Bronx council member presses city after DYCD awards leave Renaissance Youth Center without school-based slots

Council member Althia Stevens, chair of the City Council's Committee on Children and Youth, said she is pressing the city to restore or otherwise mitigate changes after the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) awarded new afterschool contracts that left the Renaissance Youth Center without school-based slots.

Stevens said the center historically served about 450 students across seven schools and supported roughly 35 full-time staffers. "Losing those would be devastating for children and their families and, frankly, for the staff," she said on Bronx Talk.

Why it matters: Stevens said the sector has sought a new competitive RFP process for more than a decade to reset contract terms and wages. She acknowledged DYCD describes the effort as an "expansion" of afterschool programming but said the agency's focus on ZIP-code-level allocations can miss on-the-ground access. "You can be two or three blocks over and young people might not be able to get there," Stevens said, pointing to bus transfers and other local transit barriers as reasons community-based sites deserve careful consideration.

Stevens said she has been working directly with DYCD staff and with the commissioner to find a path forward. "I've made it very clear to the commissioner, the deputy mayors and the mayor himself that we are not going to hurt communities in this process," she said, adding she is "confident that we'll have a solution very quickly." The interview did not include a timeline or a formal agreement from DYCD.

Program context and community response: The RYC was praised during the program for offering a broad range of activities from STEM and robotics to music and arts. Stevens and the show host highlighted a short video of program participants and thanked local leader Mr. Bourvin Harris for his work. Stevens said community-based centers can reach youth who are less consistent in school and who need an alternative space for mentorship and learning.

Youth engagement: Stevens also discussed her office's Youth Advisory Board and an annual youth summit attended by "about 200" students this year. She said the advisory board, which she estimates draws a consistent core of "about 35 to 50" young people, helped shape proposals including a social-media time-limit bill and other local policies.

What's next: Stevens said she is pursuing talks with DYCD leadership but provided no formal deadline for reinstatement or supplemental funding. The program did not record any formal motion or vote. Community members and providers, she said, should expect further outreach from her office and DYCD as they try to address gaps caused by the awards.

Reporting notes: Attendance and staff counts were given on-air as approximations ("about 450 students," "about 35 staffers," "about 200" at the youth summit); the interview did not provide budget figures or a DYCD statement in full. Stevens named DYCD Commissioner Sandra Esco as a point of contact; the interviewer acknowledged uncertainty about the commissioner's last name pronunciation.