The 2020 Teen Ambassador Summer Leadership Academy was a great success.

Featuring a myriad of personal and professional growth opportunities including weekly virtual mentoring sessions, in-person leadership development workshops, and community service events, the 2020 Summer Academy was a program dedicated to keeping student leaders involved during a time of uncertainty.

“I am excited about how the summer went,” said Toyin Ayanfodun the Executive Director of Tomorrow’s Leaders NYC as he spoke about the program. “With both programs running in The Bronx and Brooklyn, each leader had a chance to give back to the community while continuing to learn Leadership principles that will move with them throughout their life.”

“I am also excited that our BK program was featured on News 12,” noted Ayanfodun when speaking about the event.

With over 25 students accepted into the summer program, CLICK HERE to see the TLNYC New 12 feature here and see the summer program highlights below:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TUESDAYS
Community Engagement Tuesdays were a time during summer 2020 where the Brooklyn TLNYC Teen Ambassadors had the chance to serve the community through Grab and Go Meals. Over the entire summer, Brooklyn Ambassadors served approximately 190 members of the East New York Community.

WORKSHOP THURSDAYS
Dedicated to creating hope within each student, Workshop Thursdays was all about giving the Brooklyn Ambassadors a chance to tell TLNYC staff the things they wanted to learn. From making and marketing your own natural products to presentation and team-building workshops, the Teen Ambassadors noted how they felt they would be more successful if they honed in on and requested workshops on topics they believed they needed to succeed.

VIRTUAL LEARNING 2.0
In the spirit of personal and professional growth, Brooklyn Ambassadors had the chance to participate in Virtual Learning sessions where they were paired with a mentor. In each virtual learning session, Ambassadors reviewed, debated, and/or discussed a variety of topics including leadership skills, anger management, and entrepreneurship.

“COMMUNITY MATTERS” BACKPACK DRIVE AND COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
For the final event, the Brooklyn Ambassadors planned and executed a culminating event called “Community Matters.” Featuring Grab and Go Meals, a school supply giveaway, and gift card prizes, the Ambassadors who helped create “Community Matters” raised over $150 to produce the event. 140 people attended the event and the Ambassadors used the event to showcase some of the things they learned from Workshop Thursdays.

TEAMWORK TUESDAYS
When working to be the best leader you can be, you must vibrate higher. On Teamwork Tuesdays, Bronx Teen Ambassadors work through various teamwork activities that were aimed at increasing their social-emotional health, memory skills, and eye, ear, and hand coordination. From playing the “Minute to Win it” game to doing the marshmallow challenge, Ambassadors left Teamwork Tuesdays feeling better about themselves while understanding ways to manage their emotions and behaviors.

WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS
In an effort to help each Bronx Ambassador activate their inner Leaders, Workshop Wednesday was dedicated to giving each Ambassadors a voice through the power of deliberating and voting as a group. Topics included career workshops, racial injustice, film making, photography, Linkedin, and interview skills.

COMMUNITY SERVICE 2.0: GRAB AND GO MEALS
While fostering an environment dedicated to teaching acceptance, compassion, and empathy, Community Service 2.0 worked to give each Bronx Ambassador the chance to meet and serve community residents from all walks of life through free meals. During the summer program, Bronx Ambassadors organized and produced 5 Community Service 2.0 events that averaged 60 community residents per event.

JOB FAIR 2020
With over 100 community residents stopping by to receive literature and information, the 2020 TLNYC Bronx Job Fair featured various tabling partners including The Bronx Terminal Market Cares Team, Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner, Bronxworks, and MetroPlus. Created and championed by The Bronx TLNYC Teen Ambassadors, the event gave community residents the opportunity to create a Linkedin account, take a professional headshot, and receive information about healthcare, COVID-19, and open roles in Bronx county.