NYJTL ACES Program Partners with Silberman School of Social Work

New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is proud to announce a unique partnership with the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College to provide direct services to the students and families we serve. Social work trainees from the Silberman School are being placed in the ACES Afterschool Program (ACES) in NYC public schools and will meet with ACES students to provide social emotional support groups, workshops, family outreach, mental health referrals, and peer mediations in the program. The goal of this collaboration is to increase accessibility to mental health services and social-emotional learning support to ACES students by promoting Trauma-Informed Care, committing to service, and addressing inequity.

“The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College is very pleased to partner with NYJTL so that our social work interns may provide services and support to children across New York City,” says Silberman School of Social Work Program Director Caroline Gelman, Ph.D.  “NYJTL’s mission aligns closely with the core values of the social work profession and we are proud to engage in this creative partnership. We expect that direct practice with the children at five different sites will be beneficial for both Silberman interns and NYJTL scholars and we look forward to seeing many positive results.”  

“This partnership with the Silberman School of Social Work is the perfect complement to the work we do in underserved communities,” says NYJTL President and CEO Udai Tambar. “Especially with the circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more critical that we take a mental health approach to support our young people.”  

One of NYJTL’s core values is healthy living, which includes a commitment to physical exercise, nutrition, and mental wellness. Safeguarding mental health is a priority for NYJTL, especially in our service to communities who have historically been underserved in the city. The support offered by the social work students adds to the social emotional learning lessons that are regular components of ACES curriculums.


About NYJTL:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court.  Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs.  Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth.

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year.  In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons.  All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

NYJTL is looking forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022!

Contact: Joe Ceriello
Chief Marketing & Development Officer
jceriello@nyjtl.org
(917) 693-6672

About the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College: 

The Hunter College School of Social Work, currently renamed the Lois V. and Samuel J. Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, was established in 1958 and is the oldest and largest public school of social work in New York. As part of CUNY, the Silberman School’s goal is to provide social work education of the highest quality at the lowest possible cost. Their location in the urban public system of New York City directs them to seek and encourage social work talent for and from the least advantaged in the population. The mission of the Silberman School of Social Work promotes civic engagement and dedication to public services in the City of New York. Their student body, field agencies, and alumni are the primary social work workforce of the public human service departments and not-for-profit agencies in New York City.

Contact: Caroline Rosenthal Gelman, Ph.D.
Master of Social Work
cgelman@hunter.cuny.edu
(212) 396-7542