CAMBA Connection E-News

Flagstone's After-School SONYC Students Strive to Change The World

Middle school students across the city brought the heat to the May finals of the DYCD SONYC Game Changers Youth Leadership Competition. A citywide contest sponsored by the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, Game Changers challenged young people to create projects based on things they would like to change in their communities and that demonstrated leadership skills .

Our team from our Flagstone Family Center captured first- and third-place trophies, competing in the categories of Arts and Leadership and Civic Engagement. Their projects were created as part of the SONYC after-school program at Flagstone, a family homeless shelter.

Students took first-place wins in the Arts and Leadership category for creating a mural in the shelter's recreation center, with help from Groundswell's Community Mural project. The Flagstone team also won a third-place award in Civic Engagement for assessing technology needs at the Flagstone shelter , including recommendations for improvement of WiFi access and the benefits of building a computer lab .

Students, who range from fifth through eighth grade , submitted a video documenting the process of their six-week projects, which qualified them for the finals. Together, they won trophies, medals and Game Changers swag . The first-place team also received a Mac laptop computer, which will help jumpstart its technology initiatives.

The Flagstone SONYC program, located in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is one of only a few pilot initiatives based in a family homeless shelter.

Santander Bank Volunteers Help High School Students Craft College Essays

E., a high-school junior who goes only by his first initial, aspires to college and has been wrestling with an approach to his college essay. He got a boost recently when a group of about 30 volunteers from Santander Bank US offered to help 18 students in two CAMBA college prep programs.

E. was paired with Jaswinder Dhillon, a Santander VP who hails from India and speaks four languages.

They clicked immediately. E. says he was a fourth grader when his family immigrated from the Sudan, but his schooling had been so poor that he could not read or write, even in his native Arabic.

Fast forward to today. E. has studied Spanish, mastered English and plans to combine a career in computer engineering and psychology.

"Think of your language skills as a plus point," Jaswinder said, encouraging E. to write about his success overcoming a language and literacy barrier.

A couple of hours later, E. had a solid outline for his essay. "I'm learning a lot from Jaswinder's experience and the steps that he went through," E. says. "It sounds like I can do it too."

By the end of the session, students came away with stronger essays, business cards and perhaps a few future mentors. These students participate in our Collegiate Express and Leading to College programs.

One last lesson remained: how to write a check. Sandander bankers brought out an oversized blank check and invited two students to help fill it out ... with $50,000 in the amount line.

The check was a mock-up, but the donation is real, and it will go to the Collegiate Express program to serve more young people aiming for college.

Rogosin Institute Donates Computer Lab to The Kensington Family Shelter, Helping to End the 'Digital Divide'

Excitement buzzed at The Kensington Family Shelter recently with the dedication of a brand new computer lab. The Rogosin Institute donated 21 Apple Mac computers and a printer, along with technical services to set up the lab.

The donation means that residents now have easy access to search for housing, apply to jobs on-line, write and upload resumes and complete homework assignments, connecting them to opportunities they need to achieve self-sufficiency. Some parents have already found work online, and one student even landed a spot at a top high school, in part because she was able to complete homework using the lab's computers.

The lab was featured recently on WNBC-TV.

The Rogosin Institute, a medical organization that addresses kidney disease, said the donation is a demonstration of its commitment to a "total state of well- being,"' according to Dr. Barry Smith, President and CEO of Rogosin.

As CAMBA's President and CEO Joanne M. Oplustil put it, "The lab will help young people and their families build critical computer skills, compete successfully in our highly technical world and bridge the digital divide that limits the upward mobility of people in low-income communities."

Resident Berylz Rivera cut the ribbon on the new lab and talked about its impact on her life. Listen to her story:

Rogosin will be donating additional computers to more CAMBA shelters in the future.

CAMBA's Adult Literacy Students Celebrate Their Achievements

Seynabou Thiam, pictured above, proudly accepts her certificate for completing her high school equivalency program. Seynabou was among the more than 30 students from CAMBA's Adult Literacy Center who were honored our annual May Student Recognition Ceremony.

The Literacy Center's graduation ceremonies are especially meaningful for students, many of whom are juggling jobs and families, attending early morning classes after working overnight or coming in late in the evening after a day of hard work.

The program also featured student Erwine Pierre Louis, a native of Haiti and former student at the Literacy Center, who described his successful academic journey in an inspirational address entitled "CAMBA to Medgar Evers College."

CAMBA's Adult Literacy Center serves about 1,000 people annually, with English classes for speakers of other languages and programs for students seeking their high school equivalency diplomas.

"We are the first stop for many English language learners. Oftentimes students have only been in the United States for a few days before coming to our Center to apply for classes," said Carol Higgins-Lawrence, who supervises the Center's ESOL program.

"Students come to us from all over the world -- countries like Haiti, Yemen, Sudan, Guinea, Ecuador, Cambodia and Bangladesh," she said. "Their American dreams begin with learning how to read, write and speak English. For many of our American students, their dream is to finally earn their High School Equivalency. These are major steps towards improving their lives and the lives of their families and communities here and abroad."

It's Cyclones Season at CAMBA

Are you Yankees or Mets?

Cheer your favorite farm team on July 26, when the Brooklyn Cyclones take on the Staten Island Yankees -- and join the fun at CAMBA's annual Night at the Ballpark.

When: Tuesday, July 26, 2016

7 pm
Where: MCU Park, 1904 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11224

Coney Island

Field Box Seat: $30
(Includes one Cyclones cap per ticket)

**Special Offer: Buy Three Field Box Seats, Get One Free! ($90)

Luxury Suite: $175
(Each purchase includes one Cyclones cap and access to our catered luxury suite)

Click on the baseball to buy tickets.

Become a sponsor and see your name or logo

on the jumbotron. CLICK HERE for details on sponsors opportunities.

Proceeds support our life-changing services for 45,000 New Yorkers in need.

Help support CAMBA's life-transforming services for 45,000 New Yorkers in need each year. PLEASE DONATE TODAY.

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