NYJL COMMUNITY IMPACT ADULT EDUCATION & MENTORING Adult mentors provide guidance and support to at-risk adults. NYJL Adult Education & Mentoring programs are coordinated with established community partners and focus on life skills training; esteem and self-advocacy; support and emergency services; and providing the tools and resources to help these survivors break the cycle of domestic violence before it is too late. NYJL volunteers counsel and advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims in New York City hospitals in partnership with New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Domestic & Other Violence Emergencies program; present workshops focused on self-esteem, stress and anger management, journal writing and goal-setting; housing, job/career search, finances, and other social services and support programs; provide math tutoring through the Women’s Prison Association; and interact with the elderly at the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged, to name a few projects of this Council.
CHILDREN’S EDUCATION COUNCIL For families who are homeless, headed by a single parent, or experiencing other difficulties, the stress of daily life can be overwhelming. NYJL volunteers participate in programs intended to help alleviate some of the pressures faced by today’s families and enable individuals to lead fuller, healthier, more independent lives. NYJL volunteers work with many established community partners to provide valuable life-skills workshops on a variety of subjects including career issues; family budgets; nutrition and health; parenting skills; stress management; and cancer prevention. The underlying goal of the Children’s Education Council is to empower parents, guardians, and caregivers and to give them the tools that will help them build a positive future for themselves and their families.
Culture & the Arts Research shows that exposure to art and music facilitates social and communicative development in children. Despite that fact, economic realities faced by public schools are increasingly causing art and music education to be dropped. To help bring arts education and appreciation to underserved New York children and teenagers, NYJL volunteers participate in a variety of interactive projects designed to encourage self-expression while building confidence and self-esteem. For more than 20 years, NYJL volunteers have designed, planned, funded, and completed a playground renovation each spring in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Other community partners in this area include P.S. 64, The Harbor for Boys and Girls, and the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center.
Child Health & Welfare A mentor is a trusted adult with a long-term, consistent commitment to provide guidance and support to an at-risk youth. NYJL volunteers work to teach these young people that challenging life circumstances provide opportunities to learn, grow, and persevere. The NYJL works with a variety of community partners, including the Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network, Mentoring USA, and Good Shepherd to provide programming which uses a positive approach, harnessing individual strengths and aiming to foster responsibility, self-esteem, initiative, and the development of life skills.