Turn 2 After School Program

The Turn 2 Foundation and the New York City Parks and Recreation Department partner to administer four, free after-school programs that reach approximately 300 children in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, participants ages 6 to 13 attend one of the four programs at the sites which include St. James Recreation Center in the Bronx, St. John's Recreation Center in Brooklyn, Jackie Robinson Recreation Center in Manhattan and Sorrentino Recreation Center in Queens. Program activities include cultural and visual arts, physical fitness and dance, environmental issues, computer literacy and academic enrichment. These activities strive to carry out the NYC Parks and Recreation Department's mission to provide a safe, supportive, structured environment that builds the overall health and well-being of children. The activities also fulfill the Turn 2 Foundation's mission by supplying signature programs with activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and "Turn 2" healthy lifestyles.

2008-2009 Program Year Activities

Each year, the Turn 2 After School sites are filled with many educational and enjoyable activities. This year, each site will include daily learning activities, athletic competitions, environmental discoveries, educational field trips, and new opportunities for children to learn about their communities. Nutrition and physical fitness topics are discussed and practiced each day with the Healthy Living/Healthy Eating Snacks Program. The Turn 2 After School sites collaborate with many local organizations such as Global Partners Junior (GPJ), a peer exchange program via an internet forum, which aims to foster global understanding and communication between New York City students and their international peers. GPJ structures programming time and integrates a variety of learning tools such as classroom discussions, online research guides, and multimedia projects for New York's youth. The New York Jeter's Leaders program also visits the youth of each Turn 2 After School program numerous times throughout the program year to facilitate mentoring activities. Older students are paired with younger students to enhance learning experiences, build lasting relationships, and model positive behavior. To further expand cultural relationships, each after school site strives to educate their children about the numerous holidays that occur throughout the calendar year. Unique to the 2008-2009 program year was the examination of the historic presidential election and a celebration of Election Day. Students in all sites learned about the historical significance of this election and were able to receive a beginner's lesson on how the federal government works and affects them every day. To culminate an exciting year, in June of 2009, the Turn 2 Foundation will host the Annual End of the Year After School Showcase. Children from each site will share with their families and peers, the skills that they developed throughout the year. The showcase includes performances in dance, drama, and music in addition to creating a display of the children's artwork created during the course of the year.

ST. JOHN'S RECREATION CENTER
          Brooklyn, New York

Each weekday, the Turn 2 After School Program at St. John's Recreation Center in Brooklyn, New York offers approximately 90 local youth activities in arts, safety, culture, physical fitness, dance, nutrition, academics, computer literacy, and environmental issues. St. John's mission is to provide a positive atmosphere and coordinated program which will enable students to reach their maximum potential while building a solid educational foundation. The center features a swimming pool, music studio, weight room, and a full gymnasium for many athletic events. One physical fitness initiative includes the program "Fit for Life", which provides multiple conditioning activities to maintain the health of the children. Children of St. John's also enjoy many educational field trips to sites such as the Bronx Zoo and the Manhattan African Burial Ground. This site collaborates with consultants from New York's initiative program, DYCD Out-of-School Time (OST). The OST program joins St. John's on a weekly basis to provide the Urban Environment program which focuses on the environment in and around the community. Students have been introduced to numerous environmental cases that reach beyond "taking a walk in the park". Activities include outdoor treasure hunts, and neighborhood naturalist walks and explorations where students understand the difference between commercial and residential property.

JACKIE ROBINSON RECREATION CENTER
          Harlem, New York

The Turn 2 After School Program at Jackie Robinson Recreation Center located in Harlem, New York serves a wide variety of children ages 6 to 13 years old. The cultural backgrounds of the program's participants are often very diverse with many of their families hailing from countries that spread across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Goals for the 2008-2009 program year will include academic support, physical fitness, and social competency among students. Jackie Robinson after school coordinators are able to focus on physical activities that include a wide range of sports due to the center's two gyms and Olympic size swimming pool which converts into athletic courts during the winter and spring months. Jackie Robinson provides unique classes including a film session called the "Cinematic Hour", and a "Cooking and Etiquette Class" where youth learn the basics of cooking, as well as the appropriate ways to present their dishes. The center is fully equipped with a computer lab where students meet with a Computer Resource Center representative who administers the Global Partners Junior Project. This project allows students to research a particular culture through the internet and converse with children their age from other countries around the world. Jackie Robinson also participates in various New York City wide tournaments including sports and board game competitions where the center's youth have been very successful.

ST. JAMES RECREATION CENTER
          Bronx, New York

The Turn 2 After School Program at St. James Recreation Center located in the Bronx, New York strives to conduct events in which parents, families, and friends can attend to see the educational and physical progress of their children, while building strong community relationships. Special facility features at St. James include a learning center, an art room, recreation room, and an outside area for various athletic activities. The staff is comprised of a diverse group of after school coordinators and social workers who help the children deal with daily situations including peer pressure, decision making, and building self-esteem. Directors of St. James make every effort to use a variety of outside sources to create new learning experiences for the children. These partnerships include, Literacy, Inc., Operation Stay Safe, Lights On After School, Jump Into Reading, and the One Million Trees program administered by the Urban Park Rangers who teach students how to successfully plant and conserve the trees in their neighborhood. Further, the St. James Recreation Center also partners with the OST program on a weekly basis. OST projects consist of preparing children for the Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration, creating banners for the ING New York City Marathon, as well as other daily activities to enhance the participants' academic achievement.

SORRENTINO RECREATION CENTER
          Far Rockaway (Queens), New York

The Sorrentino Recreation Center located in Far Rockaway, Queens is now in its third year of operation as a Turn 2 After School program. Participants have access to two new multi-purpose rooms; a game room and a kitchen. The Program Director's main goals are to develop cognitive and motor skills along with imaginative play to promote healthy development. To improve academic achievement, children at Sorrentino start each day with homework help from the after school coordinators. Physical fitness activities follow including; basketball, soccer, and double-dutch instruction that help the children stay active and maintain healthy lifestyles. Sorrentino also offers multiple educational opportunities to enhance the participants' computer literacy skills, artistic creativity, and cultural awareness. One of the newest features of the Sorrentino Recreation Center is the addition of the Jeter's Readers Library. One of the goals of the library is to be the host of many mentoring activities between the children of Sorrentino and the New York Jeter's Leaders program students. The Jeter's Leaders will serve as positive teen role models for the children while in an educational environment. Together, the teenagers and the children will have a special place to build academic success and long-lasting relationships.