66 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • OCTOBER 17, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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AAFE’s Digital Learning Lab Photo courtesy of AAFE
AAFE celebrates opening of new Flushing Youth Center and Digital Lab
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE)
introduced its brand-new Youth Center
and Intergenerational Digital Lab in
Flushing on Wednesday with a grand
opening celebration.
While AAFE’s aft er-school program has
been a Flushing mainstay for more than a
decade, the Youth Center provides a second
home for students, a dedicated safe
place to meet, participate in workshops,
attend college counseling sessions and
to connect with the larger Flushing community.
Th e facility, located on the second fl oor
of AAFE’s offi ces at 35-34 Union St.,
includes an Intergenerational Digital
Lab, outfi tted with 30 laptop computers.
Th e lab was funded through a $40,000
Spectrum Digital Education Grant.
Th e Youth Center was inspired by
AAFE’s student leaders, who envisioned
the new space and led a grassroots fundraising
drive to turn their idea into reality.
A successful GoFundMe campaign in
August raised more than $5,000 from more
than 60 donors and AAFE matching funds.
“AAFE’s inspiring youth leaders saw this
project through with incredible energy
and imagination, and we couldn’t be happier
about what they’ve achieved,” said
Jennifer Sun and Th omas Yu, AAFE’s
co-executive directors. “Th e Youth Center
and Digital Lab will not only serve our
immigrant youth, but also the larger
Flushing community through an innovative
digital skills training program for
low-income families and seniors. We
thank Spectrum for its generous support,
as well as everyone in our community
who made this center possible through
their donations.”
AAFE youth will play a major role in
the Intergenerational Digital Lab, hosting
workshops to help immigrant and limited
English profi cient community members
build their computer skills. AAFE is
also partnering with Queens Library to
design the curriculum. Th e lab will serve
families and seniors in the Flushing area,
as well as in other neighborhoods such as
Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights. It
will be integrated into AAFE’s Workforce
Development Program, which serves
almost 300 immigrant job seekers annually,
and is also based at 35-34 Union St.
“Th e AAFE Youth Team works hard to
empower low-income immigrant youth
in Flushing to develop themselves, build
their leadership and serve their community,”
said Gabriel Hisugan, program manager
of AAFE Youth & Family Development.
“With this Youth Center, we will have
our own, welcoming, truly youth-centered
space to conduct aft er school sessions,
karaoke nights, college workshops,
board games, counseling sessions, homework
help and so much more!”
Students have always come to AAFE’s
offi ce for group events and one-on-one
counseling, but they did not have a space
to call their own until now, according
to AAFE. Th e opportunity to establish
a Youth Center presented itself when
AAFE’s immigration, immigrant small
business and homeownership offi ces
moved earlier this year to One Flushing,
AAFE’s new mixed-use building in
Downtown Flushing.
Th e Youth Program is operated in collaboration
with Flushing High School,
Flushing International High School
and Queens High School for Language
Studies. Th e principal of each school congratulated
AAFE on its new Youth Center.
Ignazio Accardi, principal of Flushing
High School, said, the work of AAFE in
the school has helped countless students
move on to success in college and beyond.
On this very special day, our school
congratulates AAFE on the opening of
their new Youth Center. We wish AAFE
great success in serving our students
and community for many years to come.
Th ank you for being an amazing partner
and we look forward to many more years
of collaboration to come,” Ignazio said.
Melanie Lee, principal of Queens High
School for Language Studies, said, “AAFE’s
programs for our students, in particular
their aft er school COMPASS program and
their summer Youth Leader program, have
provided opportunities for our students
to develop leadership and communication
skills beyond what we provide in our classrooms.
Th ey then take these skills into their
colleges and careers with confi dence. I’m so
thrilled to see AAFE’s resources grow, with
this new safe space for our youth within the
Flushing community, and I look forward to
our continued collaboration!”
Rosemary Mikszewski, assistant principal
of Flushing International High School
added, “We have worked together with
AAFE for many years, and we are very
thankful that they have provided us
through their programs, not just community
engagement and college access, but
also providing spaces like this one, so I’m
very excited to have our students benefi t
from this new Youth Center.”
Courtesy of AAFE
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) celebrate the opening of its new Youth Center and
Intergenerational Digital Lab on Oct. 9.
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