Ravenswood Program

Mission

The Ravenswood II "I Have a Dream" Program motivates and empowers youth from the Ravenswood Houses to realize their dreams by providing a long-term program of academic support, mentoring, and cultural enrichment, while guaranteeing the resources needed to achieve their educational and career goals.

Program Overview

In conjunction with the New York City Housing Authority and the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation, the Ravenswood II "I Have a Dream" Program currently serves fourth and fifth graders living in the Ravenswood Houses in Long Island City, NY. The program operates during the after-school hours and as a full-time summer camp. Eligible children receive FREE year-round academic support and personal guidance from elementary school through high school. The children participate in arts, music, drama, and recreational workshops, as well as social and cultural enrichment programs and community service activities. The Ravenswood II "I Have a Dream" Program relies on schools, parents, and the general community for support in these endeavors. After high school graduation, the tuition assistance program guarantees coverage of higher education costs for all participants up to the amount charged by the State University of New York.

After-School Program

Our After-School Program, located at PS 112 in Long Island City, Queens, began on February 13th, 2006. The after-school program is open to all of the Ravenswood Dreamers. Academic assistance is provided through homework help sessions facilitated by staff and volunteers and supervised by the program directors. In addition to academic services, the Ravenswood Program features a wide array of daily activities. Examples include “Fun in the Sun”, which encourages exercise and recreation through outdoor activities; Arts and Crafts, which features new and exciting projects each week; and “Workout Wednesdays”, which provides a forum for cooperative team sports, leadership building, and healthy competition. Creative writing workshops, science experiments, and current events education also allow for Dreamers to think critically about their world and express their ideas in a free and open environment. The "I Have a Dream" After-School Program currently operates Monday through Thursday from 3:00pm-6:00pm.

Summer Program

The Ravenswood II Summer Program operates for four weeks during July and early August. Mornings are dedicated to light academics while the afternoons provide an opportunity to relax and have fun. Our 2006 Summer Camp featured the first edition of the Dreamer’s Corner, our seasonal newsletter. Building on that success, the Dreamers continue to hone their writing skills and boost their self-confidence by producing the Dreamer's Corner each summer, while practicing math skills through interactive board games and group games. Afternoon activities have included workshops such as the Dreamer Garden, Picture Your Neighborhood, Feel the Beat, Art Exploration, and African Dance. Fridays are reserved for field trips around New York City and the tri-state area. Highlights from our 2007 Summer Camp include mural painting, our lemonade stand, the IHAD-NY Field Day, and most notably, our first overnight camping trip to Kettletown State Park in southern Connecticut.

Special Events

Field Trips

Cultural and social enrichment take place in a variety of ways at the Ravenswood II Program, but none more so than field trips. Throughout the year Dreamers participate in a host of field trips and activities that take them around and outside of NYC. Field trips are scheduled on a monthly basis during the academic year and on a weekly basis during the summer. As of January 2008, the Dreamers have visited over 20 different attractions in all five boroughs and the tri-state area, including:

Childrens' Museum of Manhattan
The NYC Transit Museum
NY Hall of Science
Central Park
Met's Game at Shea Stadium
Sony Wonder Lab
The Bronx Zoo
The Wollman Ice Skating Rink
Jones Beach
Jets Game
New York Legends of Hip Hop on Broadway

The Kickoff Celebration

On Thursday, November 9th, 2006, the Ravenswood II "I Have a Dream" Program hosted its Kickoff Celebration at our partner school, P.S. 112. The Kickoff is a major benchmark in every “I Have a Dream” program, marking the official start of each program and formally inducting participants, or “Dreamers” into the “I Have a Dream” family. The event highlights the goals of the program and the long-term commitments of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, the families, and the Dreamers themselves.

Over 100 individuals attended our Kickoff, including 44 of our 51 enrolled Dreamers; their families; program staff; representatives from the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation, our program Sponsors; Dreamers from the first Ravenswood “I Have a Dream” Program (1994-2004) and their Sponsor, Harold Friedman; and representatives from the “I Have a Dream” NY-Metro office, NYCHA, and local community organizations. The ceremony included speeches by the Program Sponsor, a Dreamer alumna (from the Ravenswood I program), and a short performance by the Dreamers. It was capped off with their official induction into the “I Have a Dream” family, led by the “I Have a Dream” Foundation founder and Chairman Emeritus, Eugene Lang. Following our Grand Finale, attendees moved into the cafeteria for a light reception. The event also received media attention: our program was featured in the Daily News (11/14/06) and the Queens Gazette (11/29/06).

