The Youth

In Washington Heights and Inwood, youth often face a bleak developmental landscape. Close to 60% of the 52,000 children under 18 in our community live with only one parent, and of these, almost half live with a parent who is unemployed. The troubled NYC school system often presents limited educational opportunities to FYI youth, many of whom are academically in “the middle of the pack” – those who often get lost in the educational system because they are neither underachievers nor “gifted,” but nevertheless have tremendous potential. In the community, these youth encounter further obstacles such as gangs, drugs, and patterns of youth crime and violence.

FYI’s After School Learning Center provides a safe, nurturing environment where children and teens are equipped with essential skills through academic assistance, college preparation, English instruction, team building, enrichment, and strong positive relationships with caring adults.

Who are FYI Youth?

They are ordinary kids who do noble things.
They are ordinary kids who -- according to every statistic about Washington Heights – face soaring risks for dropping out of school, early pregnancy and crime.
They are extraordinary kids who are beating the odds.

“FYI helped me to become a leader.”- Priscilla Canela, age 15
“FYI helped me change my negative attitude into a positive one.” - Briana Polite, age 14
“FYI has made me a better person by allowing me to help change the world.” -Randher Alcantara, age 11

The Incentives

FYI Community Presentation Awards and Camp Scatico

We conclude each program semester (summer and fall), with our Community Presentation Awards ceremony. On this day, plaques, certificates, and trophies are distributed to every individual who took responsibility for making that semester’s program a success. We also invite the youth participants to a sleepaway camp in Upstate New York (Camp Scatico). This trip is a tool used to reward and acknowledge the hard work and dedication participants have demonstrated to the agency and the community. It also serves as a retention tool and provides impetus to succeed within the organization.

FYI Incentive Gear

In addition to the awards, FYI gives incentive gear to its participants. The gear presented to the participants varies by program, but is always based on the amount of volunteer hours contributed to FYI. The incentives distributed in the after school program throughout the school year are as follows:

30 hours: Red T-Shirt
60 hours: Purple T-Shirt
100 hours: Black & White T-Shirt
150 hours: FYI Cap
250 hours: Sweatshirt
325 hours: Sweatpants
400 hours: Duffel Bag
500 hours: Plaque
750 hours: Special Edition Gear
1000 hours: Marble Globe
1200 hours: Sweatsuit

Incentive Trips

FYI organizes trips for our youth, with participation based on the amount of volunteer hours they have earned. The trips help to fulfill our mission by expanding our youth’s horizons and exposing them to new and different sights, sounds and people. Different trips stress different focal points: community service activities, enrichment activities, and cultural activities. In and around our own home-town of NYC, we’ve been ice skating at Rockefeller Center, bowling in Harlem, clowning around at the Big Apple Circus, audience members at Tada! Theater, and more. With our Group Leaders as role models and guides, exploring New York City adds richness to being a city kid!

Trip USA and the FYI Leadership Retreat take us out-of-state for trips that build bridges to new and rewarding first-time experiences. Trip USA is made possible through collaborations we have established with organizations, youth groups, and extended FYI-community friends throughout the years. We have taken our participants to Florida, California, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa. Our Leadership Retreats have taken us to Virginia, Vermont, and upstate New York. These trips get our inner-city youth out of their everyday routines and expose them to new experiences. We try to include a college campus visit when possible in order to make the idea of college more tangible; we find that when our youth visit colleges, especially outside of NYC, they renew their effort to improve their studies and they get more excited about their future opportunities.

Recent FYI Alumni

Once our seniors graduate from high school, they remain a part of the FYI family. Some of our former participants come back to us as summer camp counselors, event planners, even staff! Many, back from college break, simply stop by to let us know how they’re doing.

Graduating Seniors (4) June 2010 Graduating Seniors (4) June 2009 Graduating Seniors (3) June 2008 Graduating Seniors (7) June 2007