Job Bridges and Eloisa Ananias

Chelsea II Mentor Eloisa Ananias was awared the More Than a Game Mentor Award by Nike. Ananias, who commits to mentoring Job two times a month throughout the year, will receive a Nike finisher jacket. In addition, NIKE will donate 100 tee shirts and other promotional items to the Chelsea-Elliott Dreamers.

More Than a Game is the story of five talented young basketball players from Akron, Ohio star in this remarkable true-life coming of age story about uncommon friendship in the face all too common adversities. Coached by a charismatic but inexperienced player's father, and led by future NBA superstar LeBron James, the "Fab Five's" improbable seven-year journey leads them from a decrepit inner-city gym to the doorstep of a national high school championship. Along the way, the close-knit team is repeatedly tested--both on and off the court--as James' exploding worldwide celebrity threatens to destroy everything they've set out to achieve together.

Free Arts NYC programs "inspire children to re-imagine their worlds and transform their lives through the creative arts. With the help of dedicated and caring volunteer mentors, Free Arts NYC delivers creative arts programs directly to low income, homeless, abused and neglected children." The DeHostos-Wise Dreamers have been working with Free Arts for four years, and love participating in all of the projects that they offer. In this video, the Dreamers talk about their backgrounds, their experience with Free Arts, and why it enriches their lives.

Visit Free Arts' website at: http://www.freeartsnyc.org/

Mayoral control means that finally someone is accountable for our schools and has the authority to enact meaningful reforms.

Under mayoral control, we’ve seen real progress in the NYC public schools: Schools are safer, teachers are more qualified and funding has been equalized, so every child has a chance to succeed. As a result, test scores and graduation rates are rising.

With the mayoral control law set to expire this June, all this progress is now in jeopardy. Each of us must take action in order to ensure that the law is renewed.

To learn more, please visit http://www.learn-ny.org and www.learn-ny.org/parents.

Photo Credit: Richard Formica/Creative Focus

Dreamers from the Chelsea Elliott, Melrose II, and DeHostos-Wise "I Have A Dream" Programs recently attended a Kids Day at Hunter College, hosted by The Student-Advisory Committee (SAAC) of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). These student athletes volunteered their time and energy to mentor young people, including the Dreamers from IHDF-NY

According to this article, Members of the SAAC held clinics and drills to introduce and expose the youngsters to different sports. Additionally, the children had an opportunity to play the sports with others and enjoy their Sunday afternoon.

It was a great experience for the athletes, the Program Directors, and the Dreamers.

"Ultimately, the lower academic performance of NYCHA students may result from some combination of all of the above factors—unobserved family characteristics, resources or behaviors, features of the public housing environment and unobserved differences in schools.

"Whatever the cause, these disparities require action. Our findings suggest that City, State and Federal governments should reconsider budget cuts and funding policies that threaten to reduce or eliminate NYCHA’s after-school and other enrichment programs for youth. NYCHA and the City should take a closer look at how they can learn from and coordinate with non-profit programs such as I Have a Dream, which provide critical support for disadvantaged youth in public housing. More research to identify which NYCHA youth succeed and what factors contributed to their success , would help inform future program development."

Read more:

Public Housting and Public Schools: How Do Students Living in NYC Public Housing Fare in School?

Children Who Live in Public Housing Suffer in School, Study Says (New York Times)