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High Schools

Westchester Youth Alliance: Fostering Connection Among Youth & the Community

April 24, 2023 by Pamela Brown

Building bridges. Creating diverse communities. The youth in Westchester are coming together to learn about themselves while creating the world they want to live in. “We’re looking to help kids as they graduate high school to have a bigger world view when they enter college or the workforce, so when they move into a community and meet someone from a different background they can have a positive knowledge base to draw on and interact in a respectful and compassionate manner,” said Nisa Geller, Executive Director of the Westchester Youth Alliance (WYA).

Established in 2012, WYA connects high school students from diverse communities of faith, race, and identity and engages them in conversation, mobilizes them in community service, and empowers them to create a better, culturally informed world. “We feel it’s important for teenagers to have civil conversations with people who are different from them – different towns, different socio-economic backgrounds, different racial and religious backgrounds – and to have empathy and compassion for them,” said Geller. “This allows students to make friendships outside of their community. We facilitate the conversations using ice breakers and a curriculum that’s designed to break down stereotypes and stigma.”

For Monday Lerner, a sophomore at Scarsdale High School, spending time with the WYA is the best part of the week. “The community and social justice work we do inspires me to be a better person and think more about my community every day,” said Lerner. “The community of people I’ve met in WYA has been a lifeboat in the rough sea of high school and I’m grateful for their support.”

WYA’s THREE PILLARS

WYA has served 425 teens from 28 Westchester high schools and over 25 religious institutions and is growing in Southern Westchester. WYA’s curriculum of programming includes community service, educational opportunities, social justice activities, and recreational events, all based on three pillars: Nurturing Voice (active listening and respectful disagreement); Building Community (designing a better future); and Taking Action (working collaboratively to be agents of change). “We also teach these pillars so when students leave they feel they know who they are, how to get along with other people, and they’re a clear communicator in getting their message across in a civil and respectful way,” explained Geller.

The teens learn with and from each other through productive dialogue and engaging events and activities that include service projects, art projects, and regular gatherings to connect, reflect, and plan. Also, WYA organizes a variety of large-scale events, focused experiences, and guided discussions based on themes determined by teen members. Events are open to all teens at no cost. Recent issues of importance include mental health, food insecurity, gun violence, and climate change.

Emiliana Knauer, a senior at The Harvey School in Katonah, describes her time at WYA as a phenomenal experience. “While I may have initially joined the group as someone very hesitant to assume leadership positions due to lack of self-confidence, I’ll be leaving with the experiences of displaying a photography project at the Bedford Playhouse, working a booth at the Yorktown Pride Festival, speaking at a fundraising event, and even starting my school’s first feminist club,” she said. “I have so many fun and meaningful memories associated with WYA, and I’m incredibly grateful I had the chance to be part of the organization.”

WYA partners with a variety of not-for-profit organizations to offer hands-on community-service events. Students have cooked meals to feed the homeless, sorted toys for Toys for Tots, harvested vegetables at Hanover Hilltop Farm, and built affordable housing for low-income families. Throughout summer, members attend local events to share the WYA mission.

“We want students to be agents of change in their community,” said Geller. “We want them to realize they see a problem in their community they can take action on it, or if they see a need in their community, they can help make things better.”

Michelle Jones, a senior at White Plains High School, shares how the nonprofit has provided her with opportunities to collaborate with her peers and help the community. “I’ve learned to manage my time better and assume more responsibilities,” said Jones. “My first encounter with WYA was at a gardening event. I was quickly accepted into the group and felt like I belonged. WYA is a great place to find friends all the while bettering your community.”

That’s the goal of WYA. “We want to expand the students’ possibilities and network of people,” said Geller. “It’s very exciting for the teens and for the organizations that we help as well.”

Upcoming Events at the WYO

May 7 – Planting day at Hilltop Hanover Farm, Yorktown Heights

Students will be helping the farmers in the fields, weeding, picking (and sampling) fresh produce, making signage, pruning, and more. Experienced kids, passionate about plant care, will help care for more delicate plants.

June 11 – Yorktown For Justice: Pride 2023 Festival

All students welcome! Gather for the march and from 3-6 p.m. enjoy performances, speakers, vendors, food trucks, and activities.

