The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs:
The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs builds and nurtures an inclusive and accepting community where individuals with varying special needs and their families can participate and succeed in innovative social, recreational, and educational activities. We are proud to offer several opportunities for typical teens to serve as buddies in our after school, cooking, or prevocational programs and for adults to volunteer in our social or vocational programs.
More info:
There are a variety of opportunities for teens to get involved with teens of all abilities and interests!These opportunities extend throughout the year and can be scheduled upon interest.
BOOST!
Typical teens serve as social buddies at Boost!, a small, activity-based afterschool group for individuals on the autism spectrum or with other social, learning, and communication differences. Boost! provides a positive and fun environment for children to interact with peers and work on developing friendship skills. The program empowers participants to feel confident about their strengths and abilities and see themselves as belonging to a social group. Boost! runs on Mondays and Wednesdays after school.
COMMUNITY COOKS
Share an inclusive social justice experience with teens of all abilities. Prepare a delicious home-cooked meal for the B’nai Jeshurun/SPSA Shelter, while exploring Jewish values connected to hunger and homelessness. These sessions are monthly on Mondays. For more information, please contact Alex LoPinto at alopinto@jccmanhattan.org or 646.505.4375.
HA DERECKH
Ha Dereckh is an opportunity for teens interested in being a job mentor/coach to a peer with autism or with a developmental disability. Work one-on-one with a teen to help him or her build social and vocational skills. The sessions are three hours per week on Tuesdays throughout the school year. Volunteers receive either community service credits or a stipend for the year. Registration takes place in August and September for both interns and their typical peers, who serve as mentors. If you may be interested in a spot for Fall 2017, or for more information about this terrific teen internship experience, please contact Alex LoPinto at alopinto@jccmanhattan.org or 646.505.4375.
GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Girls’ Night Out allows teens of all abilities to enjoy a relaxed, fun social group and foster close friendships with other young women. The group is peer-developed and -facilitated to create a truly natural social setting. The flexible structure of the group empowers the participants to make choices about the activities—from going out for ice cream to having a picnic in the park to just hanging out and listening to music—while engaging in their interests with peers. If you’re interested in volunteering or learning more please email Kelley Bligh at kbligh@jccmanhattan.org