Did you know that November is National Runaway Prevention Month (NRPM)? NRPM is the annual awareness and prevention campaign for runaway and homeless youth issues. Every November, participants across the country host activities and events that amplify the experiences of runaway and homeless youth and the role everyone plays in ending youth homelessness.

In New York City, DYCD funds services for Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) that include Drop-in Centers, Crisis Service Programs, Transitional Independent Living programs, and Street Outreach and Referral Services. For more information on these services, call Youth Connect at 1-800-246-4646 or 646-343-6800.

DYCD, in partnership with the City University of New York, hosted its 21st Annual Family Development Recognition Ceremony on October 12 to celebrate frontline staff and supervisors throughout NYC who received their Family Development and Leadership Credentials. Click here to view photos.

The Office of School Wellness Program is currently accepting nominations for the 2018-19 Student Voice Committee (SVC). The SVC, an arm of the DOE District Wellness Advisory Council, is comprised of DOE high school students who work collaboratively on health promotion campaigns and share their perspectives on what health, physical education, and other wellness initiatives should look like in NYC public schools. School and agency staff interested in nominating a high school student must visit bit.ly/2MqyAkn by Friday, November 9 to complete the nomination form.

Grab your friends and take over the Metropolitan Museum for Art for a night of fun. Teen Night activities across the Museum include art making, performances, music, and more. This event will take place on Friday, November 9 and is open to NYC teens 13 – 18 with middle or school ID. For full event details, visit the official Teens Take the Met! website.

Located at the Riverbank State Park facility in Harlem, New York Urban League’s 32nd Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fair will feature more than 45 HBCUs, some of which provide on-site admissions and scholarship awards, and includes interactive workshops on college admissions, applying for financial aid, preparing for the first year in college, and succeeding on standardized entry exams. To register and get more information, click here.

Become an Agent of Change and join NYC Smoke-Free for their third Reality Check Teen Leadership Summit. Students will have the opportunity to connect with other students from across NYC and learn about the power of advocacy and becoming a leader to make change in their communities. There will be fun activities, food, snacks, prizes and giveaways. Metro Cards will be provided, and attendees will earn community service hours. Must be between 13 – 18 years old to attend; be sure to bring ID (school ID accepted).

With Thanksgiving approaching, there are great ways NYC kids and their parents can give back to those in need, while finding opportunities for children of all ages so everyone can participate. Here are some family-friendly ways to put the “giving” in your Thanksgiving. For future opportunities, subscribe to the free Doing Good Together/NY newsletter, a monthly roundup of local volunteer opportunities appropriate for families.

Before America gets “turnt” on turkey and settles in to watch some football, all eyes turn to Manhattan during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2018. The annual pageant of giant balloons, floats, cheerleaders, clowns, marching bands, celebs, theater and Broadway in New York performances is one of the best NYC events in November. If you are in New York City for Thanksgiving, you do not want to miss the 92nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 22. To learn more about the parade lineup and route, please visit the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade website.

The Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting has been one of New York City’s most celebrated events for over 85 years, and a worldwide symbol of the NYC holiday season. This year, the 2018 tree will be lit for the first time on Wednesday, November 28 at Rockefeller Plaza. After being lit, the tree will remain on display on the plaza between West 48th and 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues until 9:00pm on January 7, 2018.

Breakthrough New York transforms the lives of talented kids from low-income backgrounds by providing free educational support from middle school through college into careers and inspires talented young people to enter careers in education through their students-teaching-students model. You can apply to be part of the upcoming cohort by visiting the Breakthrough New York website.

Imagine a historical figure is brought back to life. Who is it? What’s their favorite mobile app? If you are 13 years of age or older, tell UNIGO your answers to this question in 250 words of less for a chance to be the winner of a $10,000 scholarship.

The Knicks Poetry Scholars program is a partnership between the New York Knicks and Urban Word NYC that awards full tuition scholarships to the University of Wisconsin, Adelphi University, Syracuse University, St. John’s University and Mercy College to college bound high school seniors in the tri-state area. This competition aims to celebrate the value of outstanding students who demonstrate leadership qualities, community engagement, and a fresh perspective.

Students are provided with a twelve-week “Creatively College Bound” college prep workshop series where they receive step by step guidance throughout the college and scholarship application process. The complete application includes an essay, poetry portfolio and CV. Special “boot camp” sessions will also be provided for students to not only fill out applications to our partner schools, but also work on their essays and portfolios.

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs announces its tenth annual International Essay Contest, open to students of all nationalities anywhere in the world. This year the Carnegie Council wants to know “Is it important to live in a democracy?” Before submitting your essay, please review these plagiarism guidelines to ensure that your work is original and properly cited. All essays will be screened using plagiarism-detecting software. For eligibility rules and information on how to enter, visit the official Carnegie Council website.

Through the Neighborhood Grants, Citizens Committee awards micro-grants of up to $3,000 to resident-led groups to work on community and school projects throughout the City. They prioritize groups based in low income neighborhoods and Title I public schools. Recent awards have enabled neighbors to come together to make healthy food available in their communities, transform empty lots into community gardens, organize tenants to advocate for better housing conditions, and start school recycling drives. For more information on the grant, visit the official Neighborhood Grant 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.