With July well under-way we’ve officially entered the dog days of summer! For our youth, summer means lots of days spent having fun at camp! We are proud to run so many wonderful youth programs here at Goodwill.
For a full list of our youth services, visit our website or check out our summer programs spreadsheet.
Here are some updates from summer camps in Brooklyn and Queens:
1. OST 145 Runs Robotics Program
Out of School Time program at 145: 33-34 80th Street, Jackson Heights, NY, 11372.
Our Out of School Time (OST) programs provide free, educational, and fun activities after school and during the summer for elementary school and middle school children.
This summer, the OST 145 Summer Camp has added a robotics program to their program! The camp partners with “Bricks 4 Kidz,” an organization that provides exciting classes for kids to learn, build and play with LEGO Bricks.
During each class, the students have 20-30 minute lesson on various science, math or engineering topics and then get to the building! With the help of “Bricks 4 Kids” representatives and Goodwill teachers, the students then build robotic structures out of LEGOs!
Bricks 4 Kids Director Arpit Varma says the class is a great way to get kids excited about Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) topics, which they may otherwise find boring. “At Bricks 4 Kidz we provide a fun, hands-on, project based and energetic learning environment, Varma says.
OST 145 Program Director, Sarah Clay sat in on a class where students made tiny lego spiders that crawled across the floor. She says the class is so popular that the staff had to enter students in a lottery system to see who could take the class.
This little guy can move all the way across the floor!
The program doesn’t just teach science skills, Varma adds. “Our program really helps these kids to boost their self esteem,” he says. “When the kids see that they can create something that really works they feel great about themselves.” This confidence, Varma hopes, will allow students to grow and eventually participate in today’s competitive scientific world.
The students also work on all of their projects in pairs, teaching them effective communication and collaboration skills.
This program is just one of the many exciting classes kids can take during their time at the OST Summer Camp program. After their robotics class, students can go on to attend a sports class, book club eco fashion club (just to name a few).
To see more photos from this program, visit our Facebook page! Or, to read more about the OST and Bricks 4 Kidz partnership, check out the flier from the hyperlink below:
OST B4K Program Description!
2. Beacon 141 Gets Fit with the “Summer of Service”
Beacon 141 is located at 37-11 21st Avenue, Long Island City, NY, 11105. Our Beacon programs are designed to engage the entire community after school, during weekends, holidays, and summers. The program includes academic, recreational, and service activities.
Students participate in a tense match of tug-of-war during their “Summer of Service”
Goodwill’s summer program at the Beacon 141 location is in the midst of their Summer of Service project! This program focuses on health, fitness, and active involvement for the entire Beacon Community Center!
This center, like all of our Beacon Programs, has programs for people of all ages ranging from elementary students to adults! The Summer of Service program provides opportunities for health and fitness for all of these community members.
So far, the five-week program has included a variety of fitness classes such as a weekly yoga and core-centered program. There are also some more recreational activities such as tug-of-war competitions, which get pretty intense according to assistant program director Farhan Kapadia.
The center also invites parents of the children who attend the summer camp program to participate in the Summer Service fun and games which will continue on for five weeks. The program is set to culminate in a mini-marathon in Astoria Park that all Beacon community members are encouraged to participate in!
To see more photos from this program, visit our Facebook page!
3. Farragut Cornerstone Community Center Extends Hours
The Cornerstone Program is located at 228 York Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201. The program aims to help participants gain the skills to complete high school and plan for the future!
The Farragut Conerstone Community Center offers a variety of recreational activities such as sports and games!
Our Farragut Cornerstone Community Center has new extended hours! The new hours are:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
(Activities in the evening are geared towards adults and teens).
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Alyssa Raiola is a Journalism student at Northwestern University where she spends her time writing for campus publications, searching for new restaurants, and picking the perfect Instagram filters. Although she loves jogging along Lake Michigan and exploring the Windy City, her heart lies back home in New Jersey where pizza is the right shape and bagels are a delicacy. This summer, she’s back in the Big Apple interning and blogging with Goodwill Industries before she heads off to Seville, Spain to study abroad for the fall semester.
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