Arts exploration in the classroom

The young artists who take NYJL’s Tuesday morning art classes are explorers. They get lost in the details while carefully sketching a Ming-dynasty-inspired vase. They discover combinations of color and light by creating stained glass mosaics out of tissue paper. And they contemplate the wilderness of Chihuly’s twisted glass sculptures by recreating their own out of other materials. These students are exercising their critical thinking and experiencing the pride artists feel when creating an artwork with theirs own hands.

Research supporting art education’s positive impact on children’s academic success and social-emotional wellbeing is abundant. A 2019 Brookings Institute report found that, among elementary school students,“[…] increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others.” And according to studies by the National Endowment for the Arts, students from low-income communities demonstrated higher test scores in science and writing if they were highly engaged in the arts from kindergarten to eighth grade, compared to students who were less involved in arts during those formative years. 

Affirming the importance of arts programming in education, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio committed $23 million in 2014 to upgrade arts facilities and equipment, strengthen partnerships with cultural institutions, expand specialized programming for English language learners and students with disabilities, and support staff development. 

“Arts instruction must be continuous, rigorous, inclusive, and reflective of the diversity of the communities and students the DOE serves,” said Chancellor Richard A. Carranza in the NYC Department of Education’s Arts in Schools (2017-2018) report. 

The NYJL is strongly committed to arts education too. In fact, we have six committees dedicated to engaging students in rich, cultural and artistic activities and experiences. One example of our arts education programming is Project Muse. 

Every week, Project Muse volunteers provide interactive art education classes to third grade students at a Title 1 school in the Lower East Side. Volunteers cultivate an environment where students feel comfortable, supported, and inspired to learn and develop their creativity and artistic skills through explorations of diverse artistic styles, championed by artists such as Frida Kahlo and Monet. 

Project Muse organizes several field trips to arts and cultural institutions each year, so students can engage with artworks in real life and create their own inspired projects. Recently, NYJL volunteers and students visited the Children’s Museum of Art to see E.V. Day’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling exhibit, encouraging guests to question invisible boundaries and aspire to greatness beyond society’s expectations and limits. 

Project Muse artists have also visited the Botanical Gardens, where they documented natural works of art through photography. Afterwards, the students walked through the neighborhood to identify and admire street art. 

To foster students’ aspirations, Project Muse hosts a career panel each year so students can learn more about art-related careers.

If you would like to celebrate Project Muse, please join us Thursday evening, December 5, at Golden Tree, where we will celebrate the important contributions of five community projects. A three-day shopping event and celebration, Golden Tree is one of NYJL’s signature events to raise funds for our mission–and continued exploration in the arts. 

The Building Blocks of Parent-Child Relationships

One of the foundational “building blocks” of early child development is a secure attachment between child and parent. In partnership with the Single Parent Resource Center (SPRC), NYJL’s Building Blocks program aims to strengthen these bonds through interactive play. Volunteers organize activities where parents and their children (ages 6 months to 4 years) can tap into fun, imagination, movement, and health. At the end of each session, children and parents take home their projects, which serve as reminders of their time together at Building Blocks. 

Unlike other NYJL projects, volunteers’ children are part of the program. And as many NYJL volunteers are new parents themselves, Building Blocks fosters teaching and learning together and integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection. Some activities have included adorning planters for growing basil at home; decorating holiday cookies; playing soccer; and making lava lamps out of household items. Building Blocks has also partnered with another NYJL community committee, Cooking and Health Education for Families (CHEF), to focus on nutrition and making good food choices.

At the 68th Annual Winter Ball, the NYJL will honor two key leaders of the Building Blocks program: Outstanding Sustainer Rosemarie Dackerman and Outstanding Volunteer Olivia Leon. Rosemarie heads community partner SPRC, and Olivia helped launch, and now co-leads, the program.

“Being part of the Building Blocks committee and being able to have my son join our sessions and help volunteer has been a truly rewarding and unique volunteer experience,” says Olivia. “[…]Building Blocks is a great example of how the NYJL grows and evolves volunteer options to meet the needs and schedules of our membership.  But the best part has been working with the Single Parent Resource Center and their clients over the span of three years. It has been great to watch all our children grow together, learn from each other and form friendships.”

Celebrate Building Blocks with us at Golden Tree’s Spirit of the Season: A Spotlight on Community on Thursday evening, December 5. Building Blocks will be among five committees recognized for their important contributions to our community. 

Supporting Survivors of Violence Through Advocacy

When a volunteer commits to NYJL’s Crisis Intervention project, she goes all in. These volunteers are first responders, on call twice a month to support survivors of violence when they arrive at New York Presbyterian Hospital, as part of its Domestic and Other Violence Emergencies (DOVE) program. Certified as rape crisis counselors by the New York State Department of Health, NYJL volunteers listen to clients’ stories, recommend resources, and present options so survivors can make informed decisions. They also clarify medical procedures and help survivors create a safety plan–all while ensuring patients’ rights to information, confidentiality, and privacy are protected. NYJL volunteers are problem solvers, working with law enforcement, medical staff, social workers, and direct service providers to help survivors get the care they need.

Violence appears in many forms: sexual, physical, emotional, economic, and psychological. Not only impacting survivors, violence can have reverberating effects on families and communities as well. Long after the abuse ends, survivors may continue to grapple with trauma, often resulting in learning disabilities, poor health, mental health challenges, substance abuse, and juvenile and adult crime. Violence breaks up families and ultimately costs taxpayers, while offenders, and the institutions that cover for them, escape this burden. 

