|
North Shore Youth Council (NSYC) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community-based organization, dedicated to helping youth and families cope in today’s changing world. Our agency offers comprehensive, evidence-based education, enrichment, recreation, intervention, and prevention programs to youth and families. Our services include morning and afternoon school age child care, middle school afternoon drop-in, youth and teen summer recreation, teen recreation and positive alternatives, cross-age peer mentoring, counseling and mental health wellness, social skills and art therapy groups, substance abuse education and prevention, job linkage and internships, and community service projects and volunteer opportunities. In addition, our organization owns and operate the Heritage Center in Mount Sinai and facilitate private rentals, ongoing community education, programs, and events, and Heritage Park stewardship.
|
Our History
North Shore Youth Council’s history can be traced back to the early 1980s. NSYC was born out of concern for the high rates of substance abuse and teenage runaways on Long Island at the time. While steps were being taken on a national level to combat these and other issues, several Rocky Point community members recognized an immediate need to take action locally. Driven by the desire to save as many youth as they could from drugs and alcohol, these individuals spawned an innovative model for youth prevention programming that continues to this day.
The founding members of the grassroots organization, Betty L. Hicks, Ann Henry, Mary E. Brower, and Irene Chirco, established NSYC to initially serve the Rocky Point School District. At the time, no such prevention programming of this type existed for youth in the North Shore area, and it was seen as especially beneficial for the community as a whole. NSYC was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in 1981. In its Certificate of Incorporation, NSYC listed its purposes:
In its early days, the members of NSYC worked tirelessly to promote community involvement and outreached to many local newspapers and journalists to help promulgate their efforts. NSYC eventually began to expand its efforts and focused on offering additional information on drug and alcohol abuse and peer pressures. Through a linkage with the Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau, NSYC worked to engage local parents to increase both the quantity and quality of youth services available to the North Shore area, arrange annual drug awareness presentations, establish parent and community councils to organize and disseminate information, and implement parent training workshops.
Through the years, NSYC recognized the need for additional resources for families, as the dynamic transitioned from a one-working-parent-household to a two-working-parents-household. By establishing new partnerships with neighboring school districts, elected officials, and working to obtain available federal funding, NSYC focused heavily on creating the bridge between the school, the community, and the home. With the implementation of comprehensive services like school age child care, Friday night recreation, open band nights, summer recreation, open gym events, peer-to-peer tutoring and mentoring, individual counseling, and more, NSYC pioneered a prevention model that flourishes today.
The founding members of the grassroots organization, Betty L. Hicks, Ann Henry, Mary E. Brower, and Irene Chirco, established NSYC to initially serve the Rocky Point School District. At the time, no such prevention programming of this type existed for youth in the North Shore area, and it was seen as especially beneficial for the community as a whole. NSYC was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in 1981. In its Certificate of Incorporation, NSYC listed its purposes:
- To establish, coordinate, and implement educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs for the youth in the Rocky Point School District.
- To encourage youth to participate in total community activities and programs.
- To stimulate, encourage, and foster efforts, both public and private, to discuss, deal with, and resolve issues and problems concerning youth in the Rocky Point School District.
- To encourage interaction and communication among current youth programs in the Rocky Point School District to ensure services are not duplicated.
- To establish Family Life Education Programs to guide and support the family and its changing needs.
In its early days, the members of NSYC worked tirelessly to promote community involvement and outreached to many local newspapers and journalists to help promulgate their efforts. NSYC eventually began to expand its efforts and focused on offering additional information on drug and alcohol abuse and peer pressures. Through a linkage with the Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau, NSYC worked to engage local parents to increase both the quantity and quality of youth services available to the North Shore area, arrange annual drug awareness presentations, establish parent and community councils to organize and disseminate information, and implement parent training workshops.
Through the years, NSYC recognized the need for additional resources for families, as the dynamic transitioned from a one-working-parent-household to a two-working-parents-household. By establishing new partnerships with neighboring school districts, elected officials, and working to obtain available federal funding, NSYC focused heavily on creating the bridge between the school, the community, and the home. With the implementation of comprehensive services like school age child care, Friday night recreation, open band nights, summer recreation, open gym events, peer-to-peer tutoring and mentoring, individual counseling, and more, NSYC pioneered a prevention model that flourishes today.
We are unique for being the only agency with a model for prevention. We are a trusted resource along the North Shore corridor. We are a home and a safe place our communities can count on. We are not a one-size-fits-all system or solution. We listen to our youth who are the driving force of our agency and respond to what they need to accomplish their goals. We encourage the celebration of individuality. We promote physical and mental health wellness. We help people make positive decisions to lead healthy lives, but even if someone falls, we'll be there to pick them right back up. We are North Shore Youth Council.
North Shore Youth Council is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community-based organization, funded in part by the Town of Brookhaven, the County of Suffolk, the State of New York, the North Shore Consortium, and public and private donations.
|
Phone: 631-744-0207
Fax: 631-744-3565 P.O. Box 1286, Rocky Point, NY 11778 Main Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm Visit us in the portables on the grounds of the Joseph A. Edgar School in Rocky Point. |
|
©
North Shore Youth Council