September 30, 2011 | Uncategorized

A group of 10 social workers from Germany spent the day getting to know CUNY Prep and it’s students – and left with a new perspective on ways to reach out-of-school youth.

“We have a 25% high school dropout rate in Berlin, and no programs offer anything even remotely close to what CUNY Prep offers its students,” says Olad Aden, Director of Gangway Beatz Berlin, a network of social outreach that works with youth in Germany.  “It’s a special place and CUNY prep should be very proud.”

The group sat down for a panel discussion with CUNY Prep staff and students, and student ambassadors took them on a tour of the school.

“It was a great experience for our faculty and students as well,” says CUNY Prep Science and College Transition Academy teacher Katie Wilson.  “We learned a lot about some of the social issues and challenges that young people in Germany are facing and there are a lot of commonalities.”

Gangway Beatz first partnered with CUNY Prep in 2010.  It sponsored a youth cultural exchange that allowed a group of CUNY Prep graduates to travel to Berlin and cut a CD of original raps with their German counterparts.   The program is hoping to host another exchange trip in the Spring of 2012.