Child Care Corporation Celebrates Youth Mentoring Program Participants

The 1199SEIU Employer/Child Care Corporation (CCC) recognized 231 student participants of the Youth Mentoring Program (YMP) at a ceremony held at the New York Academy of Medicine on August 15. Every year, the YMP offers teens ages 15 to 17 invaluable opportunities to explore careers in the healthcare industry by providing them with real-world work experience during their summer vacation. This year, 22 sites in New York City participated in the program. Each student was placed at a worksite, which was his or her parent’s place of employment, and for 24 hours a week, the student provided assistance with clerical tasks; some students were even able to assist healthcare professionals such as pharmacy technicians. The YMP also provided students with onsite mentoring and opportunities to attend development seminars to help enhance their resumes and professional portfolios.

This year’s ceremony opened with CCC’s Vice President Rossmery Dais welcoming students, their families and guests, before former and current YMP participants and site supervisors reflected on the impact of the program. In his keynote address, former site supervisor Daitwan Davis highlighted the YMP’s success in encouraging the development of positive skill sets and teaching youth the importance of meeting expectations in a professional environment. YMP participant Katherine Wu, who worked in the wound care department at Maimonides Medical Center, echoed Daitwan’s sentiments. She entered the YMP hoping to develop a strong work ethic and a greater understanding of the many occupations in the healthcare industry. She credited the program with giving her “valuable life experiences, more self-assurance and independence.”

Student Spotlight: Kimberly Amazan

Kimberly Amazan has participated in 1199SEIU Child Care Funds (CCF) youth programs for most of her life, with memorable experiences in the Summer Day Camp and Holiday Sleep-Away programs. But her two years in the WorkForce 2000 Program have been the most impactful by helping her to explore areas of study that interested her, to gain work experience and to bolster her desire for a career in nursing. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study,” Kimberly said, “but the program helped me zone in on nursing.”

Now a junior at the New York Institute of Technology, Kimberly continues to tap into her lifelong interest in science as a nursing major, taking courses like pharmacology. “When you’re a kid, you just take medicine because your parents or a doctor tells you to,” she said. “Now I get to learn how everything works, and that’s exciting!”

With a busy schedule and a full course load, Kimberly is grateful for the support that the Joseph Tauber Scholarship Program’s Next Generation RN award affords her. With the “extra boost” it has given her, she has had more time to focus on her schoolwork without having to worry about her ability to purchase books and other necessities. Following graduation, Kimberly plans to continue pursuing her nursing career by taking the certification exam, and hopes to work in the New York City metropolitan area.

Kimberly’s mother, Enone Amazan, a Registered Nurse at the Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation and an 18-year 1199SEIU member, is thankful for all of the CCF benefits and programs her four children have taken advantage of to help them reach their academic and professional goals. “The Child Care Fund invests in children’s success from an early age,” said Enone. “These programs have encouraged each of my children to value learning and have helped them become the strong-minded individuals they are today.”

WorkForce 2000 Retreat Emphasizes Team Building and Collaborative Learning

On September 28, 59 students from Long Island, New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York City, gathered in Central Park for a daylong retreat to kick off the fall semester of WorkForce 2000 (WF2). Held on New York University’s campus in Manhattan, the WF2 Program provides students ages 14 to 17 with opportunities to focus on personal development and cultivate leadership skills through hands-on work experience and group outings. The retreat helped students sharpen their critical-thinking skills and get to know each other through games and activities geared toward collaborative strategy and team building.

After sign-in and introductions, the group spent the day in the park as retreat facilitators NYC Outward Bound helped them navigate through partnered physical challenges and games that required strategic thinking. A few alumni even stopped by to help with the activities and shared some of the benefits of their own WF2 experience.

Students graduate from the WF2 Program with tools that prepare them for a wide range of careers in the healthcare industry. The 2020 WF2 Program will begin in July, followed by classes on select Saturdays beginning in September.

FALC Kids Take a Stand for Climate Change Awareness

The Future of America Learning Center (FALC) curriculum has frequently focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) learning to educate students about the environment, on both a local and global level. On September 16, FALC students put this learning into action by participating in a march to raise awareness about the growing climate crisis. After a morning assembly, more than 100 children, parents, grandparents and FALC staff, accompanied by Estela Vazquez, an Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (the Union), and Rossmery Dais, Vice President of the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation, marched from the FALC building in the Bronx, through the neighborhood and back, calling for immediate action to secure a safe and healthy future. At the end of the march, they stood in front of the FALC building chanting and singing songs that expressed their desire to see action in fighting climate change.

The following day, FALC students took their climate concerns to the United Nations (UN). There, they met with a UN Special Envoy, were given an exclusive tour and hand-delivered climate-focused artwork and banners they created themselves.

Closing out the week of advocacy, on Friday, September 20, FALC students participated in a global day of action by joining the Union in a march from Foley Square to Battery Park in Manhattan to support its Labor Solidarity with Student Mobilization for Climate Initiative. The week of activities highlighted the importance of climate change awareness and fostered solidarity on a global, multigenerational scale. “Global warming is a real issue,” said FALC parent Shirley Severe. “These are our future scientists and engineers—we need to let them know this is their world.”