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Offerings for Students

NYU Metro Center has deep expertise in developing and supporting authentic youth-centered spaces. We understand young people today are facing a tremendous barrage of traumatizing and disillusioning experiences both locally and nationally. We believe deeply in creating spaces for youth that are rooted in culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogical practices. We are excited to share this set of offerings for ways the NYU team can provide direct support to schools and districts to develop and build youth leadership and civic engagement, while creating spaces for community building and connection for young people. 

The below offerings seek to build a sense of belonging, uplift student voices, center student well-being and wellness, and ultimately lead to more positive student-adult relationships. Below, we outline a few youth offerings but are very open to customizing our offerings for the needs of a school community. This can include training for restorative justice practices, culturally responsive and sustaining education, and other youth leadership and equity initiatives with students at the center. 

Please reach out to us with any questions using this form: https://bit.ly/NYUYouthLeadership 

Image captures four students seated on a school campus. The photo centers around two students in a classroom, whose glance to the left is captured by the camera. These two students Black students, are wearing hooded sweatshirts. The student in the foreground has light brown colored hair, the student to his left has jet Black hair. All the students in the photo are sitting behind laptop computers.

District Cohort: Youth Leadership and Community Building Cohorts 

NYU will host a cohort for middle school students across a community school district. This 9-session series will help students develop leadership and youth voice, and create opportunities for community building among students. The series begins with a 90-minute listening session with students to help our facilitators build an understanding and context for student experiences with race, equity, and diversity, in the school community. Students will engage in leadership and social justice training, participatory action research, community building and solidarity activities. 

Max Participants: 30 - Location: In-Person - 

Image captures a student outside of the classroom. This young woman has a stern look on her face. This young woman senses consternamationqqqqqq

School-Based Cohort: Youth Leadership and Community Building Cohorts

NYU will host a cohort for students within an individual school. This 9-session series will help students develop leadership and youth voice, and create opportunities for community building among students.  The series begins with a 90-minute listening session with students to help our facilitators build an understanding and context for student experiences with race, equity, and diversity, in the school community. Students will engage in leadership and social justice training, participatory action research, community building and solidarity activities. 

Max Participants: 30 - Location: In-Person -

Image captures seven young adults gathering together in the street. This multiracial youth group wear hoodies and scarfs to fend off cooler temperatures. At the center of the photo is a Black woman wearing pumpkin colored jacket and a backpack with black colored straps.

School-Based Cohort: Raising Critical Consciousness and Civic Engagement Cohort

NYU will host a cohort for students within an individual school. This 9-session series will support students in building their critical consciousness of their community and contexts. This series will equip participants with the skills to recognize power dynamics, social inequalities, and systemic injustices. Students will engage in community action projects to understand and respond to the historical and communal roots of issues in our local, city, national, and global community. Projects will connect youth with key organizations and organizers in the community and reflect on art, media, and advocacy as tools of change. Students will engage in leadership and social justice training, participatory action research, community building and solidarity activities. 

Max Participants: 30 - Location: In-Person -

Image captures a stunning realistic painting of an Black youth in a painted prison cell. The image has a orange colored background that represents the bars that dictate the subjects incarceration, as well as the sunlight that provides the only warmth of this cold cell. This highly artistic drawing features a related shadow, on the cold and vacant wall that the Black subject leans against.

Restorative Justice Training (for students and educators) 

NYU will host a restorative justice residency for students within a school or district. This series will support students in building their knowledge, skills, and capacity to support restorative justice practices in their school or district. This series will help students become leaders in RJ implementation, and equip them with the capacity to be ambassadors of RJ practices. The training series includes opportunities for community building opportunities and training, conflict resolution skill development and policy training to support the sustainable implementation of RJ practices. This training series also includes leadership and social justice training, participatory action research, community building and solidarity activities. 

Max Participants: 30 - Location: In-Person

Image captures a young man in the streets protesting for justice. Wearing a tan jacket and yellow sweatshirt, the youth smiles at the camera, similar to the lady featured in the background of the photo.

School-Based Cohort: Raising Critical Consciousness and Civic Engagement Cohort (for students and educators) 

NYU will host a cohort for students within an individual school. This 9-session series will students in building their critical consciousness of their communities and contexts. This will equip participants with skills to recognize power dynamics, social inequalities, and systemic inequities. Students will engage in community action projects to understand and respond to the historical and communal roots of issues in our local, city, national, and global community. Projects will connect youth with key organizations and organizers in the community and reflect on art, media, and advocacy as tools of change. Students will engage in leadership and social justice training, participatory action research, community building, and solidarity activities.