Announcement
Making memories with friends at Mini-NYSA!
Photo: IRC in NY
The inaugural Mini-NYSA program took place from April 11th – 14th, 2023 during the NYC DOE spring break week. An adaptation of NYSA (Newcomer Youth Summer Academy), the IRC in NY’s pilot youth program Mini-NYSA focused on building school readiness for two small student cohorts (11-14 years old and 15-17 years old). It was led by the Youth Education Coordinator, Youth Specialist, 4 peer mentors, and field trip chaperons who provided to tailored support to students.
15 students (in Middle School and High School) attended Mini-NYSA and participated in a fun mix of academic and extracurricular activities. Students spoke English, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian. Peer mentors helped facilitate lessons by providing translations of directions as well as participating in the activities.
It was a full 3 days of bonding! Students enjoyed a field trip to Ellis Island, watched movies, and played during recess break. They also practiced their English and other academic subjects and participated in a popular NYSA course: social-emotional learning (SEL). Linguistically inclusive approaches and trauma-responsive pedagogy were utilized in SEL classes to empower students to grapple with some of the challenges they face in thoughtful, emotionally safe ways. Students were encouraged to pull from their own knowledge and insight to find solutions to problems that can arise in a new school setting.
As an example, in an SEL lesson, Students watched the movie Inside Out which led to open conversations about emotions, grief, stress, and joy.
Identity Mapping Collage: photo 1
Photo: IRC in NY
Two popular activities were also the Identity Mapping Collage where students made drawings responding to the questions: who am I? What are my goals? What are my favorite things? What do I want to study?
The second: Cool-Down Playlist Activity, was very popular! This music playlist activity encouraged students to express themselves and share their personalities with others. On a 10-line worksheet, students added the top 3 songs that help them calm down. In the remaining 7 lines, students listen and choose from their peers’ top 3, and add their favorite song picks to their worksheet. Both activities engaged students in team building, creativity, and collaboration.
It was wonderful to see students share their spring break with each other. Next year, the Youth Program team is excited to outreach to more students in preparation for the second year of Mini-NYSA. The small cohorts provided the space to build friendships.
Having fun at Mini-NYSA!
Photo: IRC in NY
Mini-NYSA was especially meaningful for students who recently arrived halfway through the school year or have been here for just 6 months and looking for friends or extra academic support. For some, Mini-NYSA was their first introduction to NYSA, and this pilot program served as a promising preview for what to expect if they enroll in NYSA in the summer (NYSA will occur from July 10th – August 11th)! Ultimately this year’s first Mini-NYSA was a success because it laid the foundation for next year!
The IRC in NY is looking forward to the next Mini-NYSA!