Apex for Youth Launches High School Mentoring Program in Sunset Park

In 2023, 청소년을 위한 에이펙스 started a Middle School Mentoring Program in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. This fall, the youth from that first cohort started high school, and Apex grew with them by launching our first High School Mentoring Program (HSMP) in Sunset Park. 

Here is why we took this step, what our high school mentoring program looks like, and what it looked like when our community came together for Opening Day, the start of our programming year.

Why we launched a high school mentoring program in Sunset Park

The timing felt natural: our middle school youth who joined us in 2023 are now high schoolers, and we want to stay by their side. Families also told us they wanted two things: guidance through NYC’s high school admissions system and connections to the neighborhood organizations and resources Sunset Park offers.

HSMP isn’t new to Apex. For 34 years, our Manhattan program has paired high school youth with dedicated mentors, and we’re now adapting that same experience to Sunset Park.

Apex for Youth’s high school programs give youth the resources and knowledge to make their own decisions about the future, and show them that “success” can be defined in many ways. Through hands-on experiences, dedicated mentoring, and culturally responsive guidance, youth gain the confidence to define their own path. Programs center on amplifying youth voices and empowering them to speak up, take action on issues they care about, and shape their own futures.

At the heart of the program is 1:1 mentorship. We create space and activities for youth to bond with their mentors, who walk alongside them through every challenge and joy.

• 100% 뉴욕시 아시아계 학생의 졸업률이 89%인 것과 비교하여, Apex 고등학생은 100%가 제때 졸업했습니다.
• 92% 전국 아시아계 청소년의 대학 진학률인 63%와 비교하여, Apex 청소년의 92%가 고등학교 졸업 후 대학에 등록했습니다.
• 91% 보호자의 91%가 자녀가 성인과 대화하는 것을 더 편안하게 느끼게 되었다고 답했습니다.

“We’re bringing years of HSMP experience into Sunset Park, a community where many youth are recent immigrants, navigating new languages, new systems, and big questions about who they are and where they belong. As someone who has walked a version of that path myself, I’m excited to build a program shaped by their stories, strengths, and hopes.”

Nadia, Brooklyn High School Mentoring Program Manager

What HSMP looks like in Sunset Park

Each mentee is paired 1:1 with a caring adult mentor and meets twice a month throughout the school year. They join workshops with their peers to build skills in:

• Relationship-building and communication: setting goals with a mentor and learning to identify and express their needs
• Identity development: exploring who they are and how it connects to the world around them
• Career exploration: networking opportunities and professional development workshops to explore career pathways
• Civic engagement and advocacy: turning ideas into action and finding their voice on causes they care about
• Project management and public presentation: planning and building a Year-End Project with their mentor, then presenting it

Goal-setting with a mentor and career exploration workshops give youth guidance on their next steps, and networking opportunities and civic engagement projects connect them to the people, organizations, and issues in their own community.

This year, we matched 104 pairs in Brooklyn, and community members came together to kick things off on Opening Day.

Opening Day: one Apex community

Every year, Apex mentoring programs kick off the semester with Opening Day. New mentors and mentees are paired for the first time, and returning pairs reunite after summer break. The day is built to be fun, with a focus on connections and community! 

This year’s Opening Day was special for Brooklyn as it was the first time our middle and high school mentors and mentees gathered as a single Apex community. The day began with scavenger hunts around the school, where pairs teamed up to complete fun activities together. Then each pair chose their own adventure, from basketball and badminton to beading and tote bag customization.

The mentors set the tone. They arrived warm and welcoming, and within minutes, pairs were laughing and finding plenty to talk about. For Nadia, it was a reminder of how ready young people are to connect when caring adults create the right space.

One moment stayed with her. A mentee who is usually quiet was playing badminton in the hallway with her new mentor, smiling the whole time. That kind of connection is what Nadia hopes every mentee finds this year: at least one relationship where they feel truly listened to.

Learn more about Apex for Youth 

A huge thank you to Sunset Park High School for hosting Opening Day and welcoming our community into your space. 

Learn more about our mentoring programs and the youth and families we serve: https://apexforyouth.org/