NYJL has a longstanding history of city and state-level advocacy, working directly with communities to address these social challenges and to advance the health and well-being of women and children in the long term. 

In 2007, the NYJL partnered with the National Organization of Women (NOW) NYC to advocate for New York State’s first comprehensive anti-human trafficking legislation. The Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act (TVPJA), placing greater accountability on traffickers and purchasers and strengthening the defence for survivors of trafficking from prosecution for sex work. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the TVPJA into law in late 2015.

In 2008, the NYJL successfully advocated for New York State funding to support shelters for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.

In 2010, Alongside the Women in Prison Project, the NYJL began advocating for the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) to grant judges discretion when issuing sentences to survivors of violence who are convicted of crimes related to their abuse. Under this law, judges may order lesser sentences or send survivors to community-based programs instead of prison. Governor Cuomo signed this bill into law in May 2019.

And most recently, in February 2019, Governor Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act into law,  extending the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits. 

Join us Thursday evening, December 5, 2019, as we recognized the work of Crisis Intervention and four other community projects at Golden Tree, an annual, three-day holiday shopping and entertainment event. Golden Tree is among NYJL’s signature fundraisers to support our community projects, like Crisis Intervention, and ongoing advocacy for women and children. 

 

The NYJL’s Open Letter of Support to Protect Unaccompanied Children

Dear Members of the New York State Assembly,

The New York Junior League supports the Separation of Children Accountability Reporting (SCAR) Act (A01436B/S00222B), as well as the intentions of the Child Trauma Response Act (A07816/S06225), that have been introduced to the New York State legislature. The New York Junior League is one of the oldest and largest women’s non-profit volunteer organization in the city. We have more than 2,800 volunteers—of all races, religions, and ethnicities—who donate more than 250,000 hours of service every year. We are leaders, philanthropists, and activists. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. We are a community of women, bound by a single goal—to improve the health and well-being of women, children, and families in New York.

The Separation of Children Accountability Reporting (SCAR) Act, sponsored by New York State Senator Brian Benjamin and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, promotes transparency of information about the number of unaccompanied immigrant children placed in the care of agencies in New York – a number that may be surprising to some. The New York State Senate just overwhelmingly ratified the bill, and it is in committee within the Assembly. The bill requires consistent reporting of the number of separated children who are placed in the custody of foster care agencies by the federal government, so that the people and government of New York know how many of these vulnerable children are in our state and who is responsible for their care. Reports would be submitted to the state twice a year, or within 30 days upon the governor’s request, with the aim of mitigating the risk of losing track of these children.

The Child Trauma Response Act, sponsored by Senator Alessandra Biagi and Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, seeks to provide support and services for unaccompanied minors, including physical and mental health services, legal services, language services, and assistance with educational rights and enrollment in public schools. The legislation seeks to alleviate and remediate the trauma that children endure in being separated from their families and support networks.

With so little time left in the New York State legislative session before the break, the New York Junior League strongly supports moving these bills forward. As an organization with a focus on the well-being of women, children, and families, the New York Junior League believes this legislation is critical to protecting unaccompanied immigrant children–and is calling for substantial support and action from the New York Governor, Senate, Assembly, and underlying legislative committees for its passage.

Sincerely,

The New York Junior League

 

Dancing the Night Away at Bal en Blanc

On February 23rd, The New York Junior League hosted its 67th Annual Winter Ball. This year, the organization’s members and guests came together at a stunning new venue, Pier Sixty overlooking the Hudson River. Bal en Blanc was the theme this year, but that did not stop attendees from wearing showstopper gowns of all colors.

The evening began with cocktails and a silent auction followed by a seated dinner and ceremony honoring the outstanding sustainers and volunteers, followed by a cocktail reception and silent auction. The fabulous dinner served nearly 350 who were in attendance enjoying a fine three course meal while listening to brief speeches given by the President Lauren Chung, and one honoree, Angel Rodriguez from Avenues of Justice who was the President’s Council Award recipient.

From left to right: 2019 Outstanding Volunteers (Allison Davis O’Keefe, Leighanna Morbey Favale, Dayna Barlow Cassidy, Shelby Spears Carroll and Beth Batiuchok-Colon) and 2019 Outstanding Sustainers (Dorothy Echols (“Dee Dee”) Scarborough and Robin Stratton Rivera)

During the dinner and through dessert, a brilliant live auction began which raised $40,000 for the NYJL. Auction items included luxurious travel getaways, including a magical trip to Morocco and an enchanting ski trip to Courchevel for an Alpine Escape! The auction also offered exclusive tours and dinners around Manhattan, and even an opportunity to host a personal event at the historic Astor House, home to the New York Junior League headquarters.

Dessert and Dancing guests arrived and were joined by the VIPs who attended the dinner for several hours of dancing the night away to the lively band who kept the vibe going. A glorious change from the previous Winter Ball events at the Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side, Chelsea Piers premiering as the new venue was a hit!  Guests appeared to really enjoy the view and also the atmosphere of the open waterfront party.

Each year the New York Junior League works tirelessly to organize their largest fundraising event of the year so that its members and non members can come together and honor the year’s most outstanding sustainers and volunteers for their incredible dedication and accomplished work as women leaders within the organization. The Winter Ball also earns substantial proceeds to directly benefit the NYJL and this year raised over $500,000!  Next year will surely be tasked to top the 67th Annual Winter Ball, but we are sure only something greater will be in store! 

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