As a part of the Department of Youth and Community Development’s celebration of 25 years of Beacon Programs, we were pleased to host the 2016 Beacon Summer Games. This five-week curriculum provided campers with the opportunity to create, collaborate, and participate in their own Olympic-sized event! Lesson plans were infused with opportunities for campers to strengthen their reading, writing, oral communication, research skills, and much more — all while enjoying a fun camp experience. Visit the DYCD Youth Connect Facebook page to view images from this event.

The Work, Learn & Grow Employment Program (WLG) is a New York City Council-funded initiative designed to build off of the experiences gained in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). WLG provides 2016 SYEP participants who are between the ages of 14 – 24 and currently in-school with career readiness training and paid employment opportunities for up to twenty-five weeks from October to April.

WLG career readiness training will focus on such topics as career exploration, financial literacy, conflict resolution, resume/cover letter development and opportunities to continue education and social growth. Programs are located in community-based organizations in all five boroughs of New York City. Youth can apply for the program online during the application period. Participants are selected by lottery for the program. The next application cycle will begin at the end of this month. For more information visit, nyc.gov/dycd.

September 12 – 18, 2016
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209
Free for all ages
The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City, presenting an array of national and international literary stars and emerging authors. One of America’s premier book festivals, this hip, smart, and diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages to enjoy authors and the festival’s lively literary marketplace. For more information, visit brooklynbookfestival.org.

Saturday, September 17, 2016, 10:00am – 4:00pm
MetroTech Commons
5 Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Free for all ages
Enjoy beloved and cool writers and illustrators all day at beautiful MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn, on two tented stages and in the auditorium of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. Books by participating authors and other new and beloved children’s books will be on sale with author book signings after each program. Visit the Brooklyn Book Festival website for a complete schedule of events.

September 16 – 18, 2016
Coney Island Circus Sideshow
1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224
In Coney Island’s fight to retain its edgy, freaky soul amid high-rise development and gentrification, this film fest is on the front lines. An opening-night special event kicks off three days of innovative shorts, campy classic features and wild parties; programming takes place at Sideshows by the Seashore and the Coney Island Museum, both at 1208 Surf Avenue. For more information, visit coneyislandfilmfestival.com.

Sunday, September 18, 2016, 11:30am – 6:00pm
Fort Tryon Park
Between Riverside Drive, Broadway, Dyckman Street and West 192nd Street, Manhattan, NY
Free for all ages
Head back to the Middle Ages at the annual Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park. The family-friendly celebration features music, dance, juggling and old-style crafts and food. Costumed characters in Renaissance gowns and knights in armor lend authenticity to the proceedings, and in the true spirit of the times, the festival ends with an actual joust between knights on horseback. Admission and entertainment are free; food, drink and any wares will cost you. For event details, visit the festival’s website.

September 17, 2016 – October 2, 2016
Pier 15, South Street Seaport
South and Fletcher Streets, Manhattan, NY 10038
General Admission is free for all ages
For three consecutive weekends this fall, Watermark Bar on Pier 15 at South Street Seaport is transformed into an Oktoberfest fete that feels straight out of Munich. From noon to midnight on each day of the event, experience the authentic décor, music, contests and games that are reminiscent of an authentic German celebration, along with steins of beer and traditional foods like bratwurst and pretzels. In addition to games of beer pong, cornhole and stein-holding competitions, the event will also feature family-friendly activities like bubbles for the kids and face painting. Admission to Oktoberfest is ticketed but free, available on Eventbrite additional food and beverage tickets can be purchased at booths on-site.

September 24 – 25, 2016, 11:00am – 6:00pm
Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY
A traditional county fair with blue ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts & crafts, and more. The fair features pie eating and corn husking contests, pig races, hay rides, carnival rides, midway games, children’s entertainment, a Bavarian Garden with live music and traditional dancers. There will also be a ConEdison Ecology booth where kids can adopt a worm for home composting, learn gardening and recycling tips, and make some free crafts. The Amazing Maize Maze also opens this weekend, and there will be local food and craft vendors on the farm, too. County Fair admission is $10/day for adults; $5/day for Children (12 & under) and free for Farm Members. To purchase advance tickets or for more information, visit queensfarm.org.

Saturday, October 15, 2016, 11:00am – 3:00pm
Grand Street between Mott and Mulberry Streets, Manhattan, NY
Free for all ages
The annual Marco Polo Festival celebrates the Chinese and Italian-American immigrant communities of Little Italy and Chinatown. It is the preeminent New York City occasion to celebrate the rich heritage of Asian and Italian history and culture. In recognition of these dynamic communities, and to celebrate the official Chinatown & Little Italy National Register Historic District designation, New York’s Chinese and Italian communities came together in October 2009 to celebrate the first annual Marco Polo Day, now the Marco Polo Festival. After a parade through the streets, opera performances, acrobatics and instrumental performances take place during the day in the two neighborhoods. Please visit the website for up-to-date festival details.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Award recognizes students in middle and high school who have demonstrated exemplary community service. The awards program is sponsored by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Local honorees are selected at participating schools and organizations in November, and from these winners, two state honorees are chosen in each state and the District of Columbia. Finally, 10 national honorees are picked by a panel of prominent judges, and announced at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., in May. Applicants must have engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred, at least partly, during the 12 months prior to the date of application. Applicants must not be employees of NASSP, Scholarship America, Prudential or its affiliates; their children; or previous Prudential national honorees. Previous state honorees are eligible only if their submitted activities are significantly different from previously honored activities. Additionally, applicants must be a student in the fifth through twelfth grades at time of application. The application deadline is Tuesday, November 8, 2016. For more further details, please visit spirit.prudential.com.

