YouthBridge-NY Fellowship

The YouthBridge-NY Fellowship is a year-long leadership and diversity program for high school juniors from across the New York City metro area. Each cohort has about 30 teens. Fellows come from the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, and New Jersey, and from many racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. The fellowship runs during the junior year of high school. Fellows meet two weekday evenings each month at the program's Manhattan office. They also join quarterly off-site programs held on Sundays or on school holidays that are not religious holidays, excluding winter and spring break. Sessions cover identity, allyship, and building community across differences. Guest speakers discuss issues such as healthcare disparities, criminal justice reform, housing, and food justice. Quarterly programs include visits to community groups, government agencies, and cultural institutions, plus community service. The program is run by the Center for Shared Society at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

Applicants for the 2026-2027 year must be high school juniors in that school year from the New York City metro area, and must be open to learning new perspectives and sharing their own. To apply, students complete an online form and ask a teacher, principal, guidance counselor, or youth professional to submit a recommendation. Selected applicants join a group interview. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis in the order received.