Francille Firebaugh, dean of the College of Human Ecology, visits the Youth-to-Youth Literacy Project at a day-care center in the Harlem Grant House, a low-income housing project where several Cornell students worked this summer. Youth workers are in the background. Photograph by Richard Miceli
She may have had the easiest commute, but Placida Ramos '00, a policy analysis major in the College of Human Ecology, had one of the hardest but most rewarding summer internships. Placida, who lives in the HighBridge section of the South Bronx, just walked across the street to CES 104, an elementary school, for her internship for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of New York City Youth-to-Youth Literacy Project.
Since 1990, Cornell undergraduates have taken their knowledge, energy and talent to New York City in an effort to combat illiteracy among inner-city youth. The brainchild of Cornell trustee Joseph Holland '78, Scott McMillin, professor of English, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of New York City, the program was conceived as a way for Cornell students to give back to their communities.
Originally based in Harlem's Grant House Projects, the program now serves several communities across the city. This past summer, 11 Cornell students could be found working in day-care centers, summer day camps, 4-H clubs and elementary schools. Funded by alumni donations, work-study and President Clinton's Literacy Initiative, the project used to target teens, but this summer, its audience was exclusively elementary school-age children for the first time.
"Our community partners want to focus on young children before they fall behind in schools," said Linda Nessel, director of workforce development and of the literacy project at Cooperative Extension in New York City.
As in the health-care field, the field of education is transitioning its resources to focus more on younger children, Nessel said although the Cornell students this summer continued to work with older youth, as well.
"This job allowed me to influence the lives of many people, from campers to counselors," said Glenny Castro, a human development junior, who worked with Phipps Houses, a low-income housing project in the Bronx, at its summer day camp. One way the students influence youth during the summer is by serving in the project as positive role models.
This is especially true for Ramos, who lives in the same neighborhood in which she worked. Instead of contributing to a community "brain drain," she chose to return to help.
"This summer's experience made me realize how hard we worked and how hard our kids worked and how we made a real difference in their lives," she said.
Cornell faculty and alumni also contributed to make it a comprehensive summer experience for the students. Alumni Jabari Ozaze '94 and GBemi Amusa-Shonubi '92, both former literacy project interns, conducted workshops during the two-week training and orientation session for the students. Amusa-Shonubi also was a past coordinator for the summer literacy project. Kenneth A. McClane, the W.E.B. DuBois Professor of Literature; Ruth Bounous, director of the Community Learning and Service Partnership, a student-employee literacy program at Cornell, and a lecturer in policy analysis and management; and Merrill Ewert and David Deshler, associate professors of education, are among the many Cornell professors who have been involved with the project.
Students worked in their placements during the week, keeping daily journals, but Fridays were devoted to critical reflection sessions and personal development. The students also visited Cornell alumni on Fridays in their work settings. Visits were made, for example, to Ricky Roman '95, a youth coordinator at Banana Kelly, a community organization in the South Bronx; Ronay Menschel '64, Cornell trustee and CEO of Phipps Houses; Gloria Turner '83, Cornell trustee and vice president of community relations at JP Morgan; and Rei Perez '87, director of Northeast public relations for AT&T.
As in most internships, the Cornell students learned hard lessons that books and research can't teach.
"I became increasingly aware of the challenges that many people face on a daily basis, such as drugs and senseless violence," Castro said. "Yet it comforts me to know that I helped a child learn how to read better or gave a counselor advice about college."