Did you enjoy participating in Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) this past summer? The Work, Learn & Grow (WLG) Employment Program provides you with the opportunity to extend that great experience into the fall. If you are currently attending school and are between the ages of 16 to 21 years old, click here to apply online or call DYCD Youth Connect at 800-246-4646 for more information. Deadline this Friday, October 20th.

On Friday, October 13, adults from the DYCD Family Development Credential (FDC) Program gathered for the 20th Annual FDC Recognition Ceremony. The FDC program collaborates with agencies to teach family workers how to coach families in setting and reaching their goals for healthy self-reliance. When families and communities face profound challenges, the FDC Program’s highly skilled workers and leaders are ready to help. DYCD offers competitive scholarships to selected frontline staff, supervisors, managers and directors of DYCD-funded and other community-based organizations, non-profits, and City agencies located in any of the 42 Neighborhood Development Areas (NDAs) throughout New York City. To learn more about the FDC program at DYCD please, visit the DYCD website. To view photographs from the ceremony, click here.

Do you know a dance or step team that's ready to bring social change to the stage? Enter now at bit.ly/siunyc18registration! Coaches and team captains are invited to attend an information session on October 27, and first round audition videos are due by November 10. New York City youth between the ages of 10 and 20 are qualified to participate.

Join millions of New Yorkers around the state and crunch into a New York grown apple to celebrate New York food and New York farms! Schools, college campuses, hospitals, businesses, and individuals all over the state will be taking the "collective crunch" into a New York grown apple on Thursday, October 19, 2017. For more information about the initiative, check out their Facebook site.

Grab your friends and take over The Met for the night. Drop in for teen-only activities across the Museum, including art making, performances, music, and more. Free and open to all teens 13+ with a middle or high school ID. Friday, October 20, from 5:00pm through 8:00pm. DYCD Youth Connect will have an information table at the event, and the 2017 Step It Up NYC championship teams will perform and speak about their campaigns.

Enjoy a day filled with family fun on the historic early 1800s Decker Farm. Join their farmhouse tour and hayride, and end the date by taking home your very own pumpkin. Tickets are available online and at the door. Adults and children 1 or over are $6.

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.

Located at the Riverbank State Park facility in Harlem, New York Urban League's 31st Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fair will features more than 45 HBCUs, some of which provide on-site admissions and scholarship awards, and also 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.

Surprise! You just got elected president. What's your first tweet? If 13 years of age or older, submit your tweet by December 31st to Unigo. The Unigo $10K Scholarship winner will be notified by email or phone on or around March 31, 2018.

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. Applications are due January 15, 2018. For more information, click here.

Love Your Block is an initiative of NYC Service in partnership with Citizens Committee for New York City that provides a unique opportunity for neighborhood groups to transform and improve their communities through local action while leveraging City services. Resident-led volunteer groups receive a grant of up to $1,000 to help improve their block.

The 2018 Most Valuable Student scholarship contest is open to any high school senior who is a US Citizen. Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. The 20 top finalists will participate in an all-expense paid Leadership Weekend in Chicago, during which they'll interview with the national judges. These 20 finalists will be vying for two first-place awards of $50,000; two second-place awards of $40,000; and two third-place awards of $30,000. The remaining 14 finalists will receive awards of $20,000. The 480 runners-up will receive fifth-place scholarships of $4,000.

Foot Locker wants to celebrate you, not just because you scored the game-winning point, but because sports have helped you grow into a strong leader at school and in your community. The scholarship award is $20,000 and will be distributed in four equal, annual installments. One scholarship winner will be selected to receive the Ken C. Hicks Scholarship for demonstrating superior educational achievement, outstanding leadership, and a true love of the game. This winner will receive an additional $5,000 award (for a total of $25,000). To apply: applicants must be a current high school senior entering a four-year accredited U.S. college or university in the fall of 2016; must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; must currently be a member (in good standing) of a high school sports team or be involved in after-school sports and must have maintained an unweighted grade point average of 3.0 or higher from 9th grade to the first semester of 12th grade. Applicants will be judged on the following criteria: embodiment of good sportsmanship and strong moral character; passion and commitment to empowering their communities; confidence and enthusiasm about being a leader; demonstrated academic excellence; diversity; other key attributes, such as being proactive and highly motivated, inspiring and charismatic, honest and trustworthy, genuine, strong and courageous. Applications are due December 15, 2017 at 5:00pm EST. To apply, visit the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes website.

The 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 annual application deadline is February 1st. Individual program contacts as well as additional information can be found on the website.

AmeriCorps isn't just one program: it's a family of programs that range from teaching and mentoring children to fighting poverty to wildfire mitigation and just about everything in between. With so many AmeriCorps service opportunities, there is sure to be something perfect for you. To learn more, visit the official AmeriCorps website.

Socrates Sculpture invites you to their annual Halloween Harvest Festival! Taking place on Saturday, October 28th this year, the festival will feature spooky costume and art-making with Socrates artists, Free Style Arts Association, fantastical face-painting with Agostino Arts and with a dance performance presented by Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York. Admission is free, click here for the full Halloween Festival schedule.

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.