"Congratulations, you're accepted!" 

These three words have popped up in the mailboxes of Groundswell youth all over the city this month. 

Three little words that sum up years of hard work and dedication. 

Three little words that demonstrate how Groundswell youth climb up our Scaffold Up! Youth Tower to achieve educational and professional success.

Platform by platform, Groundswell prepares youth for college through sequential workshops, college-readiness counseling, and targeted skill-building activities to prepare them for college and a career in the 21st century economy. 

This year, 89% of the college-eligible Platform II and III youth participating in our afterschool programs were accepted to college programs starting this fall. 

Of the youth participating in Groundswell's capstone Portfolio Development program, the rates are even higher: 90% of the fall section and 100% of the spring section will be attending art college and university art programs this fall. 

The range of institutions Groundswell youth will be attending include the Fashion Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art and Design, New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn College, and Medgar Evers College. 

The excitement around the studio is unmatched this time of year as our newly-minted college students get ready to tackle the challenges on the next platform of their lives. 

To help ensure more young people have access to the youth development opportunities our programs provide, please consider a gift to our Summer Leadership Institute scholarship campaign.