ANOTHER CHOICE CENTER FOR SOLUTIONS AND PERFORMANCE SPACE
Overview
The Center for Solutions is an initiative of Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach Inc. (ACYFO) in East Harlem, designed to serve as a hub for artistic expression, community empowerment, and strategic problem-solving. Rooted in the transformative power of Strategic Arts Engagement, the Center builds space—both physical and conceptual—for residents, artists, advocates, and leaders to collaborate on local solutions to systemic challenges such as poverty, mass incarceration, community violence, and health inequities.
Located on the second floor of the historic Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, the Center for Solutions represents ACYFO’s next stage of growth—a permanent home for the arts, civic engagement, and community development in East Harlem.
Our Vision
The ACYFO Center for Solutions and Performance Space will be a transformative hub for artistic expression and community empowerment in East Harlem. Designed to address critical issues such as poverty, community health, mass incarceration, and resource sharing, the Center will provide culturally sensitive spaces, including a Black Box Community Theatre, visual arts and music production studios, and co-working areas for local organizations and residents. Serving a diverse audience—including seniors, children, families, returning citizens, and grassroots organizers—the Center will promote public safety, reduce recidivism, and support community artists and entrepreneurs through programs, training, and social services. By building strong partnerships and offering holistic solutions, the ACYFO Center seeks to create a stronger, more connected East Harlem.
We Need Your Support
With the invaluable support of our community partners and residents, we’ve made tremendous progress toward our vision for East Harlem. However, much more is needed to fully bring it to life. Proceeds from tickets and donations for the 2025 Gala will directly fund essential renovations, including plumbing, electrical upgrades, elevator installation, new furnishings, and other enhancements to create the inspiring ACYFO Theater and Center for Solutions. Together, we can make this vision a reality!
OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
Food Pantry Program
Our Food Pantry Program addresses food insecurity through regular community distributions of fresh produce and shelf-stable items while also integrating wellness and nutrition education. More than a source of nourishment, the pantry acts as a gateway to connection—linking families to supportive services, workforce development, and community initiatives within ACYFO’s network. This program exemplifies our holistic approach to building stronger, healthier families in East Harlem.
Public Events
ACYFO hosts a range of partner-driven public events throughout the year. These include community forums, health and wellness workshops, art showcases, and civic dialogues that promote transparency, empowerment, and shared learning. Each event is an opportunity for community members, faith leaders, and local organizations to come together, exchange ideas, and build collective solutions.
Open Streets
Our Open Streets Initiative reimagines public space as a platform for safety, joy, and belonging. Through partnerships with NYC DOT and local collaborators, we transform blocks into pedestrian zones that feature live performances, youth-led art installations, wellness activities, and resource tables—all offered free to the community. Open Streets represents our belief that public space should reflect and serve the people who live there.
Community Service Learning Initiative
ACYFO’s Community Service Learning (CSL) Initiative, developed through The Confined Arts, provides youth and young adults with hands-on opportunities for service, leadership, and professional development. Participants engage in community-based projects that combine creative expression with civic responsibility—learning to turn empathy into action and experience into skill. The CSL Initiative connects local service with lifelong learning and growth.
Arts Justice Safety Coalition
ACYFO’s Community Service Learning (CSL) Initiative, developed through The Confined Arts, provides youth and young adults with hands-on opportunities for service, leadership, and professional development. Participants engage in community-based projects that combine creative expression with civic responsibility—learning to turn empathy into action and experience into skill. The CSL Initiative connects local service with lifelong learning and growth.
THE CONFINED ARTS (TCA)
TCA enables artists to express their voices through the visual and performing arts, poetry, and music as a means to abolish inhumane narratives and socially degrading stigmas that are used to describe the past experiences and limit the futures of individuals impacted by incarceration. Through artistry, collaborative activism, research, education, and training, TCA equips artists to influence policy change and use their artistry and knowledge to advocate for a world anchored in empathy and saturated with healing and prevention-based policies.