Lucia Arthur-Paratley

Lucy organized a mentorship program on the college application process for Sound School seniors who were not sure they were college-bound. The seniors met each week after school for sessions ranging from a professional tutorial on essay writing to practice interview sessions. The guidebook for this mentorship program is available under the Resources tab.

Kristin Horneffer

Kristin’s project was one of autobiographical photojournalism. Ten New Haven public high school students were given disposable cameras to take pictures of any things, places, people, and objects that represent for them daily life in New Haven. After the photographs were developed, each student provided a brief oral explanation of his/her collection and received a $20 stipend for the completed work. The photographs and explanations were compiled into a presentation given at Yale University.

Jennifer Ky and Katie Leiby

Jennifer and Katie organized Chicken Noodle Soup: Empowering Young Women, which sought to empower high school girls from the inner-city to live healthier, happier lives. Each class, the girls participated in interactive activities, including cooking a healthy dinner and creating collages about perceptions of beauty. Each girl also kept a journal as an outlet of expression. The workbook for Chicken Noodle Soup is available under the Resources tab.

Leah Sarna

Leah developed keepSAFE, a student-run, short-term storage facility at Luther House for the belongings of homeless individuals in New Haven. This project enabled people to safely deposit their documents and belongings as they searched for work and housing.

Jasmine Simington

Jasmine Simington organized Project H.O.P.E. (Hip-hop as Our own Personal Escape), a series of workshops for New Haven girls to talk about the culture of hip-hop and the impact on the upcoming generation. They discussed the different types of hip-hop, looked at a variety of themes presented by multiple artists, and critically analyzed the words of some of the girls’ favorite artists.  The curriculum packet from Project H.O.P.E. is available under the Resources tab.