Every three years, DYCD conducts the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) as a way of identifying the strengths, assets, needs, and challenges of the communities that make up NYC. Throughout October, we want to hear from you. Tell us about the most urgent needs in your neighborhood; click here for the full schedule of public hearings.

Throughout October, we will be highlighting on our LinkedIn page and other social media accounts some of the very impactful partnerships at DYCD. Starting with a collaboration between our SONYC and Learn & Earn programs, we will be publishing these articles weekly. So, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to be alerted when a new article is published.

School’s Out New York City (SONYC) is DYCD’s funded middle school afterschool program that serves as a pathway to success for youth in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Structured like clubs, the model offers young people a choice in how they spend their time; provides rigorous instruction in sports and arts; and requires youth leadership through service. To sign up your middle schooler for SONYC, visit our discoverDYCD portal.

On September 17, DYCD held the 2nd annual Bring Your Dad to Afterschool day! This year, five DYCD-funded COMPASS afterschool programs across the City were opened to father and father figures as they got the chance to participate in afterschool activities with their children. To learn more DYCD’s Fatherhood program, visit our DYCD website.

The Urban Fellows Program is a highly selective, nine-month fellowship which combines work in Mayoral offices and City agencies with volunteer service opportunities and a seminar series that explores current urban issues impacting public policy. Program participants are diverse and come from all over the country to work in New York City. After participating in an extensive interview process, New York City Urban Fellows are placed at an array of agencies across the City where they learn about public policy through a hands-on approach.

Weekend Walks are multi-block, multi-day events on commercial corridors that promote the use of streets as public space. Community based organizations apply to close commercial streets and provide programming that highlights local businesses and New York City’s unique neighborhoods. In 2020, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is embarking on the twelfth season of Weekend Walks! If you are interested in hosting a Weekend Walks event, visit their website before the November 1 deadline.

Get into the Halloween spirit with Boo at the Zoo, taking place at the Bronx Zoo every weekend in October. The festival includes family-friendly activities like magic shows, costume parades, a hay maze, pumpkin carving, and live music. Brave kids ages 12 and over might journey into the Haunted Forest, and adults can enjoy seasonal food and beer at Bootoberfest. Of course, visitors can also get an up-close look at all the creepy critters on display within the zoo.

Socrates Sculpture invites you to their annual Halloween Harvest Festival! Taking place on Saturday, October 26, this event is inspired by the Haitian Festival of the Ancestors, and will feature vibrant cultural performance and activities provided by the New York chapter of Konfederasyon Nasyonal Vodouyizan Ayisyen (K.N.V.A), including a Gede song workshop, card readings, and more.

Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is recruiting motivated 10th – 12th graders from diverse backgrounds with an interest in library careers to apply for an innovative, hands-on internship program. Committed and enthusiastic individuals who are ready to learn, work, and help others can:

• Build your academic, college, and career readiness skills with support from a mentor
• Work behind the scenes on developing cutting-edge programming and projects
• Receive a stipend, volunteer service hours and resume-building experience
• Meet other like-minded teens from across NYC
• Make a difference!

The Love Your Block Initiative is a partnership between NYC Service and Citizens Committee for New York City that provides a unique opportunity for 25 resident-led volunteer groups to receive a $1,000 grant in addition to City services to transform and beautify their neighborhoods. For more information and to apply, visit the Love Your Block application page.

Through Citizens Committee for New York City Neighborhood Grants program, they award grants of up to $3,000 for community and school improvement projects carried out by unstaffed resident-led groups to address issues they identify as important to them. From West Farms in the Bronx to East Elmhurst in Queens, the groups we support work on projects as varied as community gardening, visual and performing arts, nutrition awareness, composting, beautification, tenant and immigrant organizing, public school recycling drives, physical fitness, public safety, and more! For more information, visit the Citizens Committee for New York City official website.

The Booth Ferris Foundation's primary interest is in the field of education, including smaller colleges and public education initiatives in New York City. The Foundation also makes grants in the areas of civic and urban affairs and culture in New York City. Civic and urban affairs topics are defined as human services, affordable housing, community development, and parks/gardens. In the area of the arts, K–12 education, and civic and urban affairs, the Foundation focuses on projects in New York City. In higher education, the Foundation has a broader geographic interest. Proposals for scholarship, fellowships, and unrestricted endowments are discouraged. The Foundation has a history of allocating funding to organizations based in Oregon, California, Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. Deadlines for individual programs vary. Individual program contacts as well as additional information can be found on the website.