Students design mural at Gerard Carter Center

On Friday, September 25th, staff from the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island joined with representatives from the Mayor’s Office and NYCHA to unveil a new mural at the Gerard Carter Center. The mural was created by 30 high school students from the V.I.B.E. and A.G.V.E.P. summer program, which is run through the JCC’s Cornerstone program at the Carter Center.

The students worked on the project for seven weeks and were tasked with creating a mural that represents their “ideal community.”

“We talked about advocacy and art, and how one individual can make an impact in the community,” noted Kayla McGoy, a college student who worked with the youth on the project. “This means so much to me. We worked very hard to make sure these young people can make an impact.”
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The mural represents the students’ aspirations for the future of the Stapleton community. The themes represented include health, economic prosperity, family, diversity, and an end to drugs and gun violence.

“Over the past few months, we’ve experienced so much pain and tragedy. That’s why seeing a project like this come to life gives me so much hope. We often look toward our young people to lead the way, and there’s no better example of that than this mural. Seeing our kids’ aspirations for a better community is the light we need in these dark times. I am so proud of our kids for the work they’ve done and continue to do to make our community a better place for everyone,” said JCC CEO Orit Lender.

To learn more about our Cornerstone programs, click here.

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