Newsletter Issue # 24
July 2018

Sesame Carnival Band Launch "The Legacy"

Sesame Flyers official band launch was held on Friday June 15th. As announced in our May Newsletter, the theme for the Band this year is The Legacy. Now that Sesame Flyers is in our 35th year of service we saw it fitting to have a theme that reflects where we are as an organization. In light of this theme we have brought back some of our most iconic costumes throughout the years. We are now preparing the Clubhouse to welcome in the community for Mas registration. We hope to see you on the parkway with us and celebrating our legacy.
 

Executive Director's Message

June was a very special month for Sesame Flyers and the community at large. June is Caribbean – American Heritage Month! I am proud to share with you the rich work that we have done over this past month that means so much to us. We hired an additional 200 teens for our Summer Youth Employment program, had our band launch, end of school year showcases, participated in Caribbean-American Heritage events and we continue to be a pillar in our community around civic engagement. Now that school is out let us all enjoy a happy and safe summer and be sure to make time for the people who matter most to all of us, family.

As we head into July, in honor of our 35th anniversary we are proud to announce Sesame Flyers 35/35 Campaign. The legacy of our work in the community over the past 35 years is one of which we are all proud. Our commitment to Caribbean Heritage and Culture, youth development, and civic engagement has been the foundation of our legacy. We have positively impacted tens of thousands of children, young adults, and families as well as the community at large for three decades. The 35/35 Campaign highlights the remarkable work we have done thus far. The campaign also offers you and the community, the opportunity to support the legacy and invest in rebuilding the future of Sesame Flyers. Friends and supporters of Sesame can donate $35 or more in recognition of our 35 year commitment to deliver exemplary free services. I hope you consider participating.

I hope to see you around at the Mas Camp this summer. We are working on special events and activities to keep you engaged this summer and ready for the road!

 

Sesame Flyers International 35/35 Campaign

As we celebrate our 35th Anniversary we call on our community to join the celebration and to make your voices heard in your support of our $35 for 35 - Legacy Campaign. We are excited. We are energized to be part of a campaign of this magnitude and you can make the difference! Your donation of $35 dollars allows our youth, families, and adults access to safe spaces to participate in popular programs such as:

After School Homework Assistance

African Dance Classes

Steel Pan Classes

Basic Education and HSE Classes

Basketball Clinics

Youth Leadership Programs

Jazz Performances

Arts and Crafts Design

Health and Fitness

Counseling and Case Planning

Work Readiness

Thank you for joining this call to action - for your contribution, for sharing this campaign with others, and for standing together with Sesame Flyers International. Love A Kid Today and Every Day! All donations are tax-deductible. To donate, please follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/645h4-3535
 

Community Partnership

On Saturday June 30th Sesame Flyers partnered with University Settlement’s Street Health Fair. Children and adults came to the Winthrop Campus site and enjoyed games, food and other fun activities. Many other organizations came out to support as well.
 

Making Time For Family

These days it is very difficult to find quality time to spend with your loved ones. It seems the more technology makes our lives convenient, the less time we have to enjoy with the people that matter most to us. Juggling has become a full-time sport: between work, school, more work, running errands, and extracurricular activities, how to we make time for leisure with the people who matter to us the most?

Reinforcing bonds with positive engaging activities should be made a priority. While it is easy to just go to bed, or peruse social media after an exhausting day of “being busy”, taking the time to do mundane activities like cleaning the house, attending school events, cooking and eating dinner together, doing laundry or walking to the park with your loved ones can do wonders for tightening the threads that keep the fabric of the family together. Without focused attention and affection, growing children can become indolent, distracted and anti-authoritarian as strong familial bonds reduce the inclination for anti-social behavior. Spouses and partners can grow distant and apathetic in a relationship where work and responsibilities take precedence over having fun and enjoying life as a team.

The good news is, a lot of time is not necessary. Committing to thirty minutes to an hour per day is enough to make anyone feel loved and important!

 

Civil Engagement

On Thursday June 7th, 2018 Sesame Flyers was proud to join Brooklyn City Councilman Jumanne Williams, elected officials, advocacy groups and a coalition of students on the steps of City Hall to support the Summer Youth Employment Program. It was a call to action for increased investment to allow for the expansion of the program. The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) currently provides six weeks of summer employment to 70,000 youth, aged 14-24 across the five boroughs. Sesame Flyers currently is a worksite for the SYEP program and part of our legacy includes having helped over a thousand young people through this program.

Williams, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn, noted SYEP also provides workshops on job readiness, career exploration, financial literacy, and opportunities to continue education and social growth. SYEP does not currently have the levels of investment needed to provide universal placement for students badly in need of a summer job. The elected officials, advocates, and students, therefore, called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to expand funding for the program in the fiscal year 2019 budget currently being negotiated. Sesame Flyers will continue to be active in our community and support initiatives that create career opportunities for our youth.
 

Bildersee Beacon End Of School Year Showcase

On Wednesday June 20th Bildersee Beacon put on their end of year performance. This performance features the hard work and talent of our young people through our program offerings. Parent and community members attend the show. The audience was dazzled by our steel pan class lead by Instructor Mr. Jahlani Roberts and your African dance class lead by Ms. Gabrielle Williams. Awards and presentations were also given out to the students for academic excellence, participation and behavior. We would like to take this time to acknowledge the Bildersee Beacon Director Julie Sooknanan and Assistant Beacon Director Kenya Bowman as well the rest of the staff and Parent Council for their unwavering commitment to our young people. Everyone’s effort was evidence by the quality of the performance.
 

In Celebration Of Caribbean Heritage Month

On Wednesday June 27th Sesame Flyers participated at Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams Caribbean-American Heritage Celebration at Borough Hall. We shared information and educated the community about the work we do. Many people who visited our table were surprised and happy to know about the youth and family centered free services we offer. Most people know Sesame for our legacy in the West Indian Parade and discovered that we are much more than Mas. Sesame Flyers dance team also performed an African and Soca dance under the direction of Ms. Persephone Dacosta, our Artistic Director. Following the dance performance, International Soca artist and longtime participant, and friend of Sesame Flyers, Mr. Pearly performed some of his latest hits.