The YWCA of the City of New York is offering free programs open to all self-identified HS girls - STEAAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Advocacy, Math) Programs and Amplifying Multiple Perspectives (AMP) Leadership Program. The STEAAM program is for girls interested in using science, technology, or art to impact their community. The AMP Leadership Program offers girls the opportunity to develop and define their individual leadership and collective capacity. Programs take place at YWCA NYC, 500 West 56th Street (between 10th & 11th Aves), NY. Applications for both AMP and STEAAM are due by September 22, 2015. Questions can be emailed to Darcy-Tell Morales at dmorales@ywcanyc.org.

On October 14, 2015, the SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center (Bronx EOC) will host its annual college fair. Last year, over 40 schools from all over the country were represented, with over 700 participants. This year, GrantAnswers has been chosen as a lead partner to run scholarship workshops throughout the day. The fair takes place from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Bronx EOC, 1666 Bathgate Avenue, Bronx, NY 104571. For more information, contact Hopeton Allen at hopeton.allen@bronx.eoc.suny.edu or (718) 530-7018

NYU Silver School of Social Work is accepting applications for all their academic programs. NYU Silver offers a variety of options to a Masters in Social Work including specific part-time curriculum designed for working professionals. The school has longstanding relationships with over 600 agencies in the tristate area including, NYC Department of Education, Children’s Aid Society, Partnership with Children, Educational Alliance, and many more. The deadline for Spring 2016 and Fall 2016 applications are October 2, 2015 and January 8, 2016, respectively. Drop-in on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, email silver.admissions@nyu.edu, or call (212) 998-5910 to inquire about admissions, tuition reimbursement, and other scholarship options. Follow @NYUSilver.

The College Board has released the Expanding SAT® Fee-Waiver Access: Best Practices for Community-Based Organizations brief. The purpose of the brief is to support CBOs by recommending practices to maximize: distribution of SAT fee waivers to eligible students; student SAT and SAT Subject Test registration; and student test attendance. The tips and strategies are recommendations by active CBOs participating in the College Board’s SAT Fee-Waiver Program who provided feedback through an online survey and follow-up interviews.

A recent Child Trends report, Key Soft Skills that Foster Youth Workforce Success, looks at relationships between soft skills and four workplace outcomes: getting a job or being employed, performance on the job, wages, and entrepreneurial success. According to the report, there is strong evidence that the following five skills increase workforce success among youth ages 15 - 29: social skills; communication; and higher-order thinking skills (including problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making); supported by the intrapersonal skills of self-control and positive self-concept. Youth who develop these key soft skills will be better able to effectively identify, use, and communicate their strengths, relate to others, make decisions to achieve their own goals, as well as contribute to their workplaces and communities. View the Executive Summary or the full report.

There is a growing body of knowledge about teaching and learning in informal learning environments such as museums, afterschool programs, and home settings. However, most educational research still takes place in classrooms, and much of this research is not easily accessible to educators working in informal settings. The Relating Research to Practice (RR2P) project attempts to make at least some of this large body of knowledge about STEM teaching and learning accessible to informal educators. To review the research, visit the RR2P website.

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Asian American Federation, Black Agency Executives, Hispanic Federation, and New York Urban League are pleased to announce that applications are available for the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) YEAR 2. As part of the New York City Council Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, the City Council allocated $2.5 million for the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund intended for nonprofits serving majority Asian, Latino and/or Black communities to build organizational capacity through grants that support leadership development, financial management and planning, strategy and organizational development, etc. Applications are due October 30, 2015. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a Community Briefing to learn more about the grant and the application process.