The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides New York City youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with summer employment. SYEP participants work in a variety of entry-level jobs at government agencies, hospitals, summer camps, nonprofits, small businesses, law firms, museums, sports enterprises, and retail organizations. SYEP also offers workshops on job readiness, career exploration and financial literacy, and opportunities to continue education and social growth. Online applications are available from now via the DYCD website. Updates will also be posted to DYCD's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. For more information, call 311 or DYCD Youth Connect (1-800-246-4646).

DYCD's Ladders for Leaders is a nationally recognized program that offers high school and college students the opportunity to participate in paid professional summer internships with leading corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies in New York City. The program is an initiative of DYCD and supported by the NYC Center for Youth Employment and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. Sign up today to hire a talented, high-achieving student through this wonderful program and join the many New York City businesses that will be match with top young talent!

On January 29, DYCD Commissioner Chong hosted Shamma Sohail Faris AlMazrui, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)(center), and Majid Al-Suwaidi, the Consul General of the UAE in New York (left). Shamma Sohail Faris AlMazrui is a Rhodes Scholar, and the youngest government minister in the world.

On January 27, DYCD held the 4th annual COMPASS Recipe Rescue event for K-12 youth to promote healthy eating, parent engagement, and cooking skills. The young chefs took their favorite recipes and "rescued" them by preparing a healthier version. Visit our Facebook page to check out all the event highlights.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and throughout the month, DYCD is recognizing some of the amazing individuals and the roles they played in our history. Click here throughout the month to see our Facebook album with all our great features.

Get ready for one of the best NYC events in February: Chinese New Year! NYC will be chock-full of dragon dances, vibrant floats, and yummy vendor foods during the annual celebration. Make sure to head to Chinatown for one of the best things to do in the winter, including the annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival, this year taking place on Sunday, February 25, 2018. The parade kicks off at 1:00 pm and the party lasts until 4:30 pm.

Receive up to $2,000 for your school garden! When you register your school garden with Grow to Learn you become eligible to receive materials and expert assistance from GreenThumb, and can also apply for a Grow to Learn Mini Grant of between $500 and $2,000 to start or expand your school garden. Grow to Learn has two funding cycles each year: Fall and Spring. The Fall Request for Proposals is typically open for applications from September to November, and the Spring Request for Proposals is open from January to February. Please submit your application by February 23, 2018.

Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) is a company-sponsored employee network dedicated to supporting the continued growth and development of black employees at Microsoft Corporation. This year, BAM will award two US$5,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in technology. The scholarships are renewable, so winners who continue to meet the criteria can receive an annual $5,000 award for up to four years. To view the scholarship requirements and to apply for a BAM Scholarship, visit their website.

The 2018 National High School Essay Contest has begun, and you have until March 15, 2018 to enter. This is the 20th year of this prestigious contest, which encourages high school students to think about important international issues and learn about one of America's best kept secrets: The United States Foreign Service. This year, in a 1,000-1,250-word essay, identify two cases—one you deem successful and one you deem unsuccessful—where the U.S. pursued an integrated approach to build peace in a conflict-affected country. Analyze and compare these two cases, addressing the following questions:

• What relative strengths did members of the Foreign Service and military actors bring to the table? What peacebuilding tools were employed? Ultimately, what worked or did not work in each case?
• How was each situation relevant to U.S. national security interests?
• What lessons may be drawn from these experiences for the pursuit of U.S. foreign policy more broadly?

For additional information, contact Perri Green at (202) 719-9700 or essaycontest@afsa.org.

Big things come in small packages and now, those simple gifts can really pay off in Unigo's Sweet and Simple Scholarship! Think back to a time when you received a special gift that seemed so unassuming yet made such a strong impact in your life. Was it a present you could open in a box or a humble gesture from a stranger? Your gift will forever be priceless, but their Sweet and Simple Scholarship can help sweeten that present with a $1,500 award towards your college education.

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 Unigo can't give you the ability to walk through walls or read minds, their Superpower Scholarship can help increase your brainpower with $2,500 to use towards education.

The YouthBridge-NY youth-led grant committee is accepting applications from organizations working in Women's Issues, Sexual Health, and/or After School Programming for grants up to $2000. Click here to view the request for proposals or apply. Deadline for applications is April 5.

This scholarship from the Renee B. Fisher Foundation is not a traditional scholarship focused on rewarding academic achievement and financial need. Its specific goal is to reward and encourage innovative and creative problem solving. The scholarship aims to honor students who excel as creative problem-solvers and to help make their higher education goals more accessible. $1,000 to $5,000 are awarded annually, renewable for three additional years. The award amount is based on the financial need of the recipient. Applicants must be a high school junior or senior, any person entering an undergraduate degree program in the fall after the application deadline or the following spring, or a student in the first year of an undergraduate degree program. Applicants are also required to be a current resident of Connecticut or New York City or enrolled or planning to enroll in a Connecticut or a New York City institution. Visit the Renee B. Fisher Foundation to apply for the scholarship by May 1, 2018.

Looking for an afterschool program in your neighborhood? Need information on improving reading skills or finding the nearest community center? The web application discoverDYCD allows you to search in multiple languages for DYCD-funded programs. You can search by borough, neighborhood or zip code, and discoverDYCD provides contact information, activities offered, and a mapping feature with navigation.

Categories of services include: Afterschool Programs, Family Support, Literacy Services, Youth Services and so much more! We hope you find discoverDYCD useful as you take advantage of the diverse resources and opportunities that New York City has to offer.