As a scholarship seeker, you’re probably already well-aware of the importance of an education. But, what about the naysayers? Have you come across someone who’s tried to talk you out of college, saying that it’s not worth it?

While continuing your education takes time and money, there’s a certain value that everyone is hoping to achieve. Unigo’s Education Matters Scholarship is giving you the chance to state why education matters. Why does education matter to you? What is the value you hope to receive from college? What would you do to convince the college cynics?

Speaking up for education could lead to helping you pay for your own. One applicant will be awarded our $5,000 Education Matters Scholarship. Applicants must be thirteen (13) years of age or older at the time of application and a legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia. Applicants must be currently enrolled (or enroll no later than the fall of 2022) in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education. The Application deadline is Wednesday, November 30, 2016. For additional scholarship details, please visit unigo.com.

The 2017 Preservation Technology and Training Grants (PTT Grants) are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections. The PTT Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community. The competitive grants program will provide funding to federal agencies, states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations. PTT Grants will support the following activities: Innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources (typically $25,000 to $40,000); Specialized workshops or symposia that identify and address national preservation needs (typically $15,000 to $25,000); How-to videos, mobile applications, podcasts, best practices publications, or webinars that disseminate practical preservation methods or provide better tools for preservation practice (typically $5,000 to $15,000). The maximum grant award is $40,000. The actual grant award amount is dependent on the scope of the proposed activity. NCPTT does not fund “bricks and mortar” grants. The deadline is Thursday, November 3, 2016. For more information about the grant opportunity, please visit grants.gov.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will select up to 10 communities to participate in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) to develop and execute a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness. The purpose of the YHDP is to learn how communities can successfully approach the goal of preventing and ending youth homelessness by building comprehensive systems of care for young people rather than implementing individual or unconnected projects that serve this population. In order to effectively implement a system that addresses the needs of youth experiencing homelessness, Continuums of Care (CoCs) must understand the subgroups of unaccompanied youth — including pregnant and parenting, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ), and minor age youth — experiencing homelessness and the unique challenges they face within their communities. Additionally, CoCs must ensure that the appropriate type of housing assistance and level of services that are effective in providing safe and stable housing are available within the community and must reach out and partner with a comprehensive set of traditional and non-traditional youth homelessness stakeholders that provide youth with resources and services, advocate for them, and set policy on their behalf. Finally, CoCs must incorporate the experiences of homeless or formerly homeless unaccompanied youth — which is vital to understanding the needs, strengths, and perspectives of the youth in the community — and incorporate those understandings into the YHDP coordinated community plan and awarded projects. All of this will require CoCs to use innovative practices to design better projects and strong comprehensive plans to prevent and end youth homelessness.

Applications are submitted through grants.gov, and are due by Wednesday, November 30, 2016. Communities represented by the CoC Collaborative Applicant must include a youth advisory board, the local or state public child welfare agency, and a broad array of other partners. The rating and ranking criteria included in this NOFA will be used to competitively select the communities. The selection of the 10 communities will be announced in January of 2017. For complete grant information and eligibility, please visit grants.gov.

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a network of community based organizations and programs to alleviate the effects of poverty and provide opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish. DYCD contracts with various community-based organizations that provide services and activities for youth and low-income populations. Through the HHS Accelerator system, DYCD is proud to release the Comprehensive Services for Immigrant Families Request for Proposals (RFP) to those organizations prequalified in the relevant service areas. Likewise, proposals must be submitted through the HHS Accelerator system in the manner set forth in the “Procurement” section of the system by those same pre-qualified organizations. Through this RFP, DYCD is seeking appropriately qualified not-for-profit organizations to deliver comprehensive services for immigrant families in low-income neighborhoods. The due date for this RFP is Tuesday, October 11, 2016 at 2:00pm in the HHS Accelerator system. Go to nyc.gov/hhsaccelerator to learn more and to apply. Questions regarding this RFP should be emailed to rfpquestions@dycd.nyc.gov indicating “Comprehensive Services for Immigrant Families” in the subject line no later than Friday, September 23, 2016.

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) on behalf of the Division of Human Resource and Talent — HR School Support — and the Office of Scholarship and Incentive Programs releases this Open-Ended Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking proposals from New York State accredited graduate colleges/universities to participate in the NYCDOE’s Scholarship Program. Vendors must offer Master’s and/or Doctoral degree programs in any of or all the various areas/disciplines of Special Education and its related services. It is anticipated that no more than 20 contracts will be awarded. Services will commence in the Fall of 2017. The contract term is 5 years. There is no fee for this RFP. The due date for this RFP is Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 1:00pm. Login to the Vendor Portal to download RFP R1135. If you cannot download this RFP, please send an e-mail to VendorHotline@schools.nyc.gov with the RFP Number and title in the subject line of your e-mail. For all questions related to this RFP, please send an e-mail to COPContracts@schools.nyc.gov with the RFP Number and title in the subject line of your e-mail.

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.