We have started off the program year with a bang! Beginning with our orientation retreat in August, we welcomed new eleventh grade Fellows into the Fellowship and twelfth grade Bridgers into their second year. Fellows and Bridgers have been busy attending skill-building sessions, committee meetings, hearing from our alumni, and joining together for team building and bonding activities. Read more below and check out some highlights of the season!
A RAW CONNECTION WITH MY NEW PEERS
by Alisha Vohra
YouthBridge-NY is a program I stumbled across several times and kept coming back to during my quest to find extracurricular programs. My passion for social justice, combined with the longevity of the program (something I had never seen before), made me interested in applying. I recall filling out the application late one night, and not thinking much of it, but noting that the questions felt sincere and engaging compared to anything I’ve filled out in a similar format. It is the interview that made me fall in love with the program, and learning about what it has in store made me even more compelled to give it my all. In the weeks after, I would look at the Instagram and website and hope that soon, I could be the one in these pictures and at these meetings. I wholeheartedly hoped to be accepted to YouthBridge, anticipating the distinct connections and learning it could provide for me.
I was thrilled to have received the acceptance. I had no idea what to expect from the retreat, afraid of a new setting. Thankfully, the Popsicles at the Park event let me meet the people I would be with for the 2 days to subtly relieve my fears. The immersive experience began when we stepped foot on the camp. I felt at peace breathing in the air of Copake. The camp life was such an exciting adventure, and I loved everything about it: the comradery of existing together in the bunks, journeying to the dining or alumni hall together (and tripping more times than I’d like to admit), and the outdoor activities. My favorite moment was when after our scheduled hours, all the Fellows and Bridgers got together around the campfire and played games for hours. I remember thinking at that moment that I was having the most fun I’d had in a while, feeling a raw connection with my new peers.
The most integral aspect of the retreat was the group activity portions. I was expecting your average first-day-of-school icebreakers where my brain would scramble to find something interesting about myself, but this was so different. I felt an added layer of comfort being with like-minded people. The activities were far from basic, as we got to know each other and work together in diverse and creative ways. Suddenly, hours of team building didn’t seem so bad. The game that sticks out to me was YouthBridge Neighborhood, where we were given an allotted set of money to buy materials for building a community. It was soon revealed to be all about privilege.
I anticipate the best as I build on these foundations created at the retreat to fully immerse myself in the space that is YouthBridge. Wherever my junior and senior year take me, I am eternally grateful to be able to complete the latter half of my high school journey with YouthBridge to support me in my growth.
ADDRESSING THE INJUSTICES IN OUR UNFAIR SOCIETY
by Doris Zheng
Hello to those reading this. My name’s Doris and I'm currently a junior at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics.
I joined YouthBridge for a chance to be able to engage in discussion with other people my age about a topic we were all interested in, which is criminal justice reform and addressing the injustices in our unfair society. I wanted to leave this program with new knowledge on this topic and what I can do to make a difference. Initially, I had joined just to test out the program but I eventually found it went hand in hand with a long mystery I had tried to solve. Entering this committee, I expected at least 50 people, so I was surprised to see the amount of people in my committee which was 8 people.
Walking into that very professional building, I felt as though I was taking on a serious job and about to engage in a really beneficial conversation. The main takeaway I had from our last session would be that the American Justice System will continue to be unfair for all of us and the only change I'll be able to make would be taking it career path in the future. Not just the political state, but the social state of our society needs to improve, and we can all come together to ensure that change. We played the Bail Trap game, which gave my group a headache. Every option that was given wasn’t beneficial and drained the bank of the character especially if they were a person of color or a woman. Our experience playing it was annoying as the other character, who was a white, financially stable middle aged-man, had a better chance at getting money back while the young woman of color lost her job, schooling, and a lot of money all at once.
I'm looking forward to more engaging discussions regarding this topic and more social events to get to know my peers better. This program would also look great on my resume regarding programs I've attended to show my teambuilding, and collaborative skills. I can't wait to discover what skills I develop and what new people I'll meet.
