Updates from educational alliance
Scroll down to view excerpts from our recent newsletters, including video interviews with staff members across the organization, and find out more about the work that we’ve been doing at Educational Alliance.
January 2025:
How Educational Alliance Helps Teens Thrive
Read the full newsletter here.
Every day after school, our teen center – for generations called the Edgies program – is filled with young people who have found a special place where adults offer guidance, friends understand them, and services tailored for their needs allow them to flourish. Many students in the schools of Lower Manhattan don’t have access to supports like guidance counselors, social workers, test prep tutors, and college advisors. When teens walk into our building, they know that they are safe and valued, and that everyone here sees their potential.
Our teen center at MCC was recently renovated, thanks to the generous support of Panda Express. Now it’s the bright, flexible space that these kids deserve. In the video below, Teen Center Director Tiana Morrison shares how our Edgies program is rising to meet the challenge of helping teens to thrive.
December 2024:
Daisy Paez’s Story
Read the full newsletter here.
Meet Daisy Paez. Years ago, when she first came to EA as a struggling parent, our team at Manny Cantor Center connected Daisy to a supportive community and provided her with professional development tools that changed the course of her life.
Watch the video below to learn why Daisy loves Educational Alliance and how she became a leader in our Lower Manhattan community.
November 2024:
The Power of Community
Read the full newsletter here.
Twice a week, our Center for Recovery and Wellness’s Community Food Program gives out nutritious food to community members in need. This program does much more than provide nourishment to hungry neighbors, vital as that is. It also allows CRW to share information with the community about all the services provided by the center, including mental health support, treatment for substance use disorder, and an array of holistic wellness programs to allow for overall health and wellbeing.
And the program provides an opportunity for people in recovery to volunteer, giving back to their community and building connections. By helping someone else who is in need, a person in recovery can reclaim a lost element of their own self-worth, take pride in their actions, and feel a sense of belonging. Please watch the video below to learn more about how the Community Food Program works, the people it serves, and why it’s a vital part of the recovery process.
October 2024:
Sewing and Aging with Dignity
Read the full newsletter here.
For years, the women in this sewing circle have been coming together at the Manny Cantor Center to improve their sewing skills, to catch up with old friends, and to make some new ones.
You’ll see in the video below that many have a long history with Educational Alliance. Their experiences with us can span their entire lifetimes, from the earliest years of childhood to their older adult years. And as they grow older, we maintain our commitment to helping them age with dignity. Watch the video below to meet some of the women from the sewing circle and hear their first-hand experiences on how sewing fosters creativity and connections.
September 2024:
Read the full newsletter here.
The Creative Potential of Preschoolers
All summer, our gallery at the Manny Cantor Center has featured the artistic work of the students in the preschool, along with descriptive signs that explain the instruction that underlays each creation. What’s inspiring about it all is the belief that these children – even though in preschool – can function as artists and grow from the act of creating.
In the video below, Educational Alliance CEO Rich Baum interviews Studio Educator Leticia Perelstein in her art classroom. As you listen to Leticia, you’ll hear the direct connection between her words and the founding principles of Educational Alliance, which has believed in the creative potential of each person for generations.
August 2024:
Read the full newsletter here.
Not Just Another Pool
The 14Y pool is not ‘just’ another pool. It’s a pool for a city that doesn’t have nearly enough. It’s another way in which Educational Alliance fulfills its long-standing mission of helping New Yorkers to thrive. All our aquatics classes teach essential water safety practices, and skills including treading water and responding to emergencies. 14Y also offers lifeguard training programs – a critical aspect of addressing New York City’s shortage of lifeguards.
A passage in the Talmud includes a short list of parental obligations. Included on that list is teaching one’s children to swim. At first glance, swimming might appear to be out of place on that list. But it does make sense if seen as a path for developing important personal lifelong attributes that accompany learning to swim: being self-assured, learning independence, and challenging oneself. In short, learning to flourish.
Watch the video to get a glimpse of our pool and to learn more about 14Y’s aquatics program.
