A Summer of Learning, Creating, and Connecting at NJCDC

Watch our Summer 2026 Highlights short reel

For many young people, summer means a break from the routines of the school year. At NJCDC, it also means new opportunities to learn, explore, create, and discover. Hundreds of young people participated in programs across Paterson — sometimes building on skills they developed during the school year, and other times trying something completely new.

“Summer gives us the chance to reach young people in a different way,” says NJCDC Founder and CEO Bob Guarasci. “They should have time to have fun and be kids, but we also want them to have experiences that open doors — to discover something they’re good at, meet someone who believes in them, or begin to see possibilities for themselves they hadn’t considered before.”

As another school year begins, we’re looking back at some of the ways they made this summer count.

Creating, Experimenting, and Discovering

For some of our youngest participants, summer was all about putting their imaginations to work.

Our free Summer S.T.E.A.M. Program gave elementary and middle school students hands-on opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math. They built rockets, created volcanoes, ran experiments, and worked through creative challenges before putting it all together at an end-of-summer Science Fair. Older students got in on the action, too, putting their engineering skills to the test by designing and building their own bridge. After weeks of experimenting and learning, students celebrated with pizza, raffles, and giveaways. We’re especially grateful to PSEG for helping make these opportunities possible.

Creativity took a different form through our Youth Arts Program, where students in grades K–5 spent four weeks exploring art, music, and dance. One of our most popular summer offerings, the program gave young artists plenty of room to express themselves, make friends, and simply have fun — culminating in a glow-in-the-dark dance party. The program also got a helping hand from our AmeriCorps members and high school volunteers, who spent the summer helping lead activities.

Getting Ready for What Comes Next

Summer can be about looking ahead, too.

More than 60 students got a head start on high school through Bridge to Success, working closely with NJCDC youth specialists on academic and personal development. Journal writing, team-building exercises, presentations, and other activities helped participants prepare for the transition ahead. Students also heard from Sgt. Jenkins of the U.S. Marine Corps for an interactive session with the group.

At International High School, NJCDC’s Great Falls Teen Center helped incoming ninth graders make that same transition through Summer Bridge. Students met classmates, participated in icebreakers and orientation activities, and joined their families for a barbecue on the school patio. Throughout the summer, the Teen Center offered plenty of other reasons to come through its doors. International High School art students worked with the National Park Service on America Untold, creating artwork exploring lesser-known stories from Paterson and American history. The Center also partnered with the Girl Scouts for arts and crafts programming, with participating girls receiving free Girl Scouts memberships.

NJCDC’s AmeriCorps member Victoria Pearson saw how recreation could open the door to deeper engagement. One student who initially attended her workshops mainly to use the Teen Center afterward eventually thanked her for how much he was learning — reinforcing for Pearson the importance of listening to young people and building relationships that keep them coming back.

Exploring New Interests — and New Futures

Other programs encouraged young people to think beyond the coming school year and imagine the communities and careers they might one day help shape.

Ten local high school students spent three weeks doing exactly that through the 10th Summer City Planning Institute in Passaic County, led by the Center for Community Planning in partnership with NJCDC. Students explored safer streets, walkability, cultural identity, and vibrant public spaces before presenting their own ideas for the future of the Great Falls neighborhood — including concepts for how NJCDC’s future Great Falls Arts Center can strengthen the community around it.

Meanwhile, another group of ten Paterson students completed a six-week journey across New Jersey through the NJDEP Youth Inclusion Initiative. Participants explored environmental careers through immersive site visits and hands-on experiences while also helping restore NJCDC’s William Carlos Williams Community Plaza here in Paterson. After meeting professionals working in everything from environmental justice and renewable energy to conservation and water quality, the students traveled to NJDEP headquarters in Trenton for a closing ceremony, where they presented highlights and reflected on what they’d learned over the summer.

Connecting Young People Across Passaic County

Beyond Paterson, our NJ4S Passaic County Hub spent the summer meeting young people and families where they were — connecting with residents at fairs, festivals, and World Cup watch parties; bringing sports and music programming to young people with the Harlem Magic Masters; and joining summer programs throughout Passaic County for skill-building and creative activities. The team also celebrated the county’s “Unsung Heroes” and thanked the parents, educators, and community leaders who serve on the NJ4S Hub Advisory Board with a special appreciation brunch.

But perhaps the biggest highlight came outside of programming itself. After NJ4S faced elimination under the state’s proposed FY2027 budget, months of statewide advocacy paid off: funding was restored in the final budget, ensuring NJ4S Passaic County could continue connecting with and supporting young people and families throughout the county.

From Summer Into a New School Year

Now, Summer Bridge students are becoming high school freshmen, and summer fun is giving way to homework and after-school activities. But the experiences of the past few months will carry forward — whether in a new interest sparked, a trusted relationship formed, or a possibility for the future that a young person hadn’t considered before.

Those are the experiences NJCDC works to create all year long. Summer simply gives young people a different way to find them.