Life doesn't have to be a challenge; make it EASY !
Program Extensions
Culminating Events & Field Trips
Here at EASY, we celebrate and promote the effectiveness of our program. Parents, community members, and interested groups will have the opportunity to witness culminating events that render scholars the opportunity to demonstrate artistic and technological expressions.
Types of Events
Art Events - Musical Productions, Music Concerts, Talent Shows
Technology- Coding Events, Technology Competitions, Technology Showcases
Banquet Style Events – Breakfasts, Luncheons, Dinners, Galas, Award Ceremonies, Speaker Events
Community Events – Tournaments, Raffles, Craft or Bake Sales, Family Fun Fairs or Carnivals, Poker Runs, BBQs
Athletic Events – Walks, Runs, Marathons
EASY champions the principles of place-based education (PBE) which immerse scholars in the local heritage, ecology, culture, landscapes, and experiences in the state of New York. PBE emphasizes learning through participation, unique perspectives, hands-on activities, and personal connections.
Types of Field Trips
New York's breathtaking natural resources are unique, abundant, and open to everyone. The opportunities are abound: hunting, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, boating, or simply learning the techniques of camping.
Community Outreach
Community outreach is an essential measure in identifying existing problems or challenges in under-resourced African-American and Hispanic/Latinx communities and providing the means and resources to solve them. At EASY, we encourage scholars to take ownership of the improvements needed in their communities and facilitate the attributes of social change. As scholars become more involved in their communities as agents of social change, it will ultimately create a safer, healthier future for communities and, thus, the world.
Gun violence in various communities inflicts an enormous burden upon our country. In many under-resourced city neighborhoods, community gun violence is routine. The health and well-being of nearly everyone living within these neighborhoods are adversely impacted. As a result, community gun violence further perpetuates the cycles of poverty. Here at EASY, we take the initiative to employ cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); this supports high risk individuals coping with trauma while simultaneously providing mentoring aligned with techniques to de-escalate conflict.
The EASY Program is partnering with various communities and institutions who can provide a space for community gardens. Community gardens are spaces where scholars routinely come together to grow a variety of produce and ultimately put the spaces to better use. Lastly, scholars benefit from participating in beautifying the landscape through their expressions of art.
The EASY Program is also partnering with various programs that help to promote character and leadership development.
High School & College Readiness
It is imperative for the scholars in The EASY Program to have access to resources which will help them apply to and be successful in their desired high school and/or college. These coaching points include--but are not limited to--the application process to their school of choice, high school and/or college tours, financial aid applications, various trades, exploring desired majors and/or concentrations, and mentor/mentee relationships while attending their school of choice.
All attendees of The EASY Program will benefit from gaining access to these resources catered to high school and college readiness and success. Research reveals that when the door to these resources are closed in the face of underprivileged youth, they are more likely to drop out of school, join gangs, overindulge in controlled and uncontrolled substances, and ultimately become unproductive members of society. Lack of these resources for impoverished youth also fuel the school-to-prison pipeline.
Financial Literacy
EASY is zealous about incorporating financial literacy as part of its program extensions. Financial literacy is recognizing the value of money as well as learning how to make wise decisions with money. Money management, checking and saving accounts, investing, stocks and bonds, taxes, budgeting (sheets), loans and debt management, credits and debits, insurance, and real estate are some of the components of financial literacy that our program will explore.
There is a significantly low amount of educational institutions that promote financial literacy, and this--in the long term--gives way to generational poverty. It is time to change the mindset of the future to promote generational wealth, especially for the youth who are underserved. With this in mind, wealth gaps will be closed and mitigated, and impoverished youth can be put in the position to have more financial access and mobility.