Commonpoint

On Saturday, June 27th, Corona Plaza transformed into a celebration of community, culture, and climate action. 🌍 United Way New York City was proud to be part of this day alongside The Elmhurst Corona Resource Collaborative (ECRC), Commonpoint, Sisa Pakari, Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC), and so many community partners who showed up to make it happen. Families came together for an afternoon of traditional Ecuadorian dance performances by Sisa Pakari, live music from Banda Infantil Sisa Malki and Banda Sisa Taki, and honest conversations about the health challenges facing this neighborhood — extreme heat, mold, lead, flooding, and what it truly means to build resilience when your community is on the front lines of climate change. This is what environmental justice looks like — not just policy, but people. Culture, education, and community, all in the same place. Thank you to everyone who came out, performed, shared their knowledge, and made Corona Plaza feel like home. 🙏🌿 . . . . #ClimateChange #HeatHealth #CoronaPlaza #Queens #UnitedWayNYC #EnvironmentalJustice #CommunityHealth

What if internships challenged students to solve real community problems instead of simply observing them? This summer, Commonpoint's Impact, Research & Evaluation Department welcomed 23 incoming college students into the inaugural Business & Data Strategy Internship (BDSI), a six-week consulting-based learning experience designed to bridge higher education and professional practice. Working in consulting teams, interns are investigating community challenges, conducting research, engaging community voices, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and developing evidence-informed proposals for a one-year pilot initiative with an operating budget of up to $200,000. Throughout the experience, participants follow the same phases used in many consulting engagements: discovery, research, analysis, strategy development, implementation planning, and executive presentation. In partnership with ExpandED Schools, CUNY School of Professional Studies, and College Access: Research & Action (CARA), many participants also have the opportunity to earn college credit before beginning their first semester, helping bridge the transition from high school to higher education while gaining meaningful professional experience. What excites us most isn't simply what these students will produce over the next six weeks. It's how they're learning to approach complex challenges: asking thoughtful questions, grounding decisions in evidence, collaborating across perspectives, and designing solutions that reflect community needs. We're excited to follow their journey and share what they create!

Last week CARA kicked off our month-long summer training for 150 high school students who will serve as peer leaders in the 2026-27 school year. Two highlights from this year's kick-off were: - Dr. Steven A. Chambers, Executive Director of the NYC Young Men's Initiative gave the keynote speech, sharing the ways in which mentoring helped him get to an HBCU. He asked Youth Leaders to look at a partner and say aloud "I am a door to opportunities for myself, for you, and for everyone in my community," reminding them that their job is to help other students discover possibilities, and thanking them for their work on behalf of NYC. - The event coincided with the announcement that NYC committed to $3.3 million in funding for the Student Success Centers within which the Youth Leaders work (see here: https://lnkd.in/ggR2tyKp) Thank you to NYU School of Professional Studies and Angie Kamath, for hosting the event, to NYCPS' Office of Student Pathways for partnering with us on the event and on the entire SSC initiative, to the Young Men's Initiative for supporting Youth Leader training, to all of the CBOs who help build and implement the SSC model, and all of the high school students who have taken the bold step to serve as Youth Leaders. (Commonpoint, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, Good Shepherd Services, New Settlement, Hudson Guild, East Side House Settlement, Make the Road New York, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Maureen Watkins, Krystal Diaz, Lori Chajet).

From pilot to policy 🚀 This month at the NYS Food Summit, United Way of New York City brought together leaders from community organizations, research institutions, and the private sector to explore how food can improve health outcomes. Our panel highlighted Connect2Food, UWNYC's Food as Medicine initiative, which helps New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity access fresh fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and community resources to support healthier lives. Together, panelists discussed how partnerships across sectors can expand access to healthy food, improve health equity, and turn successful local programs into long-term statewide solutions. A huge thank you to our panel partners for sharing their expertise and helping move this work forward. Commonpoint Mercato CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

The Spring 2026 Behavioral Health Community Health Worker Apprenticeship (BH-CHW) Celebration at CUNY Hostos Community College honored 20 apprentices preparing to help New Yorkers navigate mental health and substance use support, connect to care, and strengthen community wellbeing. This cohort reflects the heart of the BH-CHW Apprenticeship: training trusted community members to support prevention, early identification of distress, referrals, and culturally responsive connection to care. With a 95% completion rate, multiple post-program job offers, and continued support for apprentices earning college credits, the celebration highlighted the impact of a program built through collaboration and care. We are grateful to CUNY Hostos Community College, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds, and employer partners Children's Aid, Commonpoint Queens, Housing Opportunities Unlimited, KING OF KINGS YOUTH FOUNDATION, Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, Inc. Brooklyn, and VIP Community Services for helping build behavioral health career pathways rooted in care, trust, and community. 🎉Please join us in congratulating this spring's cohort!🎉 🔗 Learn More About the BH-CHW Apprenticeship Here: https://lnkd.in/gBGM5FRb #NYC #NYCMentalHealth #MentalHealth #CommunityHealthWorker #Apprenticeship #HelpWanted #BehavioralHealth #BehavioralHealthWorkforce #CHW

June 24th and 25th were spectacular days of community impact! We are sending a massive thank you to our incredible corporate partners for stepping up in a huge way: Assured Guaranty for assembling an incredible 1,000 essential hygiene kits. BlackRock for joining us for their third volunteer event of 2026, building weekend meal kits to ensure over 200 students won't go hungry this weekend. Weill Cornell Medicine for assembling 100 essential hygiene kits and crafting interactive learning clocks to help local children learn how to tell time. Your dedication, energy, and partnership are constant sources of inspiration for all of us at Commonpoint. We are deeply grateful for your support!

We combined art with advocacy for World Refugee Day! Yesterday, joined our partners in the New York City Immigrant Resettlement Initiative (NYC-IRI) and the incredible Brooklyn Conservatory of Music to host a stellar line-up of international sounds at the annual Seventh Heaven Street Fair. Performers included Firas Zreik Maqam ensemble, Alsarpa dancing by My-EvenTÚ, Jean Rene Joseph, and the Amos Gabia Trio. Among the performers were also Viktoriia and Yeseniia Vennkova, former clients of the Immigrant Resettlement Initiative. Festival attendees and neighbors joined us in signing postcards urging the New York City Council to keep up its budgetary support for the services that support thousands of refugees across the five boroughs. Big shouts to our NYC-IRI partners at Commonpoint, CAMBA, Church World Service, and the International Rescue Committee.