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In 1985, Donell Harvin entered CAS-Carrera. At 13 years old, Donell’s window of opportunity was closing fast. He was a junior high special education student in Central Harlem, and – by his own admission -- was likely to remain a special education student in high school. His dismal academic prospects and the surround of substance abuse and violence in his community predicted a dim future. Fortunately, Donell’s mother strongly believed in her son’s potential and encouraged Donell to participate in CAS-Carrera.

What do environmental education and holistic sexuality education have in common? Both seek to explore the interactions between dynamic natural and human systems, and both have greatly enhanced the after school experience of the 50 young people who participate in the YWCA of Toledo’s CAS-Carrera program. The CAS-Carrera greening initiative has also shown that a coalition of funders, volunteers, parents and community-based organizations is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

Samarriah is a 7th Grader at the Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women in downtown Brooklyn. She has been in the Carrera Program for three years and her favorite part is Job Club because, “I get paid for going to Job Club, so when I get older and I go to college, I already have money for college…I learned about how to be an entrepreneur and not mess up credit. I now save my money instead of spending it every chance I get.”