Students Screen Documentary Film
DRAWING THE LINE - A documentary film about graffiti

On Thursday, May 7th, TORCH students screened Drawing the Line at the JCC in Manhattan. A documentary about graffiti, the film is the culmination of six months of research, interviewing, filming and editing by TORCH participants. Following the screening, an engaging panel discussion and question and answer period with the student filmmakers was held.


Synopsis: Last year, NYC spent 5.5 million dollars cleaning up graffiti. Are officials removing vandalism from the walls of private property, or stripping the city of its urban character? TORCH students decided to explore the boundaries between defacement and art. They traveled from the galleries of Chelsea to tattoo parlors in Brooklyn, always keeping their eyes peeled, looking for insight on the big question. They spoke with Kaves, Graffiti King and self-proclaimed urban "Tom Sawyer," about going from chalk drawings to becoming a published street artist. The students looked on as the NYPD Vandal Squad members argued the destructive side of graffiti and suggested various methods to combat the so-called problem. The TORCH participants witnessed businesses crumbling and art portfolios growing. In an attempt to answer their question, they discovered: there is no answer, there are only a multitude of opinions. Now the time has come for you to Draw the Line!
Click here to view Drawing the LIne

Special thank you to the BBDO Diversity Council who mentored the TORCH participants throughout the project.

TORCH Shadow Day Week 2009
Annually during Mid-Winter recess TORCH participants have the opportunity to spend a day with top communications and arts professionals.

2008 TORCH Benefit & L.I.G.H.T. Awards

We hope you were able to join us on Wednesday, November 12th at the 2008 TORCH Benefit & L.I.G.H.T. Awards where we recognized those who light up the future for NYC Youth and the community.

2008 L.I.G.H.T. (Leadership - Inspiration -Guidance - Heart - Teaching) Award Honorees
Through their generosity, time, expertise and dedication, these honorees help provide the light that has kept TORCH burning bright for nine years:

Jack DeMartino, Educator, Gramercy Arts High School
DRAFTFCB, Advertising Agency
Ricardo Slater, TORCH Alumni
Mike Woods, Fox 5  News Meteorologist

Click on pic of honoree Mike Woods and TORCH participant Meisha to see more event pictures


Thank you to our Sponors and all who attended!

Special thank you to:

for providing 2 round trip tickets to Ecuador for the event auction.

Not everyone has the opportunity to visit each college or university they are considering attending. While reading about a school or visiting the website can give you some idea of what it might be like on campus, it can't beat hearing about it from someone who goes there or went their recently.

Held during summer vacation on the campus of New York University, the TORCH Tales from the Campus College Fair allows NYC high schoolers to meet with students of diverse backgrounds who attend or recently graduated from colleges and universities across the country.

College students and recent grads from the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), as well as TORCH alumni, enthusiastically represent over 55 colleges and universities.

The students were welcomed by Valerie Cabral, New York University Assistant Director of the Opportunity Program. The college students and grads not only shared materials about their schools, but also participated in breakout groups where TORCH students and Breakoutsessionother invited youth had the opportunity to get personal insights into college life, ask questions and get honest answers. High school Junior, Brandon C. commented on his experience at the fair, "Before tonight I didn't know that there were so many schools right for me." Another high school junior, Anton R. remarked, "The best best part of about tonight was listening to the different viewpoints of students from different schools."

An exciting addition to this year's fair was the parent/guardian discussion group facilitated by Amparo Silva, Associate Director of Admissions Syracuse University Metropolitan Admissions Office, along with two of the college students. "I loved the parent group with Ms. Silva and the students from BC and Syracuse were very informative and gracious. No other fair has provided that. Thank you!" a parent shared with us.

Special thanks to sponsors MAIP and News Corporation whose sponsorship enabled TORCH to hold this event in a space at NYU big enough to increase our outreach capabilities to include studeMAIP'ersnts from other afterschool programs and Community Based Organizations. Thank you to ad agency Arnold for providing all the printed materials, to all of the MAIP'ers and TORCH Alum who shared their college experiences and to Samantha Constant for taking event photos.

Click here to view pictures from Tales from the Campus VI

Click here to read an article written by a student who attended the event from the Youth Communcation program in their magazine New Youth Connections.

TORCH Students Create Ad Campaigns to Combat Cyberbullying
Educating and creating awareness about the dangers of cyberbullying

"I felt like a professional" remarked TORCH student Ewelina. After attending workshops at ad agencies throughout New York City including BBDO, R/GA and McCann, over the course of four months TORCH first year participants were introduced to the world of advertising by working with mentors from ad agency Lowe to create print, interactive and media campaigns to raise awareness and to combat cyberbullying.

