What We Do

For many young New Yorkers, the years that stretch from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties are exciting and alive with possibilities. Anchored by school, work, or both, these “emerging adults” are laying the foundation for productive lives of choice and value.

But for over 300,000 young people ages 18-24 in the New York metro area who are neither working nor in school, life is very different. These disconnected teens and young adults find themselves isolated and adrift at society’s margins, unmoored from the systems and structures that confer knowledge, skills, identity, and purpose.

The problem of youth disconnection is a serious and costly one, both for young people themselves and for society as a whole.

The Bronx has the highest youth disconnection rate among the five boroughs. 

The Gritty & Conscious Mentoring program forms partnerships with local school districts (high schools) and the juvenile court system within Bronx, NY. Youth is paired with a mentor for 12 months. In the course of this time youth will interact with a mentor once a week. Mentors provide emotional support and guidance through a strength-based theoretical perspective to address concerns of youth. The Mentoring relationship aims to cultivate emotional intelligence and self-awareness through theory, assessments, animated vignettes, video clips, mindful techniques like meditation, psycho-educational workshops, interactive activities and trips. Mentees will be able to see themselves and others, as well as analyze their own and others’ behaviors.

We host an interactive workshop every week for all Mentors and Mentees. We provide a safe space for youth with a strong focus on enhancing emotional awareness. We aid youth in identifying ways of overcoming obstacles and make referrals to outside agencies as needed. 

Our goal is to identify youths who are going to have a turbulent transition to adulthood and offer a positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives. The focus is to empower the young person to make positive decisions in their life.