A Message from Executive Director Michael Roberts:

I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy! In this remote world we miss seeing our students and each other in person. But, although we are socially distanced we’re not emotionally distanced!

Virtual hello from CYD staff!

I am very proud of the way our staff is working closely with our schools and one another, and has come together with creativity and compassion to adapt and adjust our services.

CYD advocates are in touch with students daily and some of the themes include:

• Mental health and wellness is a struggle, particularly around disruption in their learning and managing the family environment. Finding space to study and learn is a challenge.
• Fear for family members who at risk or sick with COVID-19.
• Adapting to remote learning including time management and juggling technologies.
• Graduation milestones: Proms, Graduation, Senior Trips. How will their hard work and accomplishments be celebrated and acknowledged?
• How to complete college planning including acceptances and enrollment. Can they still afford college? Is college in NYC a better choice if family finances have changed?
• How to enroll in alternative postsecondary training pathways during this shutdown.
• Anxiety about lost internship/job income for themselves, parents, and family.
• Immigration concerns for those new to the country and those in process for citizenship or temporary citizenship.

We continue to prepare graduating students for life after high school. The college team is busy helping students think through college acceptances and financial aid concerns. Our career team is helping students and parents sign up for unemployment, as well as prepare for jobs when the economy begins to open back up.

During this time, good things are still happening!
Some of the young people we’ve trained as Medical Assistants and EMTs through our Career Academy at Borough of Manhattan Community College are on the front lines of this crisis. We are grateful for the way they are now taking care of us.

College acceptances are coming in, and our seniors have been accepted and received financial aid at a range of excellent public and private institutions.

Finally, we have created a Resource page that is updated daily and may be helpful not just to our families but to yours as well: https://comprehensiveyouthdevelopment.org/covid-19-resources/

Best wishes to you and your families to stay safe and healthy.