Brooklyn Public Library's second annual Storymakers Symposium is a free professional development event for aspiring picture book creators ages 18 - 24 representing diverse voices, taking place on March 2, 2019 from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm. The day will include panels, workshops, and networking sessions with artists and industry leaders, plus a special opportunity to apply for a one-on-one portfolio or manuscript review and an exhibition at Central Library. Lunch provided. Application for portfolio review due February 15, 2019.

The 29th Annual Latino College Expo & Leadership Summit takes place March 16, 2019 at the Kimmel Center of New York University. The event brings together over 75 public and private colleges, universities, and community based organizations and offers seminar sessions for students, parents, guardians, and counselors. The Leadership Summit runs from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, followed by the College Fair until 3:00 pm. Register to attend.

To help NYC public school students access online resources at home and to raise their digital exposure, public libraries are providing families with free hotspots. Families without home internet and a child in NYC public schools can register. Families can keep the hotspots until July 5, 2019. Visit the Brooklyn Library, the New York Library, and the Queens Library for more information.

The Hive Research Lab released Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity. The result of two years of collaborative research and design with Hive NYC leadership and members, and with support from the Spencer Foundation, Brokering Youth Pathways was created to share tools and techniques around the youth development practice of “brokering”, or connecting youth to future learning opportunities and resources.

NYC Youth Leadership Councils (YLCs) are working groups of high school students ages 14-21 who collaborate with adult leaders to catalyze authentic change in their communities. Through sustainable partnerships with schools, City agencies, nonprofits, and faith-based groups, hundreds of YLCs are working to address crucial City issues in all five boroughs through a combination of policy, practice, and/or advocacy service. If you are committed to civic engagement and are interested in learning more, attend the next YLC Program Orientation on February 14, 2019. The orientation will provide a practical overview of the YLC network and youth-adult partnership program model. Register to attend. Send questions to NYCYLC@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Steelcase WorkLife Center and Project Reach are hosting a two day, city-wide Intensive Anti-Discrimination Clinic, February 14 - 15, 2019 from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. This 12-hour training will bring together a diverse community of 30-40 educators, service providers, social workers, administrators and parents/guardians from schools and community-based organizations in all 5 boroughs. All adults who work with young people and are committed to ending discrimination and fighting for social justice are encouraged to attend. Register by February 11, 2019 to attend. Download a flyer. For more information, contact the trainers Don Kao (dkao@cpc-nyc.org; (917) 749-6116) or Katherine Chambers (kchambers@cpc-nyc.org; (315) 664-8059).

The #DegreesNYC Blueprint for Collective Action on Postsecondary Access and Success in New York City is now available including an Executive Summary and full-report. Building off of a multi-year collaborative process, #DegreesNYC created this blueprint to outline the challenges related to postsecondary access and completion in New York City that they heard from practitioners, students, and the broader community, and opportunities for cross-sector, system-wide change. The blueprint is organized into four categories - affordability, institutional policies, data and accountability, and support and accessibility for all - and includes recommendations on how to move New York City towards equity in postsecondary readiness, persistence, and success.