What's Your ARTBEAT?
We asked NYC high school students to share their Artbeat with us (and they sure did!) at TORCH Music Fest 2008 on Friday, June 6th at Bayard Rustin Educational Complex.

What's an Artbeat? It's the unique beat everyone has that comes from the heart. The high school students in The TORCH Program who planned, promoted and produced Music Fest, a talent competition and showcase open to all NYC high school students, were thrilled to be able to share the Artbeat of this years' talented performers.

This year, with mentors from ad agency Draftfcb, TORCH participants developed incredible creative materials and a marketing plan.

After open auditions held at Virgin Megastore Union Square and a rigorous rehearsal process, all the hard work paid off. The event was a huge success.

TORCH student Kerim Joseph and Alum Jaz Cox-Gibbs MC'd the preshow, past Music Fest performers MPR Music gave a special performance.

TORCH participants Meisha Cole and Wesley Lum MC'd the show which included acts by rappers, singers, dancers and spoken word artists. Special guest performer E-LO gave a tremendous performance, and all the way from Ohio the Dayton Soldiers showed their stuff!

Perforems and audience members were kept well hydrated, courtesy of VitaminWater. Thank you to our other sponsors Draftfcb, HOT 97, Krup's Kitchen & Bath, The Nets and Virgin Megastore.

Vist the TORCH Music Fest website for pictures and video from the event.

Generation Why?
A documentary by TORCH participants exploring how today's youth interacts with our world

On Thursday, May 1st, TORCH held a screening of Generation Why? A documentary by a group of TORCH participants who spent six months filming and editing a documentary about Generation Y. Mentored by filmmaking and creative design professionals throughout the project, including volunteers from advertising agencies BBDO (whose production department not only provided guidance but also the editing space and equipment) and JWT (where a creative team assisted the students in designing all accompanying promotional and creative materials). The students also benefited from the guidance and mentorship of NYU film student Erin Gordon throughout the project. We are also grateful to the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan for providing an incredible space for TORCH to screen the documentary as well as hold a panel discussion and Q & A session with the young filmmakers following the viewing of Generation Why?

Synopsis: Generation Y is a term used to classify the group of people born between the years of 1980 and 1994. Generation Y is made up of 76 million "youths." Among the positive generalizations about "our" generation is the notion that Gen Y-ers are extremely technologically savvy. Conversely, we are also considered to be very apathetic when it comes to concerning ourselves with world issues. Our Documentary aims to take a look at those who do care, as well as those who don’t. The title of our project is "Generation WHY?" in order to emphasize the multiple perspectives that exist about our world. It is essentially a social commentary on today's teens and what they're doing in order "to be or not be" active and the reasons behind their decisions. We hope to shed light on the reality of teenage involvement in various causes and organizations. Additionally, we hope to demystify any stereotypes that might be associated with Generation Y.

Click here to view the documentary

A Real Page Turner

TORCH provides a unique opportunity for NYC High Schoolers to explore careers in journalism.

The first issue of the magazine, titled School's Out - But Not For Long, provides content about school, careers and teenage life.

The project was led by TORCH Board Member and Adweek Publisher and Editorial Director Alison Fahey and her staff who did a tremendous job mentoring the students through this ambitious project. With help from the mentors, TORCH participants conceived, wrote, edited and art directed the entire magazine. The students commented that "Even though creating this magazine was much more work than we expected, we learned so many things that we can use later in life. And, we had a lot of fun." That kind of response is exactly what TORCH is all about.

The 40-page publication was distributed to schools, after school programs, our corporate partners and hundreds of high school students at the annual Tales from the Campus TORCH College Fair held at New York University. Articles included, "The Internet Election: 2008 Presidential hopefuls fully utilize the Web", "ACT vs. SAT: Which should you take", "How to Adapt to a New School" and "AP Classes: Are they really worth it"?

Contact us at 212-929-9573 or via e-mail at jessica@thetorchprogram.org for a copy of this incredible magazine. Or, click here to download a copy.

The magazine was such a success that students will be working on the second issue for the 2008/2009 journalism project. 2007/2008 advertisers included AARP, American Express, BBDO, Deutsch, Huge, Lowe, McGraw Hill Education, RBC Wealth Management, Sportsgist.com, TBWA and Universal McCann support assisted in offsetting project and printing costs and utlilized this fantastic opportunity to reach thousands of teenagers. Contact us at 212-929-9573 or via e-mail at debid@thetorchprogram.org for ad and sponsorship opportunities for the 2008/2009 second annual issue of School's Out.

Click here to view pictures from the Magazine Launch Party held at ad agency JWT.

