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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Silas Dupimi, High School Senior from Sunset Park High School
6:25:47
ยท
3 min
Silas Dupimi, a senior at Sunset Park High School, testifies about the importance of after-school programs, particularly the Compass Explorer Program run by Center for Family Life. He urges the city to invest in after-school programs and replace the former Compass Explorer contract that ended in June 2024.
- Dupimi highlights how the program helped him develop leadership skills, improve as a performer, and secure employment as an assistant group leader.
- He emphasizes the program's impact on elementary school children, providing additional academic support and opportunities for growth.
- Dupimi notes that 22 former Compass Explorer participants have become CFL staff members, demonstrating the program's success in creating meaningful employment opportunities.
Silas Dupimi
6:25:47
Hi.
6:25:48
Thank you to chair Stevens and the City Council for your support for children and youth across New York City.
6:25:54
My name is Silas Dupimi and I am currently a senior at Sunset Park High School.
6:25:59
For the last three years, I was a participant of the Compass Explorer Program with Center for Family Life at my school.
6:26:05
Now I am a staff at CFL's after school program at PS nine seventy one where I am an assistant group leader for fifth grade children.
6:26:14
I am calling on the city to invest in after school and create a funding opportunity to replace the former Compass Explorer contract that DYCD ended in June 2024 with no replacement.
6:26:25
Compass Explorer allowed Center for Family Life to provide opportunities each year for 75 high school students like me to engage in leadership development and activities that developed our social and emotional well-being while building real skills for the future.
6:26:40
Compass explorer was open to all students regardless of their documentation status or academic standing and welcomed students from other schools serving the wider Sunset Park community.
6:26:50
During my time at CFL, I grew more than I knew possible.
6:26:54
When I started high school, right as schools were reopening after COVID, I learned new skills and improved as a musician, dancer, and actor.
6:27:03
By my last year, I was incorporating music of my own, writing an original piece and accompanying and accompanying a cast of over 60 performers as they sang for an audience of almost 2,000 people.
6:27:17
Now I spend my time after school using those same skills at PS nine seventy one helping elementary school children build relationships in a safe and supportive environment.
6:27:26
This job has helped me grown and it's shown me that I really want to use my skills to support the community and become a teacher, a music teacher.
6:27:36
Talking more about these kids, this is going off script but
Althea V. Stevens
6:27:40
You okay, don't be nervous, you got it, I hear you.
Silas Dupimi
6:27:45
Seeing these kids a lot of the time reminds me of when I was a kid and they're young, they're unprotected, they're the youth and they're growing, they don't know themselves and sometimes they need more support than what is seen.
6:28:01
In schools, there's how many hours in a school day?
6:28:05
Eight maybe, I'm not sure, but you would think that's enough but when these kids come to us in after school, there's a lot of times when they're lacking things that they should really honestly have like my class for example, during homework time sometimes kids will come to me, I have fifth graders lacking like the skills to do basic maybe like subtraction, maybe multiplication and they're behind for a fifth grade level and CFL and other after school programs like this gives these kids who don't have enough time in school to learn more opportunities to further their growth, so that when they go on to middle school and to high school they won't be seen as a child who's behind and needs more work, but they'll be seen as someone who can keep up with their peers and even exceed.
Althea V. Stevens
6:28:59
This
Silas Dupimi
6:28:59
program I'm okay, thank you.
6:29:04
This program allowed participants to turn their after school involvement into meaningful employment opportunities.
6:29:11
Other than me, there are 22 former Compass Explorer participants that have gone on to become CFL staff members.
6:29:19
By ending this funding with no replacement, Center for Family Life and providers across the city have lost a crucial opportunity for high school students.
6:29:27
I urge the city to fully invest in after school programs so future generations can experience the same transform transformative impact that Compass Explore had on me and other students also in Sunset Park.
6:29:42
Thank you.