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It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Community Partnership Grant Awarded The Summer in the City Program was founded to help inform Arbor Hill families about summer programs for youth with an emphasis upon programs that focus upon cultural and educational activities. It also assists students in enrolling in these programs. The Family Information Night and the Guide to Summer Activities for Youth in the Capital Region both provide access to useful information about the many opportunities that are available for young people in the Capital Region. Almost all of the programs that exhibit and that are listed in the Guide welcome diverse participants and also offer scholarships and financial aid. Summer activities can play a very important role in children’s social and intellectual development and participation can actually help to improve their academic achievement during the school year. Summer is a great time for young people to experience the outdoors through camping; develop their creativity in the arts; explore science, math, and technology; make new friends; and have fun. It is never too early to start planning children’s activities for the following summer and the information on this website can help. In order to have a variety of choices, to find the program that is just right for your child, and to have maximum access to scholarships it is a good idea to begin the process of finding out about summer programs during the first months of the winter school semester (January through March). Most of the programs in the Guide to Summer Activities have links to their websites that you can click on and find more detailed information. When choosing a program think about your child’s interests, strengths, and the areas in which you would like to see them grow. Do not hesitate to call the program(s) in which you are interested to find out more. Staff people are eager to help. If you have general questions you can also contact the Summer in the City project director. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD
We know that the summer is an extremely vulnerable time
for the youth. School is out. Having free time on their hands can get
them caught in the game of crime and conviction. Parents: if your children
are not involved in summer programs, who do you think is going to watch
over your children while you are at work? If you don’t find something
for your children to be involved in, the streets will. Violence has plagued
our neighborhoods, schools, and communities and has targeted our children.
. . . We are in a critical state with the youth. We have gone beyond crisis. We are all here today because we care! The Summer Activities Guide offers incentives through the many programs it describes. Take advantage of the opportunities through the many scholarships that are available. Our youth are gifted and talented human beings who deserve a chance at life. Structure teaches the youth how to become productive members of society. We must keep the minds of the youth challenged. I wish that every parent in the city of Albany were here to take advantage of the opportunity that exists here today. So for those that are here, please pass this information along to others. Because together we can conquer all, step over fear, and build bridges over troubled waters. Together we can close our eye on division and create new beginnings. Together we can share our past and plan for our future. Together we can pray, fast, and heal. Together we can open doors for our children, provide them with opportunity, direction and vision. Together we can help our children achieve their goals, develop their plans, personalize their dreams, show them how to gather their inheritance and how to sow their seed in good ground. Together we can teach our children how to read and write, how to become productive young men and women of society. By rebuilding the village we can put our communities back together and together we can make a difference.
Community Partnership Grant Awarded 2004-2005 The American Studies Association is pleased to announce
the award of one grant through its Community Partnership Project. This
years grant goes to help fund "Summer in the City: An Exhibit Celebrating
Arbor Hill Youth Accomplishments." The project is sponsored by the
College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. This exhibit will celebrate the accomplishments
of young people in Arbor Hill by exhibiting works they create during the
summer of 2004. As a predominantly African American neighborhood, Albany's
Arbor Hill has been shaped by many of the forces that characterize African
American life in the United States. Stories of resistance, migration,
racial violence, spiritual resilience, de facto segregation, cultural
innovation, economic exploitation, political militancy, and family bonds
contribute to understanding Arbor Hill in the past and in the present.
Although children and young people who will participate in the "Summer
in the City" project may not explicitly articulate their lives and
concerns using the concepts mentioned above, their lives are nevertheless
affected by the political, social, economic, and cultural realities that
have defined Black experience in the United States. It is likely that
many of the works that the participants create will portray, comment upon,
and interrogate their own African American urban experience. The project
brings American Studies practitioners into the community, working to uncover,
preserve, and increase knowledge of diverse cultural heritages. |
Excerpts
from Michelle Washington's Speech,