For the past several years, CARA and Commonpoint have worked together to strengthen college access across Queens through a shared belief in the power of peer leadership. Commonpoint is the lead CBO for Richmond Hill High School, Flushing High School, Queens High School for Language Studies, and Veritas Academy. As Corina Liu, Director of Postsecondary Programs at Commonpoint, noted, “we loved the model so much within those partner schools that we wanted to try it out with one of our community schools.” So this year, Commonpoint brought CARA’s models to Martin Van Buren High School.
The integration of CARA’s models within Commonpoint’s partner schools is intensive: CARA’s College Inquiry, Right to College, and Bridge Coach model are all being implemented. Commonpoint Youth Leaders are also doing the summer college and career intensive in partnership with CARA and SYEP this summer. For Corina, the partnership’s greatest strength is simple: belief in the power of young people’s voices. “The kids are hearing from adults all the time,” she explains, “but the [peer leaders] know their peers better than we do.” In schools where counselors often serve hundreds of students, peer leaders make it possible to reach young people who might never walk into a college office on their own. They create welcoming spaces, answer questions honestly, and help classmates see themselves in the college-going process.
Corina notes that the Peer Leader recruiting process has helped Commonpoint build closer relationships with school administration because “we loop them in into the selection process, and ask: What do you think? How do you feel? How have these students been involved in the community? “Rather than selecting only students with the highest GPAs, Commonpoint intentionally recruits leaders who represent different interests, backgrounds, and experiences, from athletes and cheerleaders to high-achieving scholars. Those diverse voices help connect with a broader range of students and ensure that college and career planning feels accessible to everyone. “We had a student that was a basketball player, right? And sometimes it’s hard to find a basketball team [member] to come in and get their work in, because they’re so focused on sports. Having that youth leader that was on the basketball team, he was able to bring all the young men in, and they were able to get their things done.”
Commonpoint’s partnership with CARA creates a clear pipeline of growth for young people, as well as a lifeline they can hold onto when they need it. As Corina notes, ‘Whether starting as a Youth Leader or a Bridge Coach, our participants have a lifelong community to return to, thanks to the settlement model.’”