The Children’s Aid Society knows it: once school is out each day, there is much more work to do in order to keep youth directed towards academic, social and cultural learning. After-School programs at The Children’s Aid Society’s Community Schools and Centers provide fantastic opportunities for kids to excel after 3:00 p.m., where our holistic approach is used to address all of the child’s needs. And it’s fun!
After-school programs run in 21 community schools and all eight Children’s Aid community centers, serving hundreds of elementary school-aged children in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. Offering a safe haven for children in some of the city’s most economically challenged neighborhoods, the kids can focus on school work as well as discover their many hidden talents.
Homework assistance is available for children who need it, and recreational activities such as basketball do more than break a sweat – they team kids up with mentors who serve as role models, providing invaluable emotional support. The Children’s Aid Society is 
also a founding member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and virtually every Children’s Aid site operates as a Boys & Girls Club.
You want more? Children can learn tactics, strategies, and problem solving while developing an appreciation for chess at the Philip Coltoff Center in Greenwich Village. And children from 9-12 years old interested in the performing arts take part in voice and articulation, dance, choreography and acting at the Rhinelander Center Stage Club.
The opportunities provided by Children’s Aid go on and on, and the skills the students develop are priceless; click here for information on volunteering opportunities!
Tags: after school programs, Boys and Girls Club, Children's Aid New York City, Community Schools, mentoring, Philip Coltoff Center, Rhinelander Center Stage Club, sports and recreation
By David
Image courtesy of setonyouthshelters.org
When you mentor, you don’t just serve; you join a movement. A few years ago, USA Today reported that, as baby-boomers become empty nesters and young adults join the ranks, mentoring is at an all-time high. At some agencies in New York, the ranks of mentors have as much as doubled.
Perhaps people are becoming mentors because they want to make a difference. The article notes that mentoring has a notable impact on key youth behaviors, including school attendance, drug and alcohol abuse and violence. The Educational Commission of the States has observed that mentoring can improve everything from self-esteem to eating disorders.
The broad and substantial impact of mentoring is becoming ever more critical to developing today’s children into tomorrow’s leaders and citizens. After all, the issues facing children – tobacco, drugs, violence, overeating and pregnancy – are becoming more severe and more common.
The Children’s Aid Society matches caring adults with children and youth to provide them with guidance, support, and encouragement. Providing career exploration and homework help, mentors may do everything from reading to playing sports. But The Children’s Aid Society can’t make these positive and lasting differences in children’s lives without the help of volunteers.
Lend a weekday evening or Saturday to a 9-18 year old today. Think of it as a way to repay those who’ve lent you time along the way.
Tags: baby-boomers, Children's Aid New York City, Educational Commission of the States, issues facing children, mentoring, USA Today, volunteer
By Andrew
A new study says that for children and teens who suffer violence at the hands of peers, immediate one-on-one mentoring on how to avoid conflict and diffuse threats reduces their risk of becoming victims again. Participants who received personalized counseling and formed a mentoring relationship with counselors reported 25% fewer fights and 42% fewer injuries from fights six months later.
The Children’s Aid Society in New York knows that as members of the community it plays an important role in helping kids that experience violence and trauma. By helping young people avoid or overcome emotional problems resulting from violence or sexual abuse early, deeply set trauma later in life can be avoided.
New York’s Children’s Aid Society responded to this need with the creation of Hope Leadership Academy: a multifaceted approach to help adolescents and families cope with post traumatic stress. The Hope Leadership Academy is a teen center that gives adolescents a safe place to process their feelings on violence and victimization. It shows them how to derive strength from their experiences, to feel empowered rather than hopeless. With new skills and self-confidence, they not only make changes in their own lives, but in their neighborhoods, and beyond.
Through learning peaceful and effective solutions to violence and prejudice, HOPE participants build stronger families and safer communities. By working to reduce violence and effectively deal with issues, The Children’s Aid Society in New York is also teaching youth to handle any situation in life by learning public speaking and how to become peer educators. Lessons for a lifetime, for sure!
Tags: abuse, Children's Aid New York City, counseling, hope, Hope Leadership Academy, medicinenet.com, mentoring, National Institute of Mental Health, ptsd, teen violence
By David
Educators and parents agree that high self-esteem and respect for others helps youth accept responsibility for their actions, and take pride in their accomplishments. Positive self esteem in teens helps gives them control of their lives. Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D., a well known psychotherapist, defines self esteem as ‘being able to experience oneself as…coping with the challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness.’ That sounds a lot like Charles Loring Brace, the founder of New York City-based Children’s Aid Society, who believed that children had the right to a happy and productive life. Mentoring programs have proven to be especially helpful in fostering self-esteem. Through mentoring, self esteem develops and responsibility for oneself, family and community follow.
Youth Empowerment for Success, or the YES Mentoring Program, was founded in New York in 1992 in conjunction with The Children’s Aid Society to address the needs of the adolescent males coming through the Family Court system. YES for Girls was created in 1997. The award-winning YES Program is a unique collaboration that addresses the educational, social and emotional needs of this at-risk population. By fostering pride and self-validation, YES mentors guide youth towards positive self-identity.
Healthy self-esteem is a child’s armor against the harsh challenges of the world. Kids and teens who feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures. You can help kids become involved in this experience - YES is looking for energetic, committed men and women to be part of the YES team. For more information, click here.
Tags: Charles Loring Brace, Children's Aid New York City, kidshealth, mentoring, nase, Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D, self-esteem, YES, Youth Empowerment for Success
By David
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