Grant Summary
$240,000 over 36 months to offer Harlem RBI students a year-long program focused on identity and engagement, and to support Harlem RBI's college preparatory program, DreamWorks. The focal point of the program is a five-day summer residency on the Old Westbury campus, which will feature a seminar based on the College's first-year seminar, "The Ethics of Engagement." Drawing on primary source readings from a variety of cultural traditions, the seminar will encourage participants to evaluate their own ideas, explore their own identities and recognize their role within and responsibility to the world around them. While at Old Westbury, students will also work on their college essays and attend workshops resources available at the College. Prior to the residency, students develop individual family histories with the assistance of Old Westbury faculty and students. Family history projects will establish a context of self-reflection as participants begin to consciously and critically explore their personal identities and prepare to transition to college. During the fall following the residency, students will return to Old Westbury for a one-day visit to shadow an Old Westbury student and experience the campus while classes are in session.