1000 Books End of the Cycle Celebration

Today and every day School Based Youth Services strives to make a difference in our students' life.  Pictured below are some of the students in the program, 1000 Books, a collaboration between School Based Services,  the Perth Amboy Library, and Casa Argentina de NJ, celebrating the end of the program. The program,  among many other things, helps students develop their leadership skills, and build their careers and network while doing community service in their Public Library.
 The program also provides a unique and meaningful way to develop a love of reading, as well as multicultural awareness by incorporating crafts and dramatic readings.

1000 Books ceremony and last day of reading

Easter Crafts at the Perth Amboy Public Library

Spring is a time of beginnings! After long months of cold winter, it is refreshing to see daffodils poking up through dry leaves. This was the topic for reading and craft making at the 1000 Books Program, at the Perth Amboy Public Library. 

Celebrate the Earth Cleanup Saturday April 9,2016

School Based Trip to Rutgers University to meet Author Julia Alvarez

On March 3, 2016 School Based students when on a trip to Rutgers University to meet Dominican-American author Julia Alvarez . Alvarez took us on a journey into experiences that challenge our way of thinking about history, love, family and much more. Julia Alvarez is also an award winning, novelist, and essayist whose works include Homecoming (1984), How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) to mention a few of her works. 

School Based is Getting Ready for the City Clean up on Earth Day 2016

School Based Leader visit Geri Barcheski, Recycling and Clean Communities, Coordinator, to learn about how to assist the City of Perth Amboy with its Clean Community Initiative .

Service Learning Program at the Perth Amboy Public Library

For the past few year, School Based Youth  Service Program has engaged more than 1400 youth in leadership development programs and classes by integrating social and emotional learning with service learning. Through on-site work and engagement in the community, we increase students’ self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and decision-making skills.

Service Learning Program ESL at the Perth Amboy Public Library a collaboration with Casa Argentina de New Jersey.

Job Readiness and Leadership Development at School Based Youth Services of Perth Amboy

On Saturday, December 5th, 2015 School Based Youth Services Program brought a group of young ladies to the New Jersey Institute of Technology for the LUPE Fund, Inc. 2015 Young Latina Leadership Conference.  The conference included four workshops centered on three primary objectives “Explore, Expand, Evolve.”  Our students had the opportunity to be empowered to pursue their ambitions as well as learn how to use the social media effectively to boost their professional profile, how to save and manage money to gain financial freedom, and how to network and acquire support groups.  A component of the conference also catered to educating attendees on the importance of health and wellness, which included an interactive workout segment.   However, the culmination of the conference was the luncheon keynote speaker, Ramona Emilia Romero.   

Mrs. Romero, a Dominican immigrant, arrived in the U.S. along with her siblings and her single mother determined to make her success a family legacy.  She successfully completed middle school and high school and went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College at Columbia University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law.  Her illustrious career included being general counsel for a fortune 500 company and the Unites States Department of Agriculture under the Obama administration.  Mrs. Romero is currently the general counsel at Princeton University.  Her eminent success served as a living testament of the possibility of not only achieving the American Dream, but exceeding expectation and breaking glass ceilings.  

Mrs. Romero’s story, along with the featured panelists, inspired our young women to dream big.  Their goals, regardless of how large, are attainable despite any imminent factors that may challenge them on their journeys.  SBYSP was honored to expose our young ladies to a multitude of knowledgeable and successful Latinas who undoubtedly empowered these young women to understand that they sat in their seat once and are now leaders at the forefront in their respective careers.  All things are possible with hard work and dedication!   

By Eridania Towns
Mental health Specialist

School Based Services is a Project of the JRF  funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families

Earth Day Awareness Event

School Based Youth Services is very grateful to  Geri Barcheski from the Perth Amboy Department of Public Works . Geri took  the time to talk to our students about the importance of caring for our community. 

School Based students feeling Revolutionary at Rutgers University.

On Thursday March 3, 2016 , students toured Rutgers University, met writer

Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of Butterflies, and  enjoyed dessert, during the event  which is part of School Based College Readiness Program. In collaboration with with the Center for Latino Arts and Culture.