Holiday Potluck

Since our inception in 2006, the Ravenswood Program has celebrated the holiday season with a Family Holiday Potluck dinner. The event, held in December, is a great opportunity for the Dreamers, their families and program staff, as well as community partners and friends, to gather and interact outside of the after-school program. The annual festivity includes food, craft projects, and performances by our participants. In December 2007 our families came out in full force – an astounding 43 Dreamers and their families were in attendance. Performances included a Kwanzaa dance directed by Tony Howell and the Museum of African Art and a reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, directed by Kids Acting Out, Inc. A special “Thank You” goes out to the Ravenswood Community Center for providing us with a great venue.

Jones Beach

What better way to end the summer than with a trip to the beach! Dreamers and their families spend a day of rest and relaxation by the water on this annual excursion to Jones Beach on Long Island.

Projects and Partnerships

Families: At Ravenswood, as with all “I Have a Dream” programs, everything starts with the family. All efforts to encourage academic success and empower Dreamers could not be realized without the support of parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and various extended family members who are committed to our mission and vision. This support comes in the form of conferences, participation in family events, assistance with field trips and activities, and most basic of all, regular communication. Maintaining this relationship with the families is key to the ultimate success of the program.
Schools: In addition to families, “I Have a Dream” projects form key partnerships with local schools, businesses and community organizations to collaborate and obtain resources for the program. Our local schools form the foundation of these partnerships, assisting us in providing effective programming to our Dreamers in many different ways. One of these schools, Public School 112, has been the home of our after-school program since 2006; we also meet with teachers and other school officials to keep abreast of how students are performing in all areas of their school life. Our connection with schools will adapt to address the changing needs of our Dreamers as they transition from elementary to middle to high school.
Sponsor: The Ravenswood II “I Have a Dream” Program is supported by the The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation (JET Foundation) and the New York City Housing Authority. As Sponsors, these organizations have made a long-term commitment to ensure that there are adequate financial resources to support our Dreamer class from the early elementary grades to the first year of college, approximately 12-15 years. In addition, the JET Foundation has committed to providing college tuition on a last dollar basis to each Dreamer in the program. To learn more about program sponsorship, please visit our national website.
Youth Health Literacy Program: With the increased prevalence of childhood obesity and other health issues becoming a nationwide concern in recent years, after-school programs have become a valuable resource for encouraging physical fitness and supporting the health and wellness of today’s youth. One of our most exciting initiatives at the Ravenswood II Program is our Youth Health Literacy Program. The mission of the program is “to encourage and empower our Dreamers to seek, question, process and integrate health information so as to obtain the highest standard of health.” The program consists of fifteen weeks of interactive and engaging lessons centered on health care and awareness, and includes guest visits by doctors and educational trips to neighborhood clinics. We implemented Year 1 of the program in the spring of 2007, and have continued with it in February 2008. The program was developed and generously provided by the Eugene Lang Foundation.
"My World and Me" Environmental Education: In the spring of 2007 the Ravenswood II "I Have a Dream" Program began a service-learning initiative centered on environmental education. The program, called “My World and Me”, seeks to introduce Dreamers to the changing landscape of their neighborhood and the surrounding world, and to give them the opportunity to contribute to its beautification and revitalization. It consists of lessons, workshops, guest speakers, and field trips, as well as a yearly culminating service project. In the past, activities have included park clean up, painting, and gardening and planting. Our 2007 project, “Love Thy Neighborhood”, took place at local Ravenswood Playground. Volunteers from Goldman Sachs Community Team Works project partnered with Dreamers and parents to plant shrubs, paint park equipment, and create nature and garden crafts. This year we are traveling to our furthest location yet, Boston, MA, for a weekend of nature hikes (and history lessons!). Dreamers will submit essays on select topics as their final project as part of their admission for this trip.
Kids Acting Out: Kids Acting Out is a nonprofit organization that engages college students to bring theater into the lives of elementary and middle school youth. The organization seeks to build self-esteem, commitment to preparation, teamwork, confidence, and sense of accomplishment among these youth. The Ravenswood II Dreamers have been learning about drama and theatre with KAO since March 2006. The program engages students in the production and presentation of plays through costume design, set design and construction, rehearsal and performance. Workshops take place once a week during the after-school program for an hour and half, and culminate in a full-length production by the children for their family and friends at the end of the semester.
Museum of African Art: The Ravenswood II Program has collaborated with the Museum of African Art since 2006. The museum provides off-site education workshops to local organizations, and Ravenswood Dreamers have gained a great variety of experiences through this partnership. The Dreamers have traced the roots of Afro-Cuban music while experimenting with a variety of percussion instruments during the “Here Come The Drums” workshop. During the Mural Workshop they learned about the metaphors and meanings of African house-painting traditions of the Sotho and Ndebele before creating a group mural reflecting what they learned. The Dreamers who participated in the African Dance Workshop were instructed in dance techniques incorporating West African, Caribbean, modern, and Afro-Brazilian dance. They showed what they learned during a summer performance and then honed their skills for a Kwanzaa presentation during our Holiday Potluck.