NBC Studios - January 2006

  Build-A-Bear "Budget" Workshop - March 2005

  American Folk Art Museum - March 2005

  International Center of Photography - May 2005

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FUNDay PARTNERS EXPLORE THE WORLD OF TELEVISION

written by Brandon Bitterman

Children of schools served by Partnership with Children once again were able to partake in a "FUNDay Partners" outing. The goal of these outings is to provide exposure for children from underperforming schools to cultural opportunities in New York City and to new role models. Thanks to the not-for-profit organization High Water Women, on January 27, 2005, the "FUNDay" goal was achieved once again. Students from P.S. 256 in Brooklyn visited NBC Studios and went on the NBC Experience Studio Tour, opening their eyes to a new world of opportunity. Eleven volunteers paired up with eleven fourth graders, many of whom belong to the school newspaper group. Each student and their volunteer spent time getting-to-know each other before the tour began, either walking through the NBC store or bearing the cold for a peak at the famous Rockefeller ice skating rink.

The hour long tour proved to be an educational and exciting experience for both the volunteers and their new buddies. The group was treated to a behind the scenes look at how television comes to life. The tour guided them right onto the sets of Dateline NBC, The Jane Pauley Show, and Saturday Night Live, where everyone learned about the magic and secrets that make television look real at home. The kids were even given the chance to read from a teleprompter and give the weather report, using "green screen" technology. Partnership with Children, in collaboration with High Water Women, provided the students with one on one time to explore new friends and a possible career choice.


For further information, please contact Christine Breck or visit their website at www.partnershipwithchildrennyc.org.

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"FUNDay PARTNERS" Build-A-Budget

written by Brandon Bitterman

"FUNDay Partners" was created to provide inner city students from Partnership with Children programs with role models and to introduce them to cultural opportunities outside their community. A monthly event, volunteers from the organization High Water Women donate their time to pair up with a Partnership student. For the fourth in a series of "FUNDays," 13 students from P.S. 140 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan met up with their volunteer buddies at the Build-A-Bear Workshop, located at Rockefeller Center. While this destination is only approximately 50 blocks from where many of these children live, the sights and sounds surrounding Rockefeller Center might as well be worlds away from their local neighborhood and the invisible walls that encompass it.

This group of 6th-8th graders and their volunteers spent the afternoon at the Build-A-Bear Workshop which served as the forum for the one-on-one partnership that "FUNDay" works to achieve. Each pair was asked to work together to create a stuffed animal from scratch. A specific budget was established adding a financial lesson for the kids to focus on. The students were given the task of learning how to work within a budget on a project with someone outside their peer group.

As is often the case with "FUNDays," the children found rewards beyond those projected by the adults planning the event. In this instance, many of the students found their time at the Build-A-Bear Workshop to be an opportunity for self-expression. In many ways, each bear was a reflection of the child who created it. For other students, the time at the workshop proved to be an opportunity to give to others. One student even made his bear for his 2-month-old sister, that way "as she gets older, she will always have something that I made for her." When the day was done and an array of animals were stuffed and dressed, the students had gained new role models and a greater knowledge of the world beyond their everyday life. Having completed these social and educational tasks, another "FUNDay" in New York City concluded with all of its goals achieved.


For further information, please contact Christine Breck or visit their website at www.partnershipwithchildrennyc.org.

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"FUNDay PARTNERS" American Folk Art Museum

written by Brandon Bitterman

At this month's "FUNDay partners," 13 Partnership with Children students from P.S. 3 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and volunteers from the organization High Water Women traveled to the American Folk Art Museum. Each month, during the school year, volunteers and veterans, those participating since the program's inception, give their time and personal attention to at-risk children from inner city schools. For many participants, once they begin volunteering for "FUNDays," they can't stop. As one volunteer summed up the experience, "I give some of my time and myself and the kids give me a part of themselves, what's better than that? After each event, I always look forward to the next oneŠalways wondering what my new buddy will be like and if my past buddies still hold a piece of me like I do of them." Students served by Partnership with Children often lack adult role models in their lives. The time volunteers make for these children goes a long way to opening students' minds to career possibilities. Not only do the participants from High Water Women introduce these students to careers choices, they also serve as examples of a larger community wishing to give back and expose students to cultural offerings such as the American Folk Art Museum.

Students and their "FUNDay" buddies took part in a guided tour of the new Ancestry exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. The exhibit displayed examples of memory artwork, creations of a representation of a moment from the artist's past. The activity concluded with the "FUNDay" partners creating their own memory art. The outing brought smiles to the faces of the young participants, but as expressed by one volunteer, these activities provide much more then a good time. "The events themselves are fun, but nothing beats the one-on-one time." The museum served the children with a culturally enriching task while allowing them to grow with their new buddies.


For further information, please contact Christine Breck or visit their website at www.partnershipwithchildrennyc.org.

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"FUNDay PARTNERS" ICP
International Center of Photography




For further information, please contact Christine Breck or visit their website at www.partnershipwithchildrennyc.org.

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