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August : CFL Summer Camp and the Summer Rising Initiative

by News and EventsYouth and Community Development & School Partnerships

This month’s edition of Stories From The Field highlights our action-packed, fun-filled summer camps! 

 As part of the City’s first-ever Summer Rising initiative, we partnered with the Department of Education to provide enriched summer programs for Sunset Park youth as they begin to recover from the pandemic and prepare to return to full in-person learning in the fall.

In our greatly expanded programs, a total of 1,435 youth, 200 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Counselors, and over 200 staff came together in a joyful spirit of community-building.

We enjoyed sports, games, fitness, dancing, drumming, outings at the park, Spirit Days, Camp Olympics, and outdoor performances. From banner-making and creating moon and star mobiles, to cooperative skiing and climbing a human ladder, to solving rhyming riddles on scavenger hunts, our summer days were filled with wonder and discovery!


Most precious of all has been the opportunity to spend time in-person with the incredible children and families of our community. A huge thank you to everyone who made this summer so special.  This summer at CFL was truly magical!

Photo by: Pankaj Khadka/Leroy Street Studio

June: Our neighborhood library in Sunset Park has been honored by the 2021 National American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Library Association (ALA) as one of the winners of the Library Building Design Award

by News and EventsYouth and Community Development & School Partnerships

We are thrilled to announce that our interim neighborhood library in Sunset Park has been honored by the 2021 National American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Library Association (ALA) as one of the winners of the Library Building Design Award – only one of five libraries selected in the United States! The temporary Sunset Park Library, nestled in the former Sunset Park courthouse on Fourth Avenue, was designed by Leroy Street Studio and decorated with exquisite work by Center for Family Life high school students!

High school students in CFL’s Life Lines Visual Arts Troupe partnered with the Leroy Street Studio in a collaborative process of art, design, and installation to devise a method of providing shade for library-goers on brighter days. The team constructed a unique cascade of paper mobiles that hang across the large, vaulted windows. The shapes, made bold when backlit by the sun, speak to themes of togetherness, vitality, and natural beauty.

The National American Institute of Architects (AIA), an organization to support quality architecture founded in 1857, focuses on cultivating and encouraging the creation of spaces that center community wellness and vibrancy. According to a statement from their organization, the award acknowledges those libraries that embody “design achievement, including a sense of place, purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability and of history.” 
 
 Despite its status as an interim library, the space is a glowing achievement in Sunset Park. Shawn Watts, a partner at Leroy Street Studio, expressed that the studio is “honored to have played a part in creating this vibrant community hub and thrilled to see how the work of the students from the Center for Family Life elevated the space.”
 
 
The interim Sunset Park Library fulfills a variety of needs with versatile arrangements of space and equipment that serve our diverse community. Leroy Street Studio ensured that the voices of the Sunset Park community, BPL staff, and elected officials were heard in imagining the space. A spokesperson for Brooklyn Public Library noted that the library design, with the window installation “comprised of screens and sculptural mobiles, made in collaboration with students from the Center for Family Life…truly reflects the community it serves, making this award even more special.”
 
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March: 12th Annual Career, College, and Community Building Week

by News and EventsYouth and Community Development & School Partnerships

During the week of March 1st, Center for Family Life hosted the 12th annual
Career, College & Community-Building Week for the Sunset Park High
School community. CCC Week, formerly known as CCC Day, provided SPHS
students of all grades with fun, informative, and meaningful experiences to
support their college readiness over the course of three days. Virtual
programming connected students with SPHS alumni in college, enhanced their
ongoing career exploration by welcoming dialogue with a variety of guests from
different fields, and provided an opportunity for community-building with peers
and adults.

By the end of the week, students had learned from guest speakers about
prospective colleges, pondered possibilities for their careers, and engaged in
joyful community-building with one another. We’re grateful for everyone who
contributed to our CCC Week and made each day special!

“I enjoyed being able to share my college and career trajectory. I wouldn’t have imagined that life
would bring me to a completely different career path than what I wanted when I was a SPHS student. Hopefully students were able to relate to my experiences and not feel anxious about college and choosing
their career path in the near future.”

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January: New Virtual Afterschool Programming!

by News and EventsYouth and Community Development & School Partnerships

Center for Family Life introduced Community Time in the New Year – a NEW daily space for students to decompress, play games, and meet new people. Favorite games include Camp Werewolf, Guess that Celebrity’s Height, and Drawphone.e are pleased to announce that our 2020 End of Year giving campaign showed a 71% increase in the total donation amount and a 53% increase in the number of donors. New supporters have found us during the pandemic and we are thrilled that the community and our supporters continue to value the work we are doing. CFL is also profoundly grateful to have received Calendar Year 2021 funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) for our Family Counseling Program Community Services Program, and Adult Employment Program.