Growth and Development Services (GDS) has partnered with Inwood Community Services to provide work experiences for youth through the Summer Youth Employment Program and Work, Learn & Grow Employment Program. Through these partnerships, GDS has hosted over 10 youth advocates who have participated in leadership training, advocacy projects, and community events. The youth advocates have gained skills in self-advocacy, public speaking, and resume writing. GDS has become an exemplary partner by providing meaningful work experiences and teaching youth the importance of advocacy and community involvement.

1.
May 10, 2016
Dear Sir or Madam:
My name is Yolise Fajardo, I currently serve as the Summer Youth Employment Program
(SYEP) and the Work, Learn & Grow Employment Program (WL&GEP) Director at Inwood Community
Services, Inc.. Inwood Community Services, Inc. (ICS) is a not-for-profit community-based organization
established in 1979 to serve the residents of the Inwood-Washington Heights community to provide
extensive programming for children, adolescents, adults and families in Counseling; Literacy, Youth
Services; and Prevention.
It is my pleasure to write this letter on behalf of Dr. Gary Altheim to give recognition to his
organization Growth and Development Services, Inc. (GDS) for all of the positive and productive work
that they do in the Washington Heights and Inwood (WHaI) communities. I first met Dr. Gary at a
community meeting regarding community resources served by different Community Based Organization
in Northern Manhattan. After hearing what each of our organizations had to offer Dr. Gary and I decided
that it would be beneficial to start a partnership.
Since that meeting in 2014 Dr. Gary has had an interest in our Summer Youth Employment
Program, who serves more than 600 youth with summer employment each year. However, it wasn’t until
last summer, summer 2015 that our partnership flourished and we were able to work together. Growth and
Development Services, Inc. became a worksite for our SYEP program. They hosted 10 Youth
Advocates/Peer Leaders in their office at NYC Fort Washington Armory. There our youth took part in
several projects overseen by Dr. Gary and Theonyl Cuevas his Director of Programs. Dr. Gary was
excellent in sharing with us all of the events and projects that our youth hosted and attended.
The Youth Advocates began a movement for GDS, their peers and the community called The
Youth Movement, led by ACE –Advocating for Community Empowerment, which started a supportive
campaign for community programs. As part of the advocacy program the peer leaders were trained in
self-advocacy and community activism. Some of our SYEP youth participants wrote testimonials for
GDS such as “This program enables youth like me to progress and continue through the difficult teenage
years, and finds a way to motivate us. Growth and Development Services helps me be more outspoken,
strong minded and diplomatic. I am extremely happy with the fact that this program makes me more
ecstatic as an individual and gives me a mammoth amount of positivity with any downfalls I may have
experienced” Jose M. Calixto. And "I gained more knowledge about nonprofit organizations, leadership,
advocacy and activism" August 2015, GDS participant.

2.
The youth also launched a Reach Your Potential (RYP) Program which incorporates counseling,
peer leadership training, arts, college/job readiness and community activism.
The program empowers
inner city youth by building on their strengths, promoting a strong sense of self, and by teaching them
critical skills they need to advocate for themselves and others.
Because of the huge success that our participants had over the summer at GDS, Dr, Gary and I
partnered again the fall of 2015 for our Work, Learn & Grow Employment Program. This time around Dr.
Gary and Theonyl became a more integral part for our program by donating their time to help host some
of our orientations. During a span of 2 weeks they visited our orientation to speak and educate our youth
about topics such as the impacts of Social Media & Cyber Bullying as well as teach them and provide
them with examples of how to properly write a resume and cover letter.
During the fall and the winter months they hosted a new group of Youth Advocates and Peer
Leaders who continued with the Reach Your Potential program. The Participants, in their role as Youth
Advocates, attended community board and Town Hall meetings, advocated for the continuation,
utilization and creation of community programs, and planned Community Impact events at GDS. In their
administrative roles, they assisted in revamping the agency's office organization and filing systems. At
the culmination of the program, the participants reported feeling accomplished and with improved skills
to continue with their career or professional endeavor.
Dr. Gary, Theonyl and GDS have become one of my favorite sites for our youth. I feel like at
GDS they are learning a sense of responsibility for themselves and for the community they live in.
Programs like GDS that teach youth about the importance of advocacy and motivate them to become
better individuals in life are needed in our communities.
I look forward to continuing a partnership with Dr. Gary and GDS and to learn more of the
project and ideas that they have for our youth and for the WHaI communities.
Sincerely,
Yolise Fajardo
SYEP Program Director