State CYFAR Program Spotlight

CITY Project

Young people may not have the wealth or voting power that adults have, but they do offer something just as valuable: A fountain of creativity, enthusiasm and determination. With the support of a caring mentor, youth can dream up some pretty amazing solutions to community problems. For a working example, just watch New York’s Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project in action.


The CITY Project sister groups meet at the Cornell Cooperative
Extension office in New York City.

Now in its second year, this CYFAR Sustainable Communities Project empowers 14- to 18-year-olds to make positive changes in the highest-need areas of New York. The project draws on the national 4-H resource, Public Adventures, along with one of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s signature programs, Youth Community Action. Evaluation results from 2006 show significant gains for CITY Project youth in terms of civic engagement, workforce preparation and developmental assets.

In Broome County and New York City, the main CITY Project partners include the Broome County Gang Prevention Program/Binghamton Housing Authority; the Broome County Urban League; the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan; and the Police Athletic League/Wynn Center in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. In total, these four locations serve about 40 Teen Leaders. The teens must commit to the CITY Project for two years.

This past school year, the teens explored the Public Adventures curriculum and identified local issues through community mapping. “Public Adventures is about how to create a needs assessment for their community improvement projects,” explains June Mead, the state CYFAR project director and evaluator. “Youth learn decision making and grant writing, how to identify stakeholders, and how to develop a mission, vision and action plan. They also take part in city council meetings and other local government.”

After the youth come up with project ideas, the project coordinators ask important questions like, “How do we make that happen? Who should we involve in this conversation? What kind of training do we need?” Then, the teens invite community agency members to address those areas and to provide further guidance. During the summer months, the youth fulfill their community improvement projects as paid Extension employees.

In 2006-2007, the Broome County program coordinators worked with nine Teen Leaders on Tuesday nights, and 14 Teen Leaders on Wednesday nights. Seeking a variety of perspectives, the CITY Project team recruited youth from two high schools in Broome County—one public and one private.

“CITY has brought together young people that would not have met otherwise,” says Vicki Giarratano, the Broome County project coordinator. “The two high schools have always had some division, but following team-building exercises, these young people have come to not only respect one another, but they’ve formed a bond that will not be broken.”


A Teen Leader in the Broome County CITY Project works in the
4-H Press Corps at the New York State Fair.

One Broome County group spent part of the year developing a rather sophisticated community clean-up program. Initially, Binghamton residents selected a city block in desperate need of maintenance. Thanks to their fundraising efforts, the Teen Leaders were able to afford supplies and proceed with the clean-up. The youth then planned to host a party on that newly clean block, which would encourage residents of said block to join in the next clean-up. With the volunteers and money procured at that block party, the teens could continue with the next clean-up, and so forth.

Using video, photography and other media, the second group produced a DVD. The video incorporates a theatrical presentation called “Did Ya Know,” which informs the public about the pressures that youth face today. The video also includes footage of the Broome County teens’ trip to Manhattan, where they met their sister group for a public TV station tour. “That tour was a turning point,” says Mead. “The teens were like, ‘Oh, if we build up our video skills, then we can have a job like this? Cool!’”

In addition to the Big Apple meet-up, the sister groups have had a few other chances to get acquainted. In fall 2006, the New York City teens traveled upstate to meet the Broome County teens, and to tour Binghamton University. As added incentive, the Teen Leaders who fulfilled their summer employment got to attend the State Fair for four days this past summer. “For many of the youth, these were huge trips,” says Mead. “They had never been anywhere before.”

Another piece of their summer employment, the Broome County Teen Leaders attended a construction and horticulture camp. There, they built a cedar shed, which they donated to a community garden. The youth also held a can and bottle drive, worked at the farmers’ market, created/distributed surveys, and trained on GPS.

“You have to learn what excites the teens, and you have to be open to the responsibility each of us carries in creating safe and healthy communities.“

~Jamila Simon

The efforts of the New York City Teen Leaders—10 in Brooklyn and 16 in Manhattan—were equally impressive in 2006-2007. The Brooklyn group focused on physical, digital and verbal harassment issues in their community. Drawing on survey results and interviews, the teens produced a video about harassment, as well as a list of hotlines for victims of harassment. In August, the group presented their insights via a community forum.

The Manhattan group looked at teen shopping behaviors. They found that 80 percent of the teens they surveyed pay more than $400 a month on clothes, often racking up serious credit card debt in the process. Inspired by Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks, who recently developed a line of low-cost shoes, the teens produced a map of local stores that sell affordable clothing. With the sponsorships they acquired from such major retailers as Kohl’s, Marshalls and TJ Maxx, the Teen Leaders will put on a fashion show in November that showcases outfits of $20 or less.

Right now, the New York City teens are writing local airline offices in the hopes of getting tickets to the upcoming CYFAR Conference in San Antonio. Judging by past achievements, the odds are in their favor. In both cities, the Teen Leaders have learned how to conduct business like seasoned professionals. They even have their own business cards with the CITY logo, their name and title, and their project coordinator’s contact info.

“They absolutely love the cards,” says Mead, who printed them on her home computer. “It makes them feel so proud of their project and of each other.”


Broome County Teen Leaders meet Silda Wall Spitzer, first lady
of New York, during a Children for Children event.

Needless to say, the project coordinators play a central role in leading the youth toward attainable goals. “You have to learn what excites the teens, and you have to be open to the responsibility each of us carries in creating safe and healthy communities,” says Jamila Simon, the New York City project coordinator. “You also have to put in the work because the rewards are endless.”

The work can be endless, too, but it’s clearly a labor of love. Mead says that adult leaders like Giarratano and Simon are the real powerhouse behind the CITY project. Such devoted leaders are willing to drive long distances with a van full of teenagers, to serve as a preferred emergency contact, or to stay overnight in State Fair dorms with no air-conditioning.

Looking ahead at this school year, the original CITY Project teens go from learners to trainers. “The Teen Leaders will modify the Public Adventures curriculum to fit in two or three sessions,” says Mead. “They’ll work with our collaborators to identify other youth groups who might be interested in community action projects, and they’ll conduct interviews with those youth.” At the end of 2008, the CITY Project team will hold a formal graduation. And, at the start of 2009, they’ll repeat the same model with new collaborators.

Ultimately, the CITY Project gives at-risk youth of all backgrounds a fair shake. In the past year, the project coordinators have watched insecure teenagers begin to feel confident and strong personalities begin working as a team.

“They’ve learned that economics, ethnicity and school status do not make them who they are,” says Giarratano. “I see a future of networking world-changers who met in their teen years, but who will meet again in their adult lives to continue carrying out good work.”

Links

All photos courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension

A note from the editors — In February 2008, National Association of Extension 4-H Agents urban 4-H Programs Task Force chose the CITY Project for inclusion in its selective NAE4-HA Directory of Successful Urban 4-H Programs. CYFAR congratulates CITY on its continued success. You may access the directory here.


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