WATERING THE SEEDS FOR MY PASSION
by Tiara Naselli
I initially joined YouthBridge because I thought it was a unique opportunity to further my passion for criminal justice through experience and knowledge alongside other teenagers my age. Moreover, I have fortunately been able to take up an internship at the United Nations which has been incredibly eye opening. As enlightening as the experience has been, I have noticed its lack of representation from the teenage perspective, especially for minorities like Latinos. This made me realize that our voices are actually one of the most significant. We essentially are the next generation of workers who will make active strides to better our environments, so finding a community like YouthBridge who helps nurture our ideas and opportunities was incredibly appealing to me. Having the balance of utilizing resources to become active members of society through our committees but also, interacting with fellow adolescents and exchanging opinions that range from our backgrounds is very necessary and powerful.
Entering the program, I was expecting to learn advocacy skills that would translate to being an active member of my community. Building off of my point earlier, there’s a modern plague amongst teenagers where they are confined to think that we cannot always contribute to society because we are not working members, and instead, just kids when the truth couldn’t be further from that.
One of my YouthBridge highlights is the boat exercise with Don Kao. To describe the activity, us fellows were split up into groups of four and each given 14 cards, depicting a different individual with characteristics ranging from their race, sexuality, health, age and occupation. Given the scenario that all 14 people were in an apocalypse, we could only pick 10 to save. After every group deliberated and picked, we were all met with a shocking surprise at the end of the exercise. Our activity mediator, Don Kao, revealed that he was actually one of the individuals depicted on the 14 cards. That moment was heavily impactful because it removed my mentality from the context of the game to fully process that the human eye is not foolproof. They’re many characteristics that we cannot identify just by looking at people. Thus, the overall activity taught me that it’s our duty as humans to mitigate implicit bias as much as possible by carrying ourselves with unflinching empathy and open mindedness.
As a first generation Latina-American, my identity is heavily forged by my experiences with my heritage and as I navigate spaces where I am a minority, I look forward to speaking up and being a bridge of communication. Moreover, I know that in order for meaningful change to happen, collaboration is a necessity so I would look forward to striking a balance between taking space and giving space in conversations, engaging with the diverse range of perspectives in YouthBridge and making valuable connections. I hope for YouthBridge to water the seeds in my passion for criminal justice reform and allow for me and my fellow companions to have the resources to accomplish our goals collectively, and branch out individually to network amongst the industry and flourish even after the program.
A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR PEOPLE
by Samuel Gusel
Dear YouthBridge Community,
When I first applied to YouthBridge, I didn’t know a lot about the program. I was told about it by my Dad, who said it was a program that brings together and educates teen leaders about building bonds between diverse cultural groups in New York City. Throughout my high school career, and especially due to recent events in the Middle East, I have seen and engaged in disagreements between cultural groups sparked by a difference of perspective. I have seen political conflicts cause friction among family members and friends, and have personally experienced tense conversations and disagreements with friends who are Muslim or of Palestinian background. I’ve heard hurtful things from people close to me and have said hurtful things back. Witnessing how people relate to one another in difficult times has instilled in me a deep appreciation for people who can communicate effectively with each other. This skill has always been valuable to me, and the opportunity for education and experience in these areas made me eager to apply.
In our most recent meeting, we discussed methods for effective advocacy, given the political structure of New York City. This topic is of particular interest to me, because I have personally taken part in advocating for causes I believe in, and am keen to learn how to be more effective in driving change. In eighth grade, I attended a rally to protest inaction around climate change. At that time, I thought that attending protests was the best way to effect change. Through our recent meeting, I learned that there are more direct ways to advocate and take action for the causes I believe in. For example, I learned about the option to speak directly to representatives of our local government. A detail that struck me was the fact that I could join my local neighborhood board at the age of sixteen, which would allow me to have a voice in the governing body of my community. Another method I learned was lobbying, where I can go and meet with government representatives and share with them directly my thoughts and opinions on causes that I believe in. This workshop taught me that advocacy is available to everyone and doesn’t require particular connections or resources. I learned that the most effective methods of advocacy involve speaking directly to individuals who have the ability to effect change, and that the best way to personally effect change is to join a body of governing representatives.
I look forward to learning and discussing more about building bridges with those who have a different perspective on the world, and the methods we can use to strengthen communication and unity in our communities.