TORCH Shadow Day Week '08
Round Trip on the Subway - $4.00
2 slices of pizza and a beverage for lunch - $8.00
Spending the day with a professional - PRICELESS

While most NYC high school students were sleeping in during their President's Day week off, over forty TORCH participants fanned out throughout the city to fashion houses, advertising agencies, magazines, newsrooms and radio stations. This is the fifth year in a row our students got the opportunity to shadow professionals in their fields of interest and see what really goes on during a hard day's work.

It's not often a 16-year-old gets to sit in on a conference call with a Marketing CEO, a 17-year-old gets to help edit a promo for a television show or a 15-year-old contributes in a creative planning session at an advertising agency. That's what Shadow Day Week is all about!

It's truly incredible for our participants to gain an insider's view into the professional world and to find out what it takes to make it in the business, gaining contacts and confidence along the way.

Many thanks to this year's volunteer hosts and participating companies who made Shadow Day Week a huge success!

ABC
Adweek
The American Lawyer
BBDO
BBH-USA
BossModels
Alison Brod Public  Relations
Deutsch Advertising
InStyle magazine
JWT
Lacoste
LeadDog  Marketing
R/GA
Rolling Stone magazine
Saatchi &  Saatchi
Peter Sachon at Legally  Blonde
Sirius Radio
VH1

Click here to see more Shadow Day Week '08 pictures

2007 TORCH Benefit & L.I.G.H.T. Awards

View pictures from the event courtesy of photographer James Adams.

The 2007 L.I.G.H.T. Awards honor excellence in Leadership, Inspiration, Guidance, Heart and Teaching. TORCH presents these awards annually to acknowledge those organizations and individuals who have helped make a difference in the lives of underserved NYC high school students and the community at large. Through their generosity, time, expertise and hard work, these honorees have provided the light that has kept TORCH burning bright for eight years.

TORCH Participants Screen Documentary on Autism

After six months of researching, interviewing, filming and editing, TORCH participants screened the documentary they created, Out of Scope - A Documentary on Autism at the Jewish Community Center,Upper West Side on May 3rd. The young filmmakers were on hand for a Q & A session following the screening. When questioned by audience members as to why they selected this subject matter as the focus of their film they related that after learning that autism is the leading pediatric epidemic of the early 21st century the high school filmmakers endeavored to raise awareness about autism as well as break any misconceptions about it. The ultimate message they hope to get across through this documentary is that autism is a multidimensional disorder and not easy to explain. There is no set characteristic that all autistic inidividuals have in common; every diagnosis is unique. The film explores the spectrum of autism and how different cases are dealt with.

It was apparent to all in attendance that not only did the TORCH students gain valuable professional skills through the filmmaking process, but they finished the project as more empathetic, compassionate young adults.

Click here if you would like to view the documentary.

Ad Agency Lowe Has True Holiday Spirit

Click here to see how Lowe wishes TORCH participants Happy Holidays with the "Best Gift Ever"!

2006 TORCH Benefit & L.I.G.H.T. Awards

On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, TORCH held its annual Benefit & L.I.G.H.T. Awards at One Little West 12th Street. The evening included an awards presentation, an exhibit of TORCH participants and alum projects and art work, raffle and silent auction.

Not only was the event a success, but most notably, after seven successful years, our first group of TORCH alums have graduated college! As their determination and hard work have put them on a road that might have otherwise been closed to them, it was only fitting that we presented the L.I.G.H.T. Award for Inspiration to this group of exceptional young adults.

Congratulations to all of the 2006 L.I.G.H.T. Honorees:

Leadership - PepsiCo
Inspiration - First TORCH Alum College Graduates
Guidance - Esperanza "Candy" Martinez, WABC Eyewitness News
Heart - Marc Siden, OnBoard LLC
Teaching - BBDO

The TORCH L.I.G.H.T. Awards acknowledge those organizations and individuals who have helped make a difference in the lives of underserved NYC high school students. Through their generosity, time, expertise and hard work, these honoreees have provided the light that has kept TORCH burning bright for seven years.

We are so appreciative to everyone who helped make this years event a success from volunteers, attendees, to sponsors and donors.

Check out some of the event pics courtesy of Roccatu:

Tales from the Campus IV

On July 20th TORCH was fortunate to once again partner with the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) to present the Tales from the Campus IV College Fair to TORCH participants and NYC high school students from other youth programs. Each summer, the MAIP program brings college students of color from across the country to New York and other metropolitan areas to complete advertising internships. While they are here, the interns take part in community service initiatives, one of which is to help us present this very unique college information experience.

