This month’s installment of our community spotlight features Kieran, former Beam Camper and Staff Assistant. Kieran is currently a sophomore at Tufts University studying biochemistry and studio art. In addition to his studies, Kieran has two part time jobs - one of which is at the university’s theatre, where he designs and creates set pieces for the student shows.

Second graders from PS 676 Red Hook Neighborhood School visited Beam Center on Governors Island last week. As part of their ongoing in-class project involving reef structures, students are collaborating with our Project Designer, Serena, to learn about oysters and their reefs in the waters of NYC.

This month’s installment of Beam’s Staff Spotlight series features our Project Director, Mitchell Dose. Managing our Project Production enterprise, Mitchell collaborates with artists, Beam staff, youth staff, and youth participants to build large projects across Beam’s programming sites, both in NYC and at Beam Camp in New Hampshire. Mitchell trains participants in the Project Production enterprise, called Fellows, in all aspects of project development and helps fold an artist’s vision into an experience for youth and staff.

We're excited to announce that we have selected our 2023-2024 Beam Project New Hampshire: Welcome Beacon, to be built at Beam Camp during summer 2023. As part of our Big Projects initiative, Beam Center builds large-scale public artworks through collaborations with youth. These projects are displayed across three locations: Beam Camp City on Governors Island, in a local NYC community, and - in the case of this project - Beam Camp in Strafford, NH.

The fall 2022 cohort of Work, Learn, Grow has begun, and we wanted to give you a sneak peek of the project youth are working on. Work, Learn, Grow (WLG) is a Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD)-run program for youth in high school who are either a junior or senior and have participated in SYEP during the summer.

This month's installment of our Community Spotlight series features May. May is a longtime Beam Camper and a high school senior at Friends Select in Philadelphia, PA. May is preparing to attend college during Spring 2023 and says that she is interested in studying environmental science, engineering, and design.

Over the last few weeks, Beam Project Designer Rose and Program Managers Jenny and Breanna have been prototyping projects related to the Apprenticeship’s theme, The Shapes We Make. Learn more about the project Apprentices will be creating this fall and see some of the early prototypes.

This month’s installment of Beam’s Staff Spotlight series features our Manager of Institutional Giving, Helena Chung. As the Manager of Institutional Giving, Helena maintains relationships with Beam’s institutional funders, writes grants, organizes volunteer opportunities, and assists with fundraising events like our Annual Gala. In addition to being a full time employee at Beam, Helena is a Korean-American poet currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.

Looking ahead at the new school year, our Project Designers have been hard at work prototyping more exciting projects that will be created by youth. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the projects we’ll be making this year in collaboration with teachers at our partner schools.

This month's installment of our Community Spotlight series features Brooklyn-based merchandising and product design firm, twelveNYC. twelveNYC is a 100% women-owned business that provides merchandising design and production to internationally-renowned brands. Some of their clients have included Bloomingdales, Jimmy Choo, and Uber, among others.

Having just completed its third year, Beam Center hosted six artists during our summer 2022 Artist in Residence program on Governors Island. As the weather changes and we prepare for a new season of programming, it seems like a perfect time to look back at some of the amazing work artists produced during their residencies.

This month’s installment of our Staff Spotlight series features our Learning Production Advisor, Allen Riley. As an Advisor, Allen is supporting Beam Center leadership and staff with program design, metrics, and exploring our framework and approach.

As we look ahead to the new school year, let’s revisit one of last year’s school projects! During Spring 2022, Beam Project Designer, Rose, led a meditation-related project at UASDC. The project involved two elements that helped contribute to mindfulness: calming audio and meditation rugs.

In addition to our in-house youth employment enterprises - such as Project Leaders, Project Production, and others - Beam is proud to manage a robust externship enterprise. Through our externships, Beam places young people in paid jobs and internships with other community-based organizations and businesses across NYC. Check out these features to learn about our externship opportunities from summer 2022!

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Inventgenuity Festival on Governors Island! During our two-day family-friendly festival, youth and their families participated in workshops hosted by Beam Center and our guest organization, the Lewis Latimer House Museum. Participants enjoyed performances organized and performed by youth from another partner organization, Building Beats.