University Settlement Society of New York

Yesterday’s Village View NORC Wellness Day brought important health conversations closer to home. 🩺

Over 85 neighbors stopped by the Village View NORC courtyard for an afternoon of health resources, free food, music, and time together. Our partners from NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Gracie Square Hospital were on site to share information and answer questions about vision care, breast care, mental health, and more. Public Health Solutions assisted with health insurance options, a nurse from VNS Health provided consults and blood pressure screenings, and a contracted nutritionist from the National Enrichment Group gave advice on healthy eating. Between visits to resource tables, neighbors caught up with each other, shared a meal, listened to music, and enjoyed the warm weather.

Big thanks to our healthcare partners, the Village View NORC team, and everyone who joined us yesterday!

Every year, our College Passport program partners with more than 1,600 public school students as they graduate from high school and transition to college.

Sophia Ramos, a junior at East Side Community School, recently sat down with us to talk about what College Passport means to her:

“Through College Passport, I’ve been able to go on college trips to schools such as visits to Rowan University, Mount St. Mary, and Lafayette College. It was much easier for me to go on these organized trips with the group College Passport leads, since they take place during the school day and I don’t have to worry about finding my own transportation and dealing with traffic. And now that I’ve gone on these trips I feel much more confident visiting colleges by myself when necessary.

From these trips, I’ve found that I like smaller schools. I also have recognized how important diversity on a college campus is to me, so I won’t feel as isolated. When we go on trips, Simone, our college counselor, provides anecdotes about her own college life, which is also super valuable. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had through this program and am excited about applying to colleges next year. I’m thinking I want to stay in New York to get in-state tuition.”

We’re celebrating 140 years of University Settlement! 🥳

On Saturday, we hosted a kickoff party for our 140th birthday. Speyer Hall was buzzing with conversation as neighbors enjoyed lunch from delicious Lower East Side eateries. Our CEO Melissa Aase gave remarks before we started our trivia contest, which reflected on the many ways NYC and University Settlement have evolved together. We all learned something new about the organization, and the winner left with a University Settlement tote bag and water bottle. The celebration also featured multiple performances: our EXCEL program participants performed some dance routines, and members of our HeART program put on a Tai Chi demo.

Sheila Fontanive (Director, The Creative Center) also led a collaborative art project inviting participants to customize a paper bird, inspired by their vision of our collective future. The result: a colorful and creative mural we all gathered in front of to take a picture.


Huge thanks to everyone who made the day possible – and don’t worry, our birthday celebrations are just getting started! Keep an eye out for more information about our Manhattan and Brooklyn block parties coming up this fall.

College Passport is offering a FREE SAT prep summer program! 📖

All NYC high school students are eligible to join us every Tuesday from July 7 to August 6, 1-4 PM at East Side Community High School (420 East 12th Street) for a comprehensive SAT prep experience. By completing the course, students will be better prepared for the exam and increase their chances of achieving desired scores. The course covers all sections of the exam, including reading and math, and includes practice tests and personalized feedback to help identify areas that need improvement. With the guidance of experienced instructors, students will learn test-taking strategies, time management skills, and how to approach different types of questions. There will also be office hours from 1 PM to 4 PM on Thursdays during the program.

Sign up at https://forms.gle/QBvq2kk1SxvwKD9H9 no later than June 7th, and don’t forget to share this with someone preparing for the SAT!

This May, our HeART participants are celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with Tai Chi!

Our HeART program for older adults creates opportunities for participants to practice Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese movement practice that many in our community have long been familiar with and others are learning for the first time. Tai Chi is rooted in balance, discipline, presence, and care for the whole self. Through steady movement and focused breathing, older adults in our programs have a chance to stay active, be present in the moment, and build community with each other.

This Saturday, you can see a demo for yourself at our 140th Birthday Kickoff! Reserve free tickets at https://tinyurl.com/us140-053026

Happy Memorial Day!

Today, we honor and remember those who gave their lives in military service. Our programs are closed today in observance of the holiday, and we’ll reopen tomorrow.

We’re still not over the tiny runway walks at Children’s Corner! 👠

A few weeks ago, our early childhood education center in East New York hosted a Mother’s Day Brunch and Fashion Show for students and families. The celebration was made possible thanks to lead teacher Stacy Johnson (our waffle making queen!), teachers, kitchen staff, custodians, parent volunteers, and family service workers. Everyone pitched in and helped handle everything from setup to brunch to runny noses. For the fashion show, the kids were very excited to show off, walking the runway in princess gowns, tennis outfits, boxing gloves, and more creative getups.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make sure everything ran smoothly – and to our young fashionistas for stealing the show!

Our College Passport program is offering a five-week virtual cybersecurity summer workshop to all NYC high school students! 💻

If you’re interested in learning about cybersecurity and want to know more about digital forensics, cryptography, and ethical hacking, then this course is for you! In this cybersecurity course, our experienced instructor will teach how to navigate networking threats, threats and attacks on endpoints, authentication, and more. In the end, you will have gained knowledge that can help you in everyday life and for future job opportunities.

The course will be held from July 7th to August 6th, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm, and will be hosted on Zoom. Students are required to upload or email their transcripts for proof of NYC high school enrollment.

Apply no later than Friday, June 5th at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCcNJqxEr4xGk_lXPBmhFD10oto0oUlzwEAztM-NMwBCrHHQ/viewform?usp=header

Please share this info with any interested students and with school staff to share with their students. Email Bintou Sankareh with any questions at [email protected]

Next Saturday, join us to kick off our birthday celebrations! 🥳

Like the Statue of Liberty, University Settlement turns 140 this year. It’s hard to believe we’ve been at it this long – time flies when you’re having fun building stronger communities alongside your NYC neighbors!

On Saturday May 30th we’re inviting YOU and all our neighborhood and friends to join us for our first public celebration of this milestone as part of at our historic headquarters at 184 Eldridge Street from 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.

We’ll have free food and drink, dance performances, a collaborative art project, University Settlement trivia, a Tai Chi demo, and more – don’t miss it! Sign up for free at https://tinyurl.com/us140-053026

And keep your eyes open for announcements about future Celebrations - there will be block parties in Manhattan and Brooklyn this fall!