The 2015 DYCD Annual Report provides a snapshot of the various accomplishments of the Department of Youth and Community Development. The annual report includes highlights and events from the year gone by, photos of our funded programs and young people, and a first look at DYCD’s new Mission Statement.

On Saturday, January 30, 2016, members of the DYCD programs performed to raise awareness on education rights, gender equality, safe communities and other social awareness issues at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Eleven finalists will have the opportunity to bring social change to the Apollo stage at the 2016 Step It Up NYC Finals this June. Stay connected with the DYCD Facebook and Twitter pages to follow Step It Up updates and events. Step It Up participants, Allstar Champions, from the Play Study Win SONYC program at Soundview Academy featured in the image above.

Friday, February 26, 2016, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
Building on the games and technologies on display in the groundbreaking exhibition Silicon City, parents and children learn how to code in interactive workshops during our pay-as-you-wish Friday evenings. In this drop-in lab, visitors will learn how to animate a simple cartoon using a coding program for beginners called “Scratch.” Educators will also be on hand in the exhibition gallery to explain how technology has evolved in New York City. Free on pay-as-you-wish Fridays. For more information, visit the Historical Society.

Friday, February 26, 2016 – Sunday, March 20, 2016
Manhattan, NY
Held at a handful of Manhattan venues, this annual fest features a host of kids' flicks from around the globe. Screenings often sell out quickly so check the schedule and buy tickets right away. There are options for all ages, including shorts programs and dubbed foreign films. There are often Q&As with the filmmakers, other special events and everyone gets voting ballots to help select the festival winners. To learn more visit nyicff.org.

February 5, 2016 – May 15, 2016
The Morgan Library and Museum
225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Everyone knows about Andy Warhol’s soup cans and soporific films, but the pop artist’s work in book publishing has remained understudied. Not only did he self-publish books, he designed book jackets and illustrated other people’s literature. This Morgan Library exhibition gathers most of Warhol’s book projects, including rare drawings, publications and archival materials dating from his early student days through his peak as a cultural icon. Admission is free on Fridays from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, please visit their website for more exhibition information and admission prices.

February 27, 2016 – April 17, 2016
New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458
The New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show, which celebrates its 14th anniversary in 2016, is the largest of its kind in the country. Expect thousands of brilliantly colored orchids and plenty of cultural events, as well as Q&A sessions with experts, musical entertainment, lectures and guided tours. This year’s show is titled Orchidelirium, harking back to a time a couple of centuries back when orchid collection and appreciation exploded into an obsession among the Victorian elite. Please visit their website to plan your trip and review their winter schedule.

Sunday, March 20, 2016
11:00am  –  1:00pm, Ages five – 17
2:00pm – 4:00pm, Ages 18 and up
The Museum of Modern Art
Cullman Education and Research Building, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019
The Museum of Modern Art welcomes you to join us for Create Ability, a free program for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities and their families. Each month participants focus on a different theme, exploring various artworks in the galleries and creating artworks in the classroom. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Registration takes place one month in advance of each program and fills up quickly. For more information or to register, please call Access Programs at (212) 408-6347.

The AMA Foundation, through the Minority Scholars Award, is working to increase the number of minority physicians to better represent the needs of our increasingly diverse society. Hispanic, American Indian, African-American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian populations have been relatively under-represented in medicine, but studies have documented that physician diversity is helpful in: increasing access for underserved populations; increasing patient satisfaction; and ensuring culturally competent care. The Minority Scholars Award program not only encourages diversity in medicine and helps to alleviate some student debt, but it also rewards commitment to the elimination of healthcare disparities, outstanding academic achievements, leadership activities, and community involvement. The scholarship recipient will be awarded a non-renewable sum of $10,000 annually. Application Deadline is Friday, March 4, 2016. To apply visit the AMA Foundation.

The purpose of the New York State Charter School Dissemination grant program is to provide funds to support the dissemination of effective practices and programs that have been developed, tested and proven successful in New York State charter schools. Funds are available to assist charter schools in disseminating their effective practices to any district school(s) in New York through designated partnerships. Complete applications must be submitted electronically through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Fluid Review portal and postmarked by March 11, 2016. See the Application Submission Instructions section of this Request for Proposals (RFP) for details. Detailed instructions are available on the 2016-2019 New York State Charter School Dissemination Grant page. Individual awards of up to $500,000 are available over three years. Total funding is $5,000,000 for this grant program and is subject to availability of funds from the United States Department of Education.

The Youth Service Improvement Grants support community-based organizations in New York City to enhance their services for children and youth, ages 5 to 25. These grants fund specific, standalone projects that make services more effective and provide young people with better experiences. Applicants must have an operating budget between $250,000 and $5 million to apply. The next deadline for applications is March 11, 2016 at 3:00pm.

Have you ever wondered where you’d go if you could fly around downtown? Or maybe you daydream of secretly taking over the world—to each his own. For all of those hero lovers and villain enthusiasts, this super scholarship can give you the power to win free college money. Use your imagination and become the superhero, or perhaps supervillain, you’ve always wanted to be. Would you live a life in a comic book universe or use your powers here in the real world? We want to know how you would use your super powers for good, or bad, even if it was just for the day. While we can’t give you the ability to walk through walls or read minds, but the Superpower Scholarship can help increase your brainpower with $2,500 to use towards education. Applicants must be thirteen years of age or older at the time of application and are either currently enrolled or will enroll no later than the fall of 2022 in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education. The application deadline is March 31, 2016. To apply visit unigo.com.

AfterCollege has been connecting students and recent grads with employers hiring for internships and entry-level positions since it was founded in a dorm room in 1999. AfterCollege gives new job seekers a competitive advantage by tapping into valuable professional networks with a patented job search algorithm and career-building tools to help land that all-important first job. AfterCollege proudly offers scholarships to help deserving students cover expenses during school and propel them forward into rewarding careers after college. Applicants must an undergraduate or graduate student at the time of application while majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The scholarship recipient will be awarded a non-renewable sum of $1,000 annually. The application deadline is Thursday, March 31, 2016. Visit aftercollege.com for application details.

The Foundation’s current funding interests are economic development, education, civil legal services, criminal justice, reproductive rights, and the environment. Economic development grants are aimed at increasing the number of living wage jobs in New York City and ensuring low-income workers’ access to those jobs. Education grants seek to fund efforts to improve the public school system in New York City. Civil legal services grants supports efforts to reduce barriers to effective and unrestricted civil legal assistance through direct legal representation and policy advocacy. Criminal justice grants is focused on programs working to reduce recidivism and improving public safety. Environment grants support a range of environmental issues through policy change, public education, and legal advocacy. Funding in this area is limited to organizations whose work is national in scope. Reproductive rights grants support domestic programs that seek to protect women’s reproductive rights and increase access to comprehensive reproductive health services. In most program areas, the Foundation seeks to fund both direct services programs and advocacy efforts. The Foundation’s support for direct services programs is limited to those operating in New York City. Interested applicants are asked to contact the Foundation’s program staff before submitting a letter of inquiry. There is an open application deadline. Additional information can be found on the website.