DYCDs 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. Ladders for Leaders gives students a unique opportunity to explore their interests and discover new ones through: Pre-employment Training: Receive help with résumé and cover letter writing, and interviewing skills. Learn essential workplace readiness skills and business etiquette; Paid Summer Internships: Paid internship opportunities available in a variety of industries to accommodate student interests; Opportunity to join a growing Alumni Network: Broad network of alumni, post-internship opportunities and networking events open only to past participants of the program.

This competitive process differs from the Summer Youth Employment Program in that it requires applicants to submit an application to one of several community-based organizations serving the five boroughs. Applications are evaluated based on academic performance, response to an essay question and résumé. For more information, please contact 1-800-246-4646 or apply online now.

The Family Development Training and Credentialing Program (FDC) is a major New York State initiative that provides frontline workers with the skills and competencies they need to empower families. FDC-trained workers help families capitalize on their strengths and set attainable goals.

DYCD offers competitive scholarships for frontline and family workers located in any of the 42 Neighborhood Development Areas (NDAs) throughout New York City. Pending student enrollment, classes are held each spring and fall at City University of New York (CUNY) campuses and off-site campus locations. There are no formal educational requirements for the program. However, students must be able to read and comprehend the curriculum, which is written in English at the 9th grade level, and possess the writing skills needed to complete the portfolio and other assignments.

For more information on the FDC program and upcoming classes, click here or contact Rhodesia Humphrey, DYCD Capacity Building Deputy Director, at 646-343-6224.

On Monday, January 18, as part of a long-running annual tradition, artists, activists and civic leaders come together at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the City's largest event commemorating Dr. King. For more information, visit bam.org

Hear about the folklore surrounding two wonderfully mysterious creatures—the owl and the coyote. Together with visiting artist Roxanne Jackson, learn about these local animals and their habits and attributes and sculpt your own owl and coyote creatures in air-dry clay. Embellish your projects with bits of natural materials—feathers; rich, natural pigments; and more. The Wave Hill Hoot and Howl Weekend event continues from Saturday, January 23 through Sunday, January 24, 2016 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Located at the Wave Hill Garden and Cultural Center at 675 West 252nd Street in the Bronx, this event is free with admission to the grounds. Click here for more information.

Free event for all ages! Snow, rain or shine! Presented by NYC Parks on Saturday, Janurary 23, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., the Lake Placid, I Love NY, and I Ski NY Winter Jam NYC is the ultimate snow day: a free winter sports festival for New Yorkers of all ages! Gore Mountain will blow lots of fresh snow in the heart of Manhattan, so there will be plenty for all to enjoy! Located at the Bandshell Area (Enter at 72nd Street) of Central Park.

On Staurday, January 23, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., the Beam Center will put kids' hands on the levers of natural phenomena in a big collaborative project, workshops and demonstrations at its seventh annual Inventgenuity Festival. The 2016 theme is Natural Machinery. As it does in its public school collaborations, camps, and afterschool programs, Beam Center blends art, science and imagination at this popular annual winter celebration of making things. Inventgenuity Festival takes place at PS 32/MS 442 (enter on Union Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets). Admission to the festival is free, advance registration required. Beam Center is also hosting a fundraising event, Beam Builders Ball, on Friday, January 22, 7:00pm—10:00pm. For more information and registration, visit the Beam website.

On Saturday, January 16, take part in a full day of festivities at this free annual event, which comprises comic book displays, screenings, lectures and workshops. A number of top African-American artists will be on hand to talk through their inspirations and backstories. The celebration is located at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard and coincides with the final day of the library's Unveiling Visions exhibition, a graphics-heavy look at Afrofuturism. For more information, visit nypl.org.

On Saturday, January 16, at the Staten Island Museum History Center & Archives, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Snug Harbor Campus, join scientist Clay Wollney to experiment with water! Make predictions to see if objects will sink or float, learn the concepts behind buoyancy, surface tension and more. For 8-13 year olds accompanied by an adult. Click here for more information.

On Saturday, January 23, from 2 pm. until 4 p.m., follow the breadcrumbs and meet at the Spooktacular Enchanted Forest! This year their spooky circus will take place among the trees. So wear your saved Halloween costume and have a HOOT! in a winter woodland created by our friends at Circus Amok. Located at the Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. $20 per person, $75 for family of 6. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Queens Museum online.

