At the start of this new year, Children’s Arts and Science Workshops (CASW) had the honor of hosting New York State Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos at the Dyckman Community Center, which is home to the Young Men’s Initiative; a program meant to help mentor young men from the surrounding area. Assemblyman De los Santos donated $30,000 to help fund this initiative, which facilitates experiences such as college trips, one-on-one and group mentoring, recreational field trips, and activities meant to help engage young men as “responsible, active members of their community.”

Here at CASW, we seek to engage at-risk youth of various ages in programs and activities. As per its mission statement, the agency’s goal is to “increase their self-esteem and confidence, and prepare them to participate fully as productive members of society.” Thus, this instance of partnership between CASW and the Assemblyman is to be expected; prior to politics, De Los Santos had a 13-year career as a social worker and community school director in various schools across New York City. During that time, much of his work focused on helping students overcome academic challenges as well as homelessness and substance abuse. 

This new initiative is just one of several available through the community center; each is meant to provide educational and recreational services to local youth and their families. The Young Men’s Initiative in Dyckman will ultimately serve middle and high school students of the Inwood and Washington Heights area. As per their Instagram account CASW is “grateful to Assemblyman De Los Santos for his generous donation, and hope to put it towards our continued mission of empowering NYC’s youth.”