NYCC (National Youth Community Center), a Korean-American youth service organization launched two years ago, received more than 60 Certificates of Recognition from the federal and Los Angeles city governments.
NYCC held its third annual meeting on January 20 at the Korean Education Center in Los Angeles to reflect on its growth and recognize students’ contributions to the community. Nearly 200 people attended the event, including students, parents, and organization representatives.
U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez (34th District) was in attendance to offer his congratulations, present NYCC with a Certificate of Recognition, and personally present awards to 50 students who have distinguished themselves in the organization’s service clubs.
“NYCC has worked to empower youth to make an impact in their communities, including providing STEM education to children from single-parent, low-income, and families from refugee backgrounds,” said Rep. Gomez. “I want to thank NYCC for their continued dedication to the community despite the challenges of the pandemic.”
In addition, six students received awards from the office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (4th District) for their environmental science projects, and five 12th graders were honored with special certificates of recognition from the Mayor of Los Angeles.
NYCC was founded in March 2022 to provide equal access to learning and workforce development for all students, not just the most gifted and talented, but also low-income, refugee, and single-parent students.
At the time of its founding, NYCC was misunderstood because of its similarity to the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), which was already deeply rooted in LA Koreatown.
However, the organization has grown from its initial 13 student members to more than 150 and is trusted as a model organization among parents.
NYCC partners with organizations to help students find service projects that align with their majors and interests. It is the first student-run volunteer organization that allows students to create their own clubs around their interests.
Currently, there are 18 clubs under the NYCC umbrella, including Math+Stem, coding, 3D printing, art, music, environmental pollution education, web design, politics, business marketing and fundraising, and TED Talks, a program for student public speaking. Yuran Seo, Director of Boston Education, a partner of NYCC, said, “Volunteer work that is not related to one’s major does not have much meaning for college admission. If you want to major in art, you can volunteer to teach painting at a senior center,” she said. “We are trying to meet the current trend of college admissions that values social contribution through volunteer work related to your future major. We are also helping students understand the true meaning of service through talent donation.”
NYCC is currently partnering with Boston Education, Hayfield Music LA, Ariari21, Boy Scouts of America, The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, and the Salvation Army.
BY SUAH JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
