Building a Thriving Economic Future Today

At HERE to HERE, we believe in equity-driven initiatives that braid learning from work into academic pathways. That’s why we’re excited to support The Bronx Recovery Corps at Lehman College, a new Peace Corps-inspired initiative that combines work and learning for CUNY students while providing employers with the talent they need to recover and thrive. 

The Bronx Recovery Corps is a key example of HERE to HERE’s work to build lasting, equitable career pathways for Bronx and NYC youth. Beyond enabling more young people to contribute their talent and lending support to local businesses that have been deeply affected by the Covid crisis, The Bronx Recovery Corps offers a vision of how scaled, work-based learning can strengthen our city—through this pandemic and long after.

The Need for a Bronx Recovery Corps

Through the ongoing Covid crisis, The Bronx has suffered disproportionate losses, and endured the greatest rises in unemployment across NYC, especially among young people. Nearly 50% of students have lost their jobs or were furloughed since and as many as seven out of ten are looking for work. Local employers—many of whom have faced long-term hiring challenges and talent shortages—are struggling to stay afloat through the ongoing crisis. The Bronx Recovery Corps is working to address these challenges.

How It Works

The Bronx Recovery Corps connects Lehman students with Bronx employers and community organizations, providing local employers with talented student employees and offering students with a school- and employer-supported environment where they can build their job experience, grow cross-industry work skills, and explore their interests, all while getting paid and earning academic credit.

A Win-Win-Win For The Bronx Economy, CUNY, and Students

We know that CUNY is vital to NYC’s recovery and future economic health. As an institution that serves over 500,000 students and is a leader in moving low-income young people into the middle class, CUNY and its students are an integral piece of NYC’s economic recovery plan.  

We believe The Bronx Recovery Corps can serve as a model for leveraging work-study, national service funding, and other potential recovery resources to create opportunities for Lehman, CUNY, and NYC students. We are eager to learn from this initial prototype and expand it to enable more Lehman students to receive academic credit for workplace learning, gain 21st century career competencies, and earn the money they need while attending school.