June 18 – 12th annual Juneteenth Celebration at Depew Park, Peekskill

Juneteenth Tabling with the City of Peekskill’s Youth Bureau Celebrate the day as local performers are joined by youth groups who will will proudly strut their talents throughout the afternoon.

TBA – September – Bonfire Open House kick-off for the 2024 season at Pound Ridge Reservation

Register at westchesteryouthalliance.org

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Building Bridges, community service, High Schools, Service Projects, social justice, Westchester Youth, Westchester Youth Alliance

Here at Home: Area Students Plan to Support Their Peers in Parkland

March 12, 2018 by Janie Rosman

Following a tragic Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that claimed the lives of 14 students and three teachers, Women’s March Youth EMPOWER is calling for students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and allies to take part in a 17-minute #NationalSchoolWalkout at 10 a.m. across every time zone on March 14.

Parkland students made their collective voice unequivocally clear–breathing unprecedented youthful energy into a movement. They demand government get a grip on a gun and mass shooting epidemic. Their essential message: Enough is enough and that Congress must take action on gun control and pass legislation that will keep them safe from gun violence at school, home and places of worship.

Horace Greeley High School’s Hannah Fenlon was moved by the heartfelt response of Parkland high school students to organize a national student walkout.

“When my principal Mr. Rhodes asked whether I, student body president, was interested to help organize and plan Greeley’s student walkout, I surveyed the other members of student government,” Fenlon said via email. “We collectively agreed this event would be a great chance for our school community to come together and stand up for every student’s right to feel safe in school.”

The group is working with student leaders and administrators to safely plan the event, and hope it will be a meaningful tribute in remembrance of the student and staff lives lost that day. “While we decided that our walkout shouldn’t adopt an overtly political agenda, I also hope students will leave feeling empowered and ready to use their voices to spark positive, tangible change,” Fenlon said.

Chappaqua Central School District Superintendent Dr. Christine Ackerman said the district is aware of the National Movement for students to ‘walk-out’ of school on March 14 for 17 minutes in response to the horrific shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“While the rationale for individual involvement may be different, from my vantage point the ultimate goal for an event of this nature is to bring heightened awareness to the public regarding student concerns over safety,” Ackerman said.

“This is consistent with Project SAVE law enacted by the New York State Legislature in 2000,” she said. “Our secondary principals are working with our students who wish to part-take in this movement.”

Ackerman said the district sent a notice to families — a different notice based upon the students’ ages — Friday prior to the walkout about how it will handle the day in each building.

“In Chappaqua, we are incredibly fortunate to work with a supportive and involved Town of New Castle leadership team… to collaborate on ways to ensure we are cultivating emotionally and physically safe spaces for our children,” she said. “I look forward to working together with all of our community partners as we continuously look to improve our school district environment.”

Byram Hills CSD Superintendent Jen Lamia said students have been forthcoming, expressing their thoughts, and what we care about is they do this in a safe environment. “Our job as educators has been to educate and keep students safe. As a community, having students work with the administration and share what they’re thinking speaks to us maintaining our schools as safe places.”

Lamia felt, “Students are seeking a way to respond, to be heard, and to unify. Educators must do what we can to hear what students have to say and to keep them safe.”

Although Fox Lane High school in Bedford CSD will be participating, neither district Superintendent Dr. Christopher M. Manno, nor Pleasantville UFSD Superintendent Dr. Mary Fox-Alter — whose district high school is not listed as a participating school —responded to a request for comment.

Robert E. Bell Middle School eighth-grade student Isabelle Good-Ricardo encouraged her peers to participate in the March 14 walkout. Below, Good-Ricardo’s statement shares an encouraging message about evoking positive change in a peaceful way and emphasizes today’s students are making history and are tomorrow’s voters. For Isabelle’s comments, please go to: https://www.theinsidepress.com/bell-school-student-explains-why-the-youngest-voices-protesting-gun-violence-must-also-be-heard/

For general info about the walk and participating schools, please visit https://www.actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/enough-national-school-walkout

Filed Under: New Castle News Tagged With: #NationalSchoolWalkout, Florida, High Schools, March 14 Walkout, March Youth EMPOWER, Parkland, Responses to Parkland Shooting, School Superintendents, Valentine’s Day

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