On July 20, DYCD hosted a commemorative event renaming the main conference room at 123 William Street (17th Floor) in honor of former Commissioner of Youth Services, Richard L. Murphy. In attendance were the Honorable David N. Dinkins, who provided the Keynote Address; Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli; Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, Richard R. Buery, Jr.; Geoffrey Canada of The Harlem Children Zone; Executive Director of United Neighborhood Houses, Nancy Wackstein; Vice President (retired) of the Fund for the City of New York, Rev. Dr. Alphonso Wyatt; and many other dedicated youth service workers.

The 2015 New York City Youth Guide to Summer Fun has been updated to include events and August happenings all around NYC. Whether you're looking for the hottest concerts, film festivals and street fairs, or need to beat the heat at one of our many pools and beaches, there are thousands of attractions and events that are just a quick walk or subway or bus ride away. This guide is a partnership between New York City agencies, museums, youth groups, libraries, arts organizations and cultural institutions. Click here to download the guide.

In partnership with Madison Square Garden and the New York Liberty, DYCD kicked off the "Junior Liberty Powered by DYCD" basketball league this month! Current and former New York Liberty players including Epiphanny Prince, Candace Wiggins, and Kym Hampton have visited the league, which is comprised of more than 200 young women across New York City. As a part of their season, the teams have participated in leadership workshops, on-court experiences at MSG, and community service events in their neighborhoods. View more images from the league on the DYCD NYCYouth Facebook page.

From August 3 through August 7, McDonald's sponsored 20 of DYCD's summer program participants between the ages of 8 and 17 to attend the Brooklyn Nets Summer Camp. During the course of the program, young people learned the fundamentals of basketball and each received a Nets jersey and tickets to a 2015-2016 home game. A culminating event was held at the home of the Nets, Barclays Center.

Visit the "Hip Hop Revolution" exhibit to see images by iconic NYC photographers Janette Beckman, Joe Conzo, and Martha Cooper that capture the history of hip-hop on the streets of New York 1970s to the 1990s. These vivid photographs of hip-hop artists and dancers showcase the era's youth culture. In conjunction with the exhibit, kids can create their own graffiti mash-up inspired by Janette Beckman's collaborations with graffiti artists, who layered drawings and words on top of her photographs. Be sure to check out this dynamic exhibition before it wraps up on September 13, 2015.

A part of FringeNYC, a multi-arts festival now in its 19th year, FringeJR provides family-friendly programming including several different kinds of kid-appropriate fringe theater productions. All shows have undergone a competitive application process and were chosen as some of the best shows for kids. See a wide variety of plays—from a tale about a ghost hunter to a Commedia dell'Arte-style version of Rapunzel—that will be new, small-scale, and family-friendly. Admission is $18 for adults and $13 for kids. For a list of various show times and locations please visit fringenyc.org.

Learn a new skill and spark your creativity at The Art Yard, the new Madison Square Kids workshop series designed for kids ages 1—12. Madison Square Park will host some of the best independent visual and performing artists on Saturday mornings from 9:00am—12:00pm. The Art Yard workshops are held until August 22, 2015. Adult supervision is required and promptness is encouraged.

This highly-anticipated exhibition, which opened in mid-June, focuses on New York's folk scene during the late 1950s and early 1960s. While the genre's origins may be rural, the music made its way to New York and into the coffee shops of Greenwich Village during this period. Kids—as well as adults—will enjoy putting on the headphones stationed throughout the exhibit and discovering the original lyrics of artists like Bob Dylan. "Folk City" will be open through January 10, 2016.

DYCD is seeking appropriately qualified organizations to administer the unsubsidized jobs for youth service option (Ladders for Leaders) of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The program will maximize the number of available SYEP job placements for City youth by increasing slots through inclusion of employer-paid positions. Contractors will be required to create partnerships with employers for job development and supervision and to focus on those industry sectors that provide opportunities for career advancement and a living wage. Anticipated proposal deadline is September 10, 2015, and the anticipated contract start April 1, 2016. Visit HHS Accelerator for more information.

Section 1003(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that State Education Agencies allocate funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for Title I Priority and Focus Schools to meet the progress goals in their District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and School Comprehensive Education Plan(s) (DCIP/SCEP) and thereby improve student performance. These funds are to be used to support implementation of school improvement activities as required in the 2015—2019 ESEA flexibility waiver. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until November 30, 2015, but all activities are subject to review and approval for funding. Applications with activities starting in September are due by August 31, 2015. Districts may submit a full or partial application in August and then submit revisions as needed until June 30, 2016. Detailed instructions are available on the SIG Grant Application page.

The Central New York Community Foundation is an independent, private, nonprofit organization serving Central New York. Dedicated to enhance the quality of life of those who live in their community, they are supported by private and public donors and seek contributions primarily from the community they serve. Founded in 1927, the Foundation encourages philanthropy in Central New York and using money they have collected, they offer scholarships to students to further their education. Although the bulk of the scholarships are offered to high school seniors, some funds may be available for advanced study. The funds held by the foundation come from individuals, families, companies, and nonprofit groups. The funds are often established to memorialize or honor an individual and the guideline for each scholarship is different. Therefore, you should read them carefully to see if you qualify.