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Past Themes
for Anytown:
(2005)
"Be
the change you wish to see in the world." --Ghandi
(2006)
"There's more to me than what you see...Respect me!"
2007:
"ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER!"
August 20th to August
24th 2007 at the
Warwick Conference
Center in Warwick, New York
Click here to download the Anytown 2007 Brochure!
What is Anytown?
Anytown
is a four – day residential summer peer leadership program
designed to promote understanding, communication and unity among
diverse teams of students from high schools throughout greater
New York. Students work together intensely to bec
ome aware
of their own biases, examine the sources of these patterns, and
learn how to overcome them. The program challenges youth to
become active leaders against all forms of prejudice and
discrimination in their school and community.
Who can attend
Anytown?
Anytown
is open to all public , private and charter school students in
New York City and Long Island entering their sophomore, junior,
or senior year in the fall of 2007. Teams of five students are
selected by their schools for leadership potential and interest
in social justice. At Anytown, students develop and think
through ways to implement an action plan for human relations
improvements in their schools.
What happens after
Anytown?
Action Team members and their schools can sign up to receive
advanced leadership training in the fall to implement the plan
they developed at
Anytown,
and put their skills into practice by co-facilitating workshops
at NCCJ programs. NCCJ offers a Youth Voices...Youth Issues
training program to the schools.
How
much does
Anytown
cost?
The actual cost of
Anytown
is $650 per delegate. For 2007 , participating schools pay
$260 per delegate, totaling only $1,300 for a team of up to
five delegates. NCCJ finances the balance, depending upon the
generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.
The fee for your team of five delegates includes round-trip
bus transportation, meals, lodging, training materials, an
Anytown
t-shirt, and a follow-up networking package.
Why Anytown?
Anytown
has operated nationwide for almost fifty years and has a strong
track record of transforming lives and changing communities. In
New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world, it
is critical that youth learn to appreciate diversity and fight
against bias, bigotry and racism. Bullying, slurs, and violence
are everyday occurrences in our schools. Youth need values,
skills and knowledge that are often not part of the classroom
curriculum.
What Happens at Anytown?
What happens at
Anytown?
· Discussion
groups and interactive workshops
· Personal
growth and cultural awareness
· Action
planning to create positive change
· Recreational
activities
· New
friendships with people of diverse backgrounds
· Campfires
and songs
· Skits,
art, and dancing
NCCJ's History of
Anytown
Anytown is
NCCJ’s oldest and premier youth leadership program. Established
in 1956 during school desegregation, the fundamental premise of
Anytown has remained the same: to bring together youth from
communities of isolation, volatility and/or segregation to learn
about one another, break down stereotypes, and learn how to
create change. Today, Anytown programs are held in over 40
cities across the country. The program has been experienced by
more than 25,000 youth since its inception, and has been
featured on the Today Show and Oprah, as well as in the
Christian Science Monitor, Business Week, and many local
publications across the country annually.
Program
Anytown is anything but a typical summer camp experience. During
four intense days, diverse teams of youth from high schools in
all five boroughs of New York City and its surrounding areas
will come together to challenge racism, sexism, homophobia,
xenophobia and other forms of discrimination in themselves and
in their communities. In small discussion groups, students
challenge their personal biases, explore the sources of these
patterns, and learn techniques for overcoming them. Through
interactive workshops, youth
develop their cognitive understanding of oppression and connect
it to their personal experiences. In experiential activities,
youth gain valuable leadership skills involving problem solving,
group dynamics, conflict management, coalition building,
cross-cultural communication and advocating for change. The
program culminates in strategy sessions where student teams
create an action plan to address inequity and division in their
home schools and communities.
If you have any
questions, please contact Bari Katz, Program Director at
212.870.2114 or
bkatz@nccjgnyr.org.
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