What is RECYouth?

Located in the Parks’ Recreation Centers throughout New York City, the RECYouth program offers hands-on, pre-employment training in digital photography, digital video, audio production and graphic/web design training. Every week, more than 200 young people participate in RECYouth programming in all the five boroughs.

RECYouth’s Digital Photography program teaches our participants the foundations in composition, apertures, shutter speeds and depth of field as they learn to use high end, digital SLR cameras. They also gain basic Photoshop skills, as they learn to color correct and manipulate their photographs, as well as prepare their images for both print and the web. Furthermore participants can move forward with advanced Photoshop skills as they learn to scan and retouch old photos, as well as creative digital collages.

RECYouth’s Video Production curriculum is centered on technical training in camera operation, sound production, Final Cut Pro editing, animation and DVDstudio Pro authoring, with a foundation in research, writing and storyboarding. All projects, from fictional narrative to experimental documentary, provide students with a strong technical vocabulary and an outlet for creative expression. Students are encouraged to collaborate through team-building activities and sharing responsibilities. During our Afterschool and summer programs, youth rotate jobs, gain technical and aesthetic skills as they learn to write, direct, shoot, mic, edit, and author their own DVDs, ensuring experience with all aspects of production.

Through our Audio Production programs, RECYouth participants are encouraged to express themselves through words and music. Teaching artists provide hands-on instruction in beat making, sound recording, songwriting, and mixing so that our youth can create new music, spoken word, audio documentary as well as original soundtracks for their video pieces.

Through our graphics and web programs RECYouth participants gain the skills necessary to package and market their creations for distribution, designing postcards, posters and DVD/ CD labels and covers. They also learn Dreamweaver and Flash skills, enabling them to post their own portfolios on the web.

Upon completion, RECYouth-produced work is featured at public screenings, festivals and on television, including our very own RECYouth Multimedia Festival, the DocuJam and Urban Visionaries Festivals, MNN, NYCTV, NY1. The RECYouth Press Corps, comprised of a select core of program participants, creates short videos and public service announcements for the Parks Department and its partners.

Select students are invited by our RECYouth instructors to participate in our Youth Advisory Board that screens, discusses and recommends student projects to be viewed at the RECYouth Multimedia Festival. Those who wish to continue learning can apply for RECYouth internships and work with coordinators to co-teach video production to after-school participants. Many of our graduates continue to study multimedia production beyond their RECYouth experience. Graduates have won full scholarships to study film at schools such as Ithaca College, Stonybrook University, Boston University and Cooper Union Parsons and City College; they have created award-winning independent films and documentaries; and have gone on to work for organizations such as PBS.

RECYouth website