Nine sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from JHS 265 in Clinton Hill, a school served by Partnership with Children, teamed up with volunteers from the philanthropic organization High Water Women to participate in a FUNDay Partners activity at the International Center of Photography.
Students from the school – 101 Park Avenue – were paired with members of High Water Women, professionals from the financial industry who serve as mentors in the educational FUNDay excursions. Together they participated in a Polaroid bookmaking workshop that began with a brief discussion of visual language in the classroom.
Afterwards, they took photographs in Bryant Park and then returned to the classroom where they edited, sequenced and pasted the photos into books. The event not only gave students a final chance to use the recently discontinued Polaroid film, but also provided them with individualized attention from positive role models.
“Over the past four years, High Water Women has developed close mentoring relationships with the youth of Partnership with Children,” said Jennifer Stevens, volunteer coordinator for High Water Women. “Although I have a busy career, my commitment to these children is strong and among one of the most important things I do.”
Executive Director of Partnership with Children, Michelle Sidrane said, “Private/public partnerships like ours with High Water Women are making a difference in our students’ lives and become even more important as we expand our programs into more New York City schools and implement a replicable model nationally.”
Partnership with Children is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the emotional, social and cognitive skills of at-risk public school children in order to help them succeed in school, in society and in their lives.
For more, go to www.partnershipwithchildrennyc.org.
