On Thursday, June 5, 2014, at the Museum of the Moving Image in Long Island City, Queens, Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement acknowledged the achievements of students enrolled in our after school program who are now moving on to the next stage of their lives. The students were enrolled at Riis Academy-P.S. 166, Riis Academy-Queensbridge, Riis Academy-Ravenswood and Riis Academy-InfoTech. We were proud to celebrate their transitions from grade school to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to college and/or other career endeavors.
The occasion featured award presentations, speeches from staff at each campus, special words of encouragement from a Riis Academy alumna and three very creative videos, put together by motivated Riis Academy youth. A special thank you to Aminah Salaam for her help as digital media specialist, is in order. The first film presented was put together by an InfoTech student. The stop-motion film made the various objects and scenery in his video come to life. Steven showcased his talents with illusion by incorporating disappearing acts throughout the video. These skills will help him move on to his college major in video editing.
The second film featured was titled “A man is…,” was put together by the Boys of a Youthful Society (BOYS) Group. The movie showcased youth asking various questions to male Riis Settlement youth workers, young adults and other youth of the same age. Questions included, “What is puberty like?” “Who is your role model?” “Is it okay for a man to cry?” and “What is a man?” The longest section was devoted to the last question. The qualities of a man included, honesty, respect, responsibility, bravery and self-reliance. The video ended with a quote by Muhammad Ali: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” -Muhammad Ali
The third and last film featured was put together by our Girls Inspiring in Real Life (GIRLS) group. The video, filmed in black and white, tackled serious issues many young women face in everyday life from poor self image to self-harm to physical abuse. The film was put together like a music video and featured a number of quotes expressing powerful statements such as “I wanna be who I am but sometimes its’ tough,” “Popularity is not a privilege, it is a job,” and “Pretty should not hurt.” The video focused a lot on the girls dancing, which was designed to evoke positive energy and spirit. Riis Settlement Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Projects, such as the baby chicks our participants grew themselves, also made their way into the video. The video ended with the quote, “No matter what happens…think positively and smile.”
Following the three exceptional videos was the awards ceremony itself. The special recognition awards were awarded first. These included presentations to the participants of the Denmark Cultural Exchange, the Information Technology seniors who were part of the work investment program. After this, our Executive Director, Christopher Hanway, offered remarks in which he addressed how proud he was of the students and everyone who was involved with program. Everyone was welcomed to a reception and all were allowed to explore the Museum of Moving Image until closing time at 5pm. Congratulations to all students who were part of our program. We hope they will continue to be part of Riis Academy next year, for it is sure to bring many surprises!
