One hundred teams and more than a thousand young people entered the Step It Up NYC competition this year to speak out against bullying in their schools, communities, and online. After seven months of community events and three rounds, the top ten teams took the stage at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on June 2 for the 2018 Final Showcase. To check out photos from the night, visit the DYCD Facebook page; for video clips, stop by the Step It Up NYC section of the DYCD website.

DYCD took entrepreneurship to the next level with the COMPASS Young Sharks Entrepreneurship pilot. In partnership with InFront Strategies, the event brought together 16 middle school programs with the task of coming up with a service or product to take to market and have a positive social impact. Programs started planning last year, and on June 2 the top five presented to a team of judges with the winners walking away with a $5,000 check to help take their product further. Check out the video on DYCD’s Facebook page and relive the priceless reactions as the winners were announced.

On June 7, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) and DYCD partnered to teach kids to be FDNY Smart! Students ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade learned important fire safety tips at 25 FDNY locations across the five boroughs. Young people from DYCD-funded COMPASS programs toured their local fire house and were invited to explore FDNY and EMS careers. Photos from the day can be found on both DYCD’s and FDNY’s Facebook pages.

Each year, several major cities across the nation use the month of June to celebrate LGBTQ Pride. As part of this month of celebration, DYCD, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment and NewFest-New York’s LGBT Film & Media Arts Organization, was proud to host a special free screening of Saturday Church, a Tribeca Film Festival contender that raises awareness of LGBTQ homeless youth in New York City. Following the free screening at The LGBT Community Center, there was a Q&A with director Damon Cardasis and lead actor Luka Kain.

Registration is now open to all NYC residents for free swimming lessons through the Learn to Swim program of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks). Learn to Swim offers swimming classes for toddlers, children and adults at the City’s outdoor pools in all five boroughs. For more information and to sign up for the lottery, visit the Learn to Swim page on the NYC Parks website.

Summer is around the corner and if you are looking to enjoy the season in the City, the Growing Up NYC Summer Guide is now available online. It highlights free and low-cost programs for summer 2018, making sure that every child has the chance to have fun and stay healthy over the summer! For the full list of events, visit the Growing Up NYC website.

Each summer the River to River Festival takes over downtown Manhattan for 10 days of free performances, exhibitions and events. This year’s highlights include Namaah’s Ark, a dramatic oratorio about Noah’s wife; Of Granite and Glass, which interprets Boccaccio’s 14th-century narrative Decameron at the Winter Garden; and the annual Night at the Museums free admission to participating downtown cultural institutions. There will also be outdoor art installations, music performances and even some salsa dancing on the East River.

NYC’s FREE outdoor pools will open Wednesday, June 27, and most will be available through Labor Day. Outdoor pool hours are from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m., with a break for pool cleaning between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Outdoor pools (except mini pools) will close for the season on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Mini pools will close on Labor Day. For more information on NYC Pools, visit the official NYC Parks and Recreation website.

The NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship Program offers four distinct scholarships each worth $1000. All scholarships require that the applicant is currently a NYCHA public housing resident; is currently enrolled as an undergraduate at CUNY; has earned 30 or more credits; and has a minimum 3.0 GPA. For more information on this great scholarship opportunity, visit the official scholarship website.

Stonewall grants strengthen the community. They invest in dynamic organizations, projects, and leaders that elevate LGBTQ people and our cultural contributions, advance our rights, and promote our wellness, safety, and liberation. Stonewall Community Foundation is now accepting proposals for our 2018 Stonewall Quarter Share (SQS) Grant Cycle. As SQS enters its second decade, Stonewall is ecstatic about the opportunity to offer a one-year grant of up to $20,000—their largest grant ever!—to be made to an organization that is centering and uplifting the voice of marginalized communities within the LGBTQ community. You can access the Request for Proposals and Cover Page to learn more about eligibility. For more information, please email grants@stonewallfoundation.org or visit the official Stonewall Website.

New York is home to the nation’s first accessible college program, the Excelsior Scholarship. Under this groundbreaking program, more than 940,000 middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 per year will qualify to attend college tuition-free at all CUNY and SUNY two- and four-year colleges in New York State. To apply, you must be a resident of New York State; attend a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year degree program; take 30 credits per calendar year (including January and summer sessions); and plan to live and work in New York following graduation for the length of time you participate in the scholarship program. The deadline is July 23. For more information and to apply, visit the Excelsior Scholarship website.

Cara Becker’s legacy of serving others lives on in the Karma for Cara (K4C) Foundation. K4C awards microgrants to students engaged in community service. The K4C Microgrant Program is the bridge between ideas and action. By providing microgrants in varying amounts up to $1,000, K4C helps young citizen leaders execute and magnify their initiatives to help repair our world. Students 18 years of age and under may apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities. Whether you plan to turn a vacant lot into a community garden, rebuild a school playground or help senior citizens ready their homes for the winter, they want to hear what project you’re passionate about. If you are interested in applying for a K4C microgrant, visit K4C’s website before the July 1 deadline.

Scholarships can be fun! Take a break from the boring application routine and make someone laugh. That’s right—Make Me Laugh is looking for a real LOL moment. Make Me Laugh is a fun scholarship that lets you cut loose and lighten things up. Looking for a scholarship for comedians? Now is your chance to show your funny bone. Perhaps you have an embarrassing but funny story to share. Great! The point is that not all scholarships have to be serious. The only thing serious about the Make Me Laugh Scholarship is the money you could win toward your college education. To apply and show off your funny bone, visit the UNIGO website.

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.