Green Panthers :”Green Paws for a Great Cause”

Green Panthers :”Green Paws for a Great Cause”

by Marialis Savinon, 

School Based is conducting a community clean-up campaign. The campaign is giving volunteers the opportunity to participate in the improvement of the community. It will be a series of 5 events; aside from the awareness days to take place on March 14th and March 26th; which will be throughout the town all Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm.

It will start on March 26th and 3nd on April 23rd. The objective of the program is to have a cleaner environment by Earth Day, which is on April 23nd. Hosting the clean-up may help with community health and increase our pride in the town. Succeeding in making Perth Amboy a much more pleasant place to live, teach us to care more for our surroundings and establishing closer and social relationships with our neighbors. All students are invited to participate in this community service program. 

For further information please contact School Based at schoolbasednj@gmail.com or stop by the School Based office on the main campus.

About Marialis Savinon,

Marialis is a junior in The Perth Amboy High School and part of the School Based Youth Leadership Team

Service Learning Program " 1000 Books" at the Perth Amboy Public Library

“1000 Books” completes a very successful cycle of bilingual reading and mentoring.

 “1000 Books” is a grassroots collaboration between the Perth Amboy Public Library, Casa Argentina de New Jersey and School Based Youth Services Program ( a project of the Jewish Renaissance Foundation funded by The New Jersey Department of Children and Families). This program provides an opportunity and a place for high school students to read to younger children in both English and Spanish.

While dual language exposure and bilingualism are common experiences for 95% of the children in Perth Amboy, New Jersey by the time these children reach adolescence, only about 10% of them remain fluent in both languages. Research supports Selman’s Theory on Interpersonal Understanding that bilingualism enhances executive function performance, metalinguistic awareness, abstract thinking and perspective taking.

Most children that lose their ability to speak in their native language do so because they do not have the environmental incentive to speak in their mother tongue. As a result, fewer second generation immigrants can be described as bilingual.

In the 1000 Books program, students find an environment where they can feel proud of their heritage by reading books in both, English and Spanish. “I particularly like that we are given a chance to restore pride in the community we live,” says Marialis Savinon, a program participant and high school junior at The Perth Amboy High School.

When children lose their mother's language as they learn English in school, the bond between parents and children is damaged according to Victoria I Puig from Montclair State University. 

In the 1000 Books program, children are afforded opportunities to develop a love of reading in English and Spanish, which brings pride and connection back to the community. When there are high levels of bonding and high levels of feelings of

 belongingness, as children grow, they are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. In addition, youth and children are also more likely to stay in school, and experiencing greater overall success, according to the Youth Thrive Framework developed by The Center for the Study of Social Policy.

About the Collaborators, Casa Argentina is a New Jersey based non-profit organization passionate about cultivating bilingual readers, writers, and engaged citizens. In collaboration with the Perth Amboy Public Library and School Based Youth Services Program, the 1000 Books program provides children in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, with a high school mentor who reads to them in English and Spanish, fostering a sense of belonging, love for reading, and a venue for positive youth development.

The program provides a unique and meaningful way to develop a love of reading, as well as multicultural awareness by incorporating crafts and dramatic readings.

The children love to have the high school mentors read to them in Spanish and English. They also love listening to stories that are representatives of their cultural heritage. "We know our program is having an impact when we have the children who, at the beginning would not speak in Spanish, want to learn more about their native language," says Raul Pretto, Casa Argentina President.

The program will celebrate the end of its spring cycle on March 31, 2016, from 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm at the newly renovated Perth Amboy Public Library, which is located at 196

 Jefferson Avenue, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861. During this time, the high school tutors will receive their Service Learning Certificate and a scholarship.

On that day, the community is invited to participate in the final day of the spring reading cycle in a theatrical  and fun reading activity of  Dr.Seuss’ books, in  both English and Spanish.

by Jusleine Daniel, MSW, LCSW

Cook for the Homeless a Healthy Meal

Community Service at the Perth Amboy Salvation Army.
Students cooked for the homeless and learned about how to read a nutrition facts label
Volunteers from Casa Argentina also helped with the food prep.
In collaboration with Casa Argentina de New Jersey

Cinderella's Closet of Monmouth County Trip

College Bound? We are here to help you

Earth Day Awareness Event March 14, 2016

In Collaboration with Recycling and Clean Communities, Department of Public Works

Cook for the Homeless

Service Learning Program