

Our Mission

The Mission of Servicing Our Youth (SOY) is to assist young people in becoming informed, creative & engaged members of their communities. SOY's youth will be motivated to act competently in civic & political life, toward improving the conditions of their communities.
Our Vision

Our Vision is a community where young people design plans of action & activities to improve their community, assume leadership roles within their organizations & their community.

Program Design
STRATEGY
Servicing Our Youth (SOY) Engages NYC young people in 3 phases:
Education (Learn)
Observation (SEE)
Participation (DO)
SOY Youth will focus on the 4 following areas :
Personal Growth
Civic Education
Community Involvement
Mentoring
Community involvement
I will be active in civic life.
Objective
I will be involved in civic life.
Measure(s) of Success
The amount of time I am involvement in community service and volunteering.I am assuming leadership roles in program activities, as well as community & school-based decision-making.I will be active in advisory groups .I will have personal accounts of increased civic involvement.

Civic Intro
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS 3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
EACH BRANCH HAS 3 LEVELS

EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is headed by the Governor, who is elected for a term of four years. The Governor, who must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States and a resident of New York for five years, serves as the State's chief executive and Commander-in-Chief of its military and naval forces. He is required by the Constitution to submit a yearly State Budget to the Legislature, in which he makes recommendations for legislation and proposes funding appropriations for departments and programs. The Governor also is empowered to: veto legislative bills with which he disagrees; convene the Legislature for special sessions; appoint and, under certain conditions, remove non-elected state officers; and grant reprieves, commutations and pardons.
The Lieutenant Governor is elected for the same term and must possess the same qualifications for office as the Governor. The Lieutenant Governor's main function is to serve as President of the State Senate, but he/she assumes the governorship in case of impeachment, resignation, absence or death of the Governor. The Lieutenant Governor's executive duties are designated by the Governor and may include the chairing of state councils.
The State Comptroller and the Attorney General are the other two elected officials who serve in the Executive Branch. The Comptroller is the chief fiscal officer of the State and serves as the administrative head of the Department of Audit and Control. The Attorney General, as the State's chief legal officer, is responsible for the prosecution of all actions for or against the State, has control of the legal affairs of state officers and departments and serves as the head of the Department of Law.
New York State's governmental activities are run by several departments of the Executive Branch. Three of the departments are supervised by elected officials -- the Governor, the Comptroller and the Attorney General. The heads of the remaining departments, who each coordinate policy and activities for a specific concern, are generally appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The principal exception is the Commissioner of Education, who is selected by the Regents of the University of the State of New York.
The Executive Branch is characterized by a strong Governor, with certain powers over appointments and the budget. However, executive authority is restricted by the independently appointed and elected officials.