Organization's Mission and Goals:
Founded in 1969, Dynamy is a not-for-profit educational organization located in Worcester, MA whose programs are based on experiential education through internships, outdoor challenge, and personal advising. The mission of Dynamy is to unleash the talent and energy of young people by providing opportunities for them to be active and responsive participants in the community and the greater world around them.
Internship Year background -
Dynamy's Internship Year program accepts young people, ages 17 to 22, from across the country for a nine-month residential program that includes three full-time internships, an Outward Bound expedition, individual advising, community service, and group meetings and college seminars. Internship Year students are high school graduates, and some have completed a year or two of college. Over 85% of Internship Year graduates go on to college, with a high percentage pursuing advanced degrees. The program is funded through tuition, with scholarships for those who qualify.
Youth Academy Background -
Founded in 1989, the Dynamy Youth Academy is an experience-based, four-year, after school leadership and college-access program designed to serve talented, low-income, at-risk students from Worcester public schools who are eager to go to college, but who are at risk of not reaching their full potential.
Typically, students fall into one or more of the following groups:
- First generation college
- Multi-lingual
- From non-English speaking homes
- From homes where parents have not graduated from high school, and/or have no formal education in the United States
- Immigrants, socially isolated, poor or otherwise disenfranchised.
After a rigorous application and admissions process, students selected to participate in DYA receive four years of intensive services designed to support, motivate, and challenge them to stay in school and prepare for higher education. They participate in internships, community service, individual advising, leadership training, academic enrichment activities (reading, writing, speaking, listening, reasoning and cultural competence), weekly group meetings and workshops and outdoor challenge.
Each Dynamy YA graduate is eligible to receive a tuition scholarship, based on demonstrated need, from the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium, Inc., including: Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Becker College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Worcester State College.
