. Our rising juniors and seniors had an amazing time learning about the vital resources and guidance provided for their college journey, financial aid, and career paths.
• Also, a special shoutout to our 2024 Summer Writing Workshop ending picnic in Central Park – an amazing celebration of our writers’ achievements, full of fun activities and reflections on a fantastic summer at YC.
• Huge thanks to the Pinkerton Foundation for visiting us and welcoming us to your office. Your journalism insights were truly inspiring. We’re grateful for your continued partnership in amplifying youth voices since 1993! A special thank you to Erickson Blakney and Rick Smith.

We’re deeply grateful for your visit to our Summer Writing Workshop and for supporting our teens with such genuine care and insight. Thank you for amplifying their voices in a truly meaningful way!

SPRING stories ROUNDUP

This past summer and fall, YC’s year-round writing program published the following incredible stories and more. See below for a handful of these impactful stories:

▶“Remembering Our Ancestors: An Interview With My Aunt Frances Cuevas” by Blonshe Katz
▶“Teens Speak Out On The Election” by YC Writers

▶“More Than A Stereotype” by Justin Sosa

▶“War Transformed Our Family” by V.T.

▶“Learning To Trust Myself” by Anonymous published in Represent Magazine

▶”Finding Luck” by Rylynn

▶“Reintroducing Myself To The World” by Marlin Xie

DIGITAL INNOVATIONS

IMPROVED LOOK TO YC’S AWARD WINNING MAGAZINES

Explore our new magazine homepages for both YCteen and Represent.

Plus, our new grief-focused vertical offering resources on resilience and community support.

THANK YOU NEW YORK LIFE FOUNDATION

• The “Communal is Personal: Helping Grieving Youth Process Public Violence & Death,” workshop highlighted a section of YC’s 6-part “Bereavement and Belonging” workshop series, a New York Life-sponsored training series for educators. This professional development series is centered around stories YC teens wrote the past two years. All the writers had experienced significant loss in their lives – whether through experiences in the foster care system or through a death of a friend or family member.

We are grateful to the New York Life Foundation and their support that made this incredible work possible.

If you are interested in bringing our 6-part “Bereavement and Belonging” workshop series to your organization or school, please email: [email protected]

OTHER GRANTS AWARDED:

• The New York Community Trust (NYCT) award to pilot a cohort model for our culturally responsive education program. Thank you for partnering with us to elevate youth voice together.

COMMUNITY UPDATES:

• YC’s 2nd Open Mic Night: We are beyond thankful for everyone who joined us for YC’s 2nd Open Mic Night.

It was truly inspiring to witness the incredible talent, courage, and creativity of the writers, poets, singers, and all other performers. From heartfelt spoken wordto moving original songwriting, every moment reflected the power of storytelling to connect us and continue amplifying youth voice.

Special thanks to The Center for Fiction for generously hosting us in their beautiful space and to The Bank of India for generously supporting our mission to elevate youth voices. And, an enthusiastic thank you to all of our alumni, writers, future writers and friends who took the stage and graced us with their voices!

• YC’s Visible + Vital Webinar: We are beyond thankful for everyone who joined us for the Visible + Vital: Protecting Transgender and Non Binary Youth webinar.

We had about 200 attendees and their participation shows the commitment to creating inclusive and supportive environments for youth, and we’re thrilled to have our supporters in this vital conversation.

REFLECTING ON OCTOBER’S FUNDER BREAKFAST

It was a joy to connect with our attendees of YC’s Funder Breakfast! Your presence reinforced our shared commitment to empowering youth and strengthening communities. Thank you for joining us and for making YC’s mission possible.

Development Associate: joanne narrido

Joanne joined YC as Development Associate in March 2024. She brings over 10 years of experience in art non-profits and higher education. Joanne’s passion is creating sustainable pathways for equitable access to resources for marginalized communities. Joanne has an M.A. in arts administration from Baruch College (CUNY) and a B.A. in sociology from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She is currently pursuing a fundraising certification in the Heyman Program at NYU. 

WELCOME OUR NEWEST YC COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

• Hande Erkan, former writer now YCA Member and YC Communications and Marketing Associate
• Davide Lanuto, YCA member 
• Naman Sogani, YCA member 
• Patrick Sutton, YCA member 
• Anthony Turner, former writer now on the YCA
• Taiia Smart Young, former writer now on the YCA 
• Kai Arrowood, former writer now on the YCA
• Sousan Hammad, per diem trainer in Education

OPEN MIC NIGHT

Join us on November 21st (6:00-8:00 PM) at the Center for Fiction for our second Open Mic Night of 2024!
Register to Perform | Register to Attend

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?

Join our Board of Directors or YC Ambassadors Leadership Committee! If you are interested in supporting Youth Communication in a leadership capacity, please email, [email protected].