All children and young people need and deserve ample opportunities to express themselves creatively, build self-esteem, develop leadership skills, and prepare for successful careers. Consider giving to one of the nonprofits below to help nurture the next generation of New Yorkers.
Nurturing young talent
Extracurricular activities outside of school hours can help children and teens build confidence, discover new talents and interests, build teamwork skills, and even enhance academic performance. These groups ensure all children and teens in New York can access these benefits regardless of abilities or socioeconomic status.
Fast Feet Running and Athletics provides adaptive fitness education to children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities and their family members. It offers weekly running classes in partnership with schools and community organizations. Professionals with training in coaching and athletics, special education, and occupational, physical, and behavioral therapy lead the classes.
New 42 helps public school students write and stage original theatrical works. As the city’s first and only year-round professional theater dedicated to children, it plays an important role in educating the next generation of theater-makers.
Reel Works introduces young New Yorkers to the art of filmmaking. Young people learn about the filmmaking process, including storytelling, script writing, camera work, sound engineering, and editing. The group operates a youth-run film production company, runs filmmaking classes in public schools that train young people to create documentaries, and provides a media training program.
Training the next generation of leaders
As our communities look to build a better future, young people need opportunities to explore and advocate for the causes they care about. These nonprofits are instilling New York’s young people with the leadership, advocacy, and community-building skills they’ll need to address future challenges.
Avenues for Justice was one of the first alternative programs in the country for young people involved with the justice system. Programs help participants through educational, job readiness, mentorship, wellness, and advocacy and community organizing programs that provide opportunities for them to express their opinions. 95 percent of participants avoid future justice involvement.
NYC, LONG ISLAND & WESTCHESTER: Generation Citizen champions real-world democracy education that empowers young people with the knowledge and skills they need to effect change. Students take civics classes, participate in outreach efforts to register their peers and encourage voter turnout, and have opportunities to meet with elected officials and government agencies to discuss issues that are important to them.
WESTCHESTER: Westchester Youth Alliance brings together young people from all over the county to build bridges across diverse communities of faith, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender identity, and more. The program guides participants through exercises and service projects focused on nurturing their voices, building community, and taking action.
Preparing Young People for Careers
Navigating the steps to successful and fulfilling careers can be challenging for young people, particularly those who are from low-income backgrounds, immigrants, or involved with the justice system. They often face greater hiring biases and barriers to obtaining internship and work experience in comparison to their more affluent peers. The following groups provide young people with opportunities to access well-paying jobs and eliminate barriers and are building a more inclusive economy for New York’s young people.
Futures and Options prepares low-income teenagers for college and the workforce by offering essential work skills and career exploration. They also work with New York City employers to provide paid internships in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and finance.
Harlem Grown’s mission is to inspire young people to lead healthy and productive lives. It operates afterschool and summer programs for elementary and middle school students and hires young people as interns who learn how to plant, cultivate, harvest, and compost produce on the program’s 14 soil-based and hydroponic farms in Harlem. All produce is donated to community residents and food programs.
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow is one of a very few workforce organizations serving young people and adults in Jamaica, Queens and Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Every year, nearly 2,000 people come to the agency for English language classes; academic preparation for New York’s high school equivalency exam; job training in technology, construction, masonry, renewable energy, and healthcare; and job placement.
This list is not exhaustive. There are many incredible nonprofits helping make our region a better place for all; we seek to highlight a few that may not be on your radar, but please reach out to our philanthropic advising department at advising@thenytrust.org if you would like recommendations tailored to your charitable goals.