SEASONAL UPDATES
OPEN STREETS - COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVE
Summer 2026 | Community-Based Learning and Wellness
The Community Service Learning Initiative continued its leadership of East Harlem Open Streets E. 115th Street for a second year, using the program as a community-based learning space to explore holistic wellness. Young people supported programming, engaged with residents and community partners, and connected the Eight Dimensions of Wellness to the needs and strengths of East Harlem.
Professional Development Through Community Partnerships
Spring 2026 | Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, and Cosmetology
The Community Service Learning Initiative partnered with Street Scholars and Vanity Affairs to offer workshops focused on entrepreneurship, personal development, cosmetology, skincare, fashion, and career exploration. Young people had opportunities to build practical skills, learn from professionals, and explore different pathways for personal and professional growth.
Exploring Holistic Wellness Through the Eight Dimensions of Wellness
Summer 2025 | First-Year Holistic Wellness Focus
The Community Service Learning Initiative launched its first year exploring holistic wellness through the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, helping young people understand how different areas of life connect to personal growth, relationships, health, and future goals.
B L O C K -B Y- B L O C K: Young Voices on a Changing East Harlem
A Community Conversation
When a neighborhood changes, it usually means that working-class families get pushed out by wealthier folks moving in. This process is often described as “gentrification”. In the United States, given histories of segregation and disinvestment in communities of color, this gentrification usually happens along racial lines. Simply put, white people with money move in, and Black and Brown residents who have lived in a place for generations get forced out. When this happens, the whole feel of a neighborhood - its culture, its personality, and its soul - starts to change.
"The Reason Why" - A Performance by the Community Service Learning Initiative 2024 Summer Cohort
Welcome to "The Reason Why," a powerful and evocative performance brought to you by the Community Service Learning Initiative 2024 Summer Cohort. This performance delves into the theme of why young people wear masks in life—masks that protect, help them survive, and enable them to succeed. Through dance, storytelling, and affirmation, this piece explores the causes behind these masks and the courage it takes to remove them.
We would like to extend our gratitude to our community partners—Isaac’s Quarterly, LLC, and The Reentry Theater of Harlem—for their invaluable support in bringing this initiative to life.
THE ROLES WE ASSUME written by Sanaa Benjamin
A film by the Community Service Learning Initiative
SPECTATOR written by Imane Lawrence
A film by the Community Service Learning Initiative
SELF AFFIRMATION PEOM (I AM)
SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
YOU MAY THINK (EXPLORING MISCONCEPTIONS)
SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM 2022
DEAR PARENTS
SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM 2022