It's not always possible to visit every college you are considering. While reading about a school or visiting their website can give you some idea of what it might be like to go there, there's nothing like hearing about it from someone who knows first hand. The MAIP summer interns (rising college seniors or recent graduates) and TORCH alumni represented over 40 colleges and universities across the country. They not only shared materials about their schools but also participated in breakout groups where TORCH students and other invited youth had the opportunity to get personal insights into college life, ask questions and get honest answers about college life.

TORCH Alum and MAIP Alum representing Parsons School of Design.

A special thank you to the generosity of Tales from the Campus IV presenting sponsor, Madpackers.com.

Motorola presents Music Fest 2006

On June 9th, over 700 NYC students and family members, attended Motorola Presents TORCH Music Fest 2006. The overwhelming response from those attending was that the event was a fantastic success.

Music Fest is a unique showcase for New York High School students from across the city to exhibit their talents and an excellent forum for youth to express and showcase their culture and creativity.This event is entirely put together by the TORCH program participants. Professionals from the music and entertainment industries sit on our panel of judges, giving them an opportunity to discover new talent and allowing the performers to receive insider feedback.

This year's auditions were held at the Virgin Megastore Union Square and the top three performers at Music Fest participated in a special post-show performance at the Virgin Megastore Times Square on Friday, June 30th hosted by the Z100 Street Team.

The Music Fest crowd was wowed from the varying performances of rap, spoken word, singers, bands and much more. First place and a new Motorola SLVR cell phone went to Britt Lockhart who brought the house down with her rendition of “Killing Me Softly”. and Second Place went to a very talented Brian -D, a14 year old who performed a Reggaeton piece, "Go Ma." Six young ladies who call themselves YBG danced themselves into Third Place. Other highlights of the event included special guest performances by Elijah and Armageddon. Thank you to Power 105.1 for hosting the Pre-Show.

Thank you to our Music Fest 2006 Presenting Sponsor Motorola and our other generous sponsors Aeropostale, Baby Phat, Chase, Chelsea Piers, Creative Labs, Due Amici, In Record Time (irt), Krup's Kitchen & Bath, McBurney YMCA, Phat Farm, Power 105.1, R/GA, Sine~Audio, Virgin Megastore and Z100.

Motorola's Monique Butts (second from left) with First Place Performer Britt (center) and TORCH participant event MC's Jaz (left), Andy & Melanie.

View more Motorola presents Music Fest 2006 pictures

For information about getting involved with Music Fest 2007 please contact:
Debi Deutsch
212-929-9573 or debid@thetorchprogram.org

2005 Benefit and L.I.G.H.T. Awards Great Success

Thank you to our sponsors:		Check out our event photos:

New TORCH Students Take the Advertising World By Storm

After attending Intro to Advertising workshops at McCann, BBDO and Deutsch, the new TORCH participants were challenged with creating their own mock product launch campaigns for an energy bar for teens. Hosted by Wunderman and with the help of volunteers from the agency, students created billboards and television storyboards which they presented to Wunderman employees and other invited guests including their families and friends.

Get an insiders view of this years Advertising Project:

2 for 1 Happy Hour—December 9, 2004

5th Year Anniversary Benefit and L.I.G.H.T. Awards 2004—A Big Success!

Thank you to all of our sponsors, donors and supporters who joined us on Tuesday, November 9th to celebrate the TORCH Fifth Year Anniversary at One Little West 12th. Over 250 supporters attended this exciting evening where we presented the 2004 TORCH L.I.G.H.T. (Leadership, Inspiration, Guidance, Heart and Teaching) Awards recognizing individuals and organizations that have contributed to the success of the program. Festivities included an awards ceremony, silent auction, raffle, DJ and student exhibitions.

The 2004 L.I.G.H.T. Award Honorees:

Leadership - AAAA Multicultural Advertising Intern Program
Inspiration - Russell Simmons, Rush Communication
Guidance - Shelley Wade, Z100 Midday Air Personality
Heart - Structure Tone
Teaching - Wunderman

Click here to download this year's program (1.2MB PDF)

Event Photos (click to enlarge)

Photos courtesy of Alexandra Huddleston

If you missed the event but would like to make a donation or receive additional information please contact us at 212-929-9573 or debid@thetorchprogram.org.

Event Sponsors

We thank the generosity of the foundations and corporations who have awarded us grants over the last five years:
Cendant Car Rental Group
CIBC World Markets
The Clark Foundation
Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids
JP Morgan Chase Foundation
The New York Mercantile Exchange Charitable Foundation
Pepsi/Hip Hop Summit
The Pinkerton Foundation
The Prescott Fund
Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation
Time Inc.
Valentine Perry Snyder Fund
The Verizon Foundation
William T. Grant Foundation

Music Fest 2004

Check out the Music Fest 2005 website, designed and coded by TORCH participants.