Center for Civilians in Conflict

http://civiliansinconflict.org/

OUR MISSION
Our mission is to improve protection for civilians caught in conflicts around the world.  We call on and advise international organizations, governments, militaries, and armed non-state actors to adopt and implement policies to prevent civilian harm.  When civilians are harmed we advocate the provision of amends and post-harm assistance. We bring the voices of civilians themselves to those making decisions affecting their lives.

The organization was founded as Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) in 2003 by Marla Ruzicka, a courageous humanitarian killed by a suicide bomber in 2005 while advocating for Iraqi families.

OUR VISION
A future where parties involved in conflict go above and beyond their legal obligations to minimize harm to civilians in conflict.

OUR VALUES

• Civilian-focused: We believe all harm to civilians should be prevented to the greatest extent possible. Change should be rooted in the wants and needs of civilians caught in conflict. We bring their voices to those making decisions about conduct in conflict.
• Pragmatic: We believe changes in the behavior of parties to a conflict will result from working directly with decision-makers, helping them understand the effects of their actions and providing them with practical policy solutions to limit and address civilian harm. By adopting a pragmatic approach based on policy rather than law, we are able to secure the cooperation of key actors and motivate them to adopt additional measures to ensure the safety of civilians.
• Collaborative: We believe working in partnership to protect civilians is more effective than working alone. We work with civilians themselves as well as civil society, governments, military actors, international organizations, thought leaders, and the media as passionate advocates and pragmatic advisors.

Camp Exclamation Point

http://www.campexclamationpoint.org/

Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. (CAMP!) provides continuity and community to underserved rural Vermont kids through a weeklong residential summer camp.  Our 100+ campers have limited opportunities for such an experience because of a lack of financial resources, rural isolation, and disruption of life and education.  Many of their families are involved with agriculture and often move to follow available work.  Most of our campers are entering grades 3 to 8, along with a few older campers participating in a Teen Leadership Program.

Our driving principles are as follows:

• Community: To provide a safe and welcoming environment for kids to be kids, where good citizenship is modeled and encouraged.
• Continuity: To create a stable and rewarding experience that our campers enjoy returning for each summer, and to make this experience available to their brothers and sisters.
• Choices: To empower children to make meaningful personal decisions, learn responsibility and build their self-esteem.
• Core: To offer a program of experiences and activities in art and music, natural science, physical activity, water safety, nutrition and hygiene, and literacy.

New York Hall of Science

https://nysci.org/

The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) was founded at the 1964–65 World’s Fair and has evolved into New York’s center for interactive science, serving a half million students, teachers, and families each year.

NYSCI serves schools, families and underserved communities in the New York City area, offering informal, hands-on learning through various products and services that use the “design-make-play” method of bringing delight and play to educating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The museum is situated in a highly diverse neighborhood and employs youth from the community as part of our science career ladder program—contributing to diversity in careers in science and technology on a national scale.

Specifically, the foundation grant supports the core programs of the Science Career Ladder (SCL) and its expansion under the newly established Alan J. Friedman Center for the Development of Young Scientists.

The Friedman Center encompasses the SCL, NYSCI’s nationally recognized youth education and employment program, which provides underserved and underrepresented high school and college students in New York City opportunities for academic enrichment, college readiness and access, and career development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Since it’s inception, the SCL program has served more than 3,500 students (known as “Explainers) who engage and facilitate learning for the museum’s visitors in our STEM exhibits, programs and events. More than 95% of Explainers go on to college and 68% declare majors in STEM fields. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the SCL, and an incredible opportunity for NYSCI to build on the program’s history and track record of success. In FY17, NYSCI served over 1,400 high school and college students as Explainers and Residents and additional students citywide.

Project Community Inc.

https://www.projectcommunitycares.org/

Since 1985, Project Community, Inc. (formerly Nurses Network of America) has developed easy-to-understand community health programs using innovative teaching strategies, and provided them at little or no cost. Over the course of our 32-year history, we have demonstrated our commitment to applying evidence-based scientific research and methods to update our programs to serve the evolving needs of communities.

Project REWIND I began approximately 20 years ago. Since then, it has reached over 60,000 teens in New York (Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Nassau, Bronx, and Manhattan), and Connecticut (Fairfield).

The newly developed REWIND II is a companion program that focuses on sexual assault prevention and incorporates all of REWIND I's proven educational strategies. REWIND II debuted last spring at Marymount in Manhattan to rave reviews. (They have already approached us about scheduling a presentation for this spring.)

We measure the program's effectiveness by testing students' subject-material knowledge before and after the program using a simple multiple choice quiz. This data is analyzed and compiled by a third party and has consistently shown that students "gain and retain" the potentially life-saving information.

New York Junior Tennis & Learning

http://www.nyjtl.org/

NYJTL is a youth tennis nonprofit organization offering comprehensive school and community-based programs to youth 5-18 years of age in all five boroughs throughout New York City. We are among 500 chapters of a national organization started by Arthur Ashe to give inner-city youth a chance to learn the game of tennis and provide them with experiences they normally would not get otherwise. NYJTL is the largest of the chapters, and we offer a safe and nurturing environment where youth can participate in different sporting activities, especially tennis, and reach their maximum potential in an academically supportive environment. Our flagship home is the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in Crotona Park.

• 3,000,000 hours of year-round programs in tennis, academics, healthy living and character development for NYC youth
• 500,000 hours of free community tennis in 100% of NYC council districts
• 65,000 kids reached through tennis training for PE instructors in all 5 boroughs
• 10,000 children mentored annually by 400 dedicated NYJTL staff
• 46 years of continuous service

The foundation grant specifically underwrites four SAT preparatory classes throughout 2018, serving up to 100 kids.  The audience will be composed of sophomores and juniors who are part of our Community Tennis and Advanced Training programs, as well as recommended students from the local high schools around Crotona Park in the South Bronx.

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS)

http://www.gems-girls.org/

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) is the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) was founded in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd in response to an overwhelming need for services for girls and young women at risk for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking who were being ignored by traditional social service agencies.

GEMS’ programming is gender responsive, trauma informed, developmentally grounded, strengths based, social justice oriented, and culturally competent. GEMS’ founding principles reside in survivor leadership and transformational relationships. GEMS’ services are based on the needs and interests of survivors and the agency’s programming is developed based on survivors’ ideas, input, and expertise.  GEMS provides young women with empathetic, consistent support and viable opportunities for positive change.