Harlem Children Society
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| Harlem Children Society | |
| [[]] | |
| Founder(s) | Dr. Sat Bhattacharya |
|---|---|
| Type | Educational, Scientific |
| Founded | June 05, 2000 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Focus | Supporting Under-Privileged Students through Science |
| Method | Mentors, Information, Stipend |
| Slogan | "The Purpose of Souls is to Assist each other." |
| Website | www.harlemchildrensociety.org |
Harlem Children Society (HCS) is a Non-profit organization {501(3)} dedicated to "promoting an innovative science education program for children and youth living in under-resourced and under-served communities". Dr. Sat Bhattacharya founded HCS on June 05, 2000, with the aim to increase awareness in the sciences, medicine, engineering and mathematics and provide an opportunity for under-privileged high school students to succeed academically as well as in all other aspects of their lives.
To accomplish these goals, HCS's students are inducted as interns at prestigious institutions including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University, New York University, and Columbia University. In addition the students attend weekly lectures on a variety of topics ranging from incorporating science into communities to financing a college education.
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[edit] Mission and Philosophy
We hope to create a seed and a Template for other regions of the world. This would lead to increase in awareness – of scopes of venture-ship, and thereby helping one another to improve their Socio-economic status. This would empower the communities - and create a village - an entity of self-fulfillment – A Village within a city, a Village within a Village and ultimately a World of Villages!
– Dr. Sat Bhattacharya, New York, 2006
Mission Statement: To provide motivated students with an introduction to advanced scientific research fostering their development as well as an awareness of the sciences in their communities. We see our involvement with the communities as an enterprise and an experiment to increase the entrepreneurship of the communities.
"The Harlem Children Society is directed to encourage entrepreneurship. The goal is not materialistic, but, to inspire the Hearts and Minds of people - Who Hope and Desire to improve their skills and knowledge, to better their own economies, to understand each other, and to increase an awareness, and thus implement a social change for a Better Tomorrow.
This experiment is one which would involve a dream to develop an understanding of one another and enhance ourselves for a better tomorrow, to live in a certain peace and harmony, not only among ourselves, but also, with our surroundings and environment, ultimately it will be a part of a responsible citizenry of our world and universe. Therefore, ‘Harlem’ in our mind is not just a geopolitical identity – but is a certain reality and a certain dream at the same time.
We believe that this is an experiment in research and learning to explore new avenues in the relationship between science and society. It is aimed at researchers who want to challenge the disciplinary boundaries and extend their scientific and personal perspectives by incorporating novel social and cultural aspects into their work. It interfaces the gaps between science and society, and provides a platform for researchers in the sciences who would like to extend their scientific work to cover specific social and cultural questions and perspectives. Our goal is international and Trans-disciplinary in nature. It encourages a break across boundaries between the disciplines and to strike out new paths in the analysis of the relationships between society and science. It will encourage a dialogue between the new social, cultural, political and economic issues.
Our vision is to work with a concept called – “Harlem” – which is not just a geo-political identity, but is a dream of a society for better humanity – of a society of understanding and tolerance of different value systems and ideas, so that we can live in a certain peace and harmony. Therefore, we would like to transform certain issues prevailing in Harlem today with involvement of science and society and move to the – “Un-real” – an idea from the “Unreal-yet’ to a certain “Reality” in the future in the world."
[edit] History and Origins
As a concerned citizen, Dr. Bhattacharya wanted to extend his services to sections of the society that are not as privileged, and expand the horizons of education and awareness. Since he lives in New York City, he decided to focus on the public schools in Harlem and other such neighborhoods, taking some of the bright and motivated young minds and directly initiating them into the world of science.With that dream in mind, Dr. Bhattacharya, who currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer, founded the Harlem Children Society on June 5, 2000. An international team of highly committed and exceptionally qualified experts was formed to serve as the Board of Directors.
In its first year, HCS had an enrollment of 3 students from 2 high schools guided by a single mentor (Dr. Bhattacharya) as interns at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where Dr. Bhattacharya is a senior researcher.
[edit] Today
Today HCS serves 183 students from over 50 schools doing hands-on advanced science research with over 250 mentors in more than 50 reputed institutions.
The Program has three components: Students and research projects; seminars and training; and local, regional and national professional conferences and community science street fairs. Family involvement and post-program follow-up provide students with support to plan their futures and mediate the transitions----academic, emotional, and social----to college and post-academic pursuits.
Based on their interests, selected students are matched with a mentor. They enter the program at the beginning of the summer with an orientation, and spend eight forty-hour weeks starting their research and receiving training in lab techniques and safety. During the academic year, students put in 12-24 hours each month at their internship sites and attend weekly seminars.
Students and supporters participate put on an annual science fair on the streets of Harlem, replete with high tech projectors and a sound stage; and at the Hopi Satellite HCS Health Fair.
Students spend a minimum of 450 hours per year for at least two years involved with HCS. They receive a substantial stipend for their participation and contribution.
[edit] Highlights
Heralded as one of the top internship programs of its kind, the Harlem Children Society has had a number of accomplishments:
- To date, all graduates of the HCS have continued on to college
- Over 20% of HCS graduates have gone into Ivy League Universities
- HCS students have won a number of prestigious scholarships including the Posse Scholarship ($150,000), Gates Millennium Scholarship, and The New York Times Scholarship ($30,000)
- Almost 80% of the program's participants in 2006 are first or second generation immigrants to the United States
[edit] Future Goals
- In 2007, HCS intends to expand the program nationally to additional US states and internationally to other countries including: Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Barbados, Canada, Australia, India,and Nepal.
- Increase the number of students in the program from 183 (2006) to 300 in 2007
- Have Simultaneous 'Harlem Science Street Festivals' at 12 separate locations in different states and countries across the world, and have them all webcasted in real time.