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) supports innovative projects that help youth with disabilities develop the leadership and employment skills they need to succeed, particularly for careers in science, technology and the environment. MEAF will also consider projects to create tools that help break down barriers to employment and increase job opportunities for young people with disabilities entering the workforce, including returning veterans with disabilities. MEAF accepts applications from January 1—June 1, 2016 to be considered for the following year's funding. Grants range from $10K to $75K/year, for one to three years. Additional information can be found on the website.

The Foundation has launched its Youth Service Improvement grant program. Grants will support activities in the New York metropolitan area to improve the quality of services for youth between the ages of 5 and 25. Applicants must provide services to youth in the five boroughs of New York City. Public and private schools are not eligible. Organizations must have an operating budget of between $250,000 and $5 million. The next deadline for applications is March 16, 2016. Additional information including eligibility criteria and application procedures are available on the website.

The Charles Hayden Foundation seeks to promote the mental, moral and physical development of children and youth ages three to eighteen in the metropolitan area of New York and the City of Boston. The focus is on those institutions and programs serving youth most at risk of not reaching their full potential, especially youth in low-income communities. There is an open application deadline; please check out the website for additional information.

North Star Fund is New York City's leading community foundation working to create a more just and equitable City. By organizing donors, raising funds for grassroots activism, and distributing grants, North Star supports efforts ranging from better schools, housing and health care, to protecting civil liberties and creating living wage jobs. North Star Fund's Rapid Response Grants support organizing and activism that require on-the-spot funding for immediate action on the most urgent issues of our time. The commitment and ability to respond quickly and strategically to the time-critical realities of dealing with abuses of power sets North Star Fund apart among foundations supporting grassroots community organizing and activism. Grant amounts range up to $5,000 for immediate actions; $15,000 for short-term strategic capacity building. Eligible Groups: Organizations engaged in community organizing; if the applicant is a coalition, the request must come from a partner that is engaged in community organizing. Organizations may apply for a Rapid Response Grant at any time. To apply, contact Jennifer Arieta, Program Officer, at jen@northstarfund.org or (212) 620-9110 to schedule an initial phone interview. For more information about the North Star Fund and grants, please visit the website.

Youth Communication is now accepting entries for the Eighteenth Annual Awards for Youth in Foster Care. Youth Communication sponsors this award to promote a more positive image of New York City foster youth among agency staff, youth workers and the general public. Fifteen young people will be awarded prize money at a ceremony in spring, 2016. Five Grand Prize winners will receive $1,000 each and ten additional winners will receive prizes of $500 to $700 each. The prize money can be spent however the winner likes, although it is reccomended that it be spent on education-related activities. The deadline for applications is March 4, 2016. Download the application here.

The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill (ERVK) inspires and empowers individuals and organizations to use their time, talent and resources to build a just and sustainable world, close to home and abroad. The ERVK accomplishes this mission by providing cutting edge programs and experiences epitomizing Eleanor Roosevelt's passion and commitment to human rights, principled leadership and social justice for all. The Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill (ERVK) makes every effort to award scholarships to as many girls as possible, within our available funding. To utilize available funding most effectively, the ERVK is not able to assist with travel costs. To be considered for GLW scholarships, you must complete this Scholarship Application Form in its entirety. Please be sure to complete the GLW application online no later than March 12, 2016 to be considered.

The Eleanor Roosevelt Center (ERVK) Girls' Leadership Worldwide (GLW) summer program works to create a more just world by educating, empowering, and activating young women to become the next generation of principled, socially conscious leaders, using the example set by Eleanor Roosevelt. Applicants must be in either the 9th or 10th grade in high school. The participants in each GLW session constitute a diverse group of exceptional girls from across the U.S. and abroad. Girls are selected based on leadership potential, demonstrated or desired commitment to community service and social justice, level of maturity, and their academic and extra-curricular achievement. Application and both references must be postmarked by March 12, 2016. Applicants will be notified in mid-April. To learn more about the GLW nine-day transformational program, please visit the website.