August 11-15, 2008 at The Warwick Conference Center in Warwick, New York
Anytown 2008 was a huge success! 42 high school students from nine different public and private high schools and youth service organizations from all over New York City, Long Island and Westchester came together to explore personal bias, dismantle stereotypes, and take action to dismantle all forms of oppression in our society. These 42 extraordinary leaders will return to their schools and communities and take active roles in educating their peers and creating initiatives and programs around social justice. The 2008 theme, "IT'S IN OUR HANDS" is a challenge to our Anytown 2008 graduates and one they will surely rise to meet!
Anytown is a four - day residential summer peer leadership program designed to promote understanding, communication and unity among diverse teams of students from high schools throughout greater New York. Students work together intensely to become aware of their own biases, examine the sources of these patterns, and learn how to overcome them. The program challenges youth to become active leaders against all forms of prejudice and discrimination in their school and community.
Anytown is open to all public , private and charter school students in New York City and Long Island entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year in the fall of 2007. Teams of five students are selected by their schools for leadership potential and interest in social justice. At Anytown, students develop and think through ways to implement an action plan for human relations improvements in their schools.
What happens after Anytown?
Action Team members and their schools can sign up to receive advanced leadership training in the fall to implement the plan they developed at Anytown, and put their skills into practice by co-facilitating workshops at NCCJ programs. NCCJ offers a Youth Voices...Youth Issues training program to the schools.
How much does Anytown cost?
The actual cost of Anytown is $800 per delegate. For 2008 , participating schools pay $300 per delegate, totaling only $1,500 for a team of up to five delegates. NCCJ finances the balance, depending upon the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations. The fee for your team of five delegates includes round-trip bus transportation, meals, lodging, training materials, an Anytown t-shirt, and a follow-up networking package.
Why Anytown?
Anytown has operated nationwide for almost fifty years and has a strong track record of transforming lives and changing communities. In New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world, it is critical that youth learn to appreciate diversity and fight against bias, bigotry and racism. Bullying, slurs, and violence are everyday occurrences in our schools. Youth need values, skills and knowledge that are often not part of the classroom curriculum.
What Happens at Anytown?
Discussion groups and interactive workshops
Personal growth and cultural awareness
Action planning to create positive change
Recreational activities
New friendships with people of diverse backgrounds'
Campfires and songs
Skits, art, and dancing
Past Themes for Anytown:
2005: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Ghandi
2006: "There's more to me than what you see... Respect me!"
2007: "ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER!"
NCCJ's History of Anytown
Anytown is NCCJ's oldest and premier youth leadership program. Established in 1956 during school desegregation, the fundamental premise of Anytown has remained the same: to bring together youth from communities of isolation, volatility and/or segregation to learn about one another, break down stereotypes, and learn how to create change. Today, Anytown programs are held in over 40 cities across the country. The program has been experienced by more than 25,000 youth since its inception, and has been featured on the Today Show and Oprah, as well as in the Christian Science Monitor, Business Week, and many local publications across the country annually.
Program Anytown is anything but a typical summer camp experience. During four intense days, diverse teams of youth from high schools in all five boroughs of New York City and its surrounding areas will come together to challenge racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination in themselves and in their communities. In small discussion groups, students challenge their personal biases, explore the sources of these patterns, and learn techniques for overcoming them. Through interactive workshops, youth develop their cognitive understanding of oppression and connect it to their personal experiences. In experiential activities, youth gain valuable leadership skills involving problem solving, group dynamics, conflict management, coalition building, cross-cultural communication and advocating for change. The program culminates in strategy sessions where student teams create an action plan to address inequity and division in their home schools and communities.
If you have any questions, please contact Bari Katz, Program Director at 212.870.2114 or mailto:bkatz@nccjgnyr.org
An Open Mind ...
A Changed Heart ...
A Change Agent... Priceless!
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
