WEBVTT

00:00:01.546 --> 00:00:09.271
[music]

00:00:09.444 --> 00:00:13.230
-This place, for Washington Heights,
is a safe haven for a lot of kids.

00:00:13.650 --> 00:00:14.669
One parent told me

00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:16.019
it's a godsend.

00:00:16.738 --> 00:00:18.038
The Armory is very unique.

00:00:18.146 --> 00:00:20.648
We cater to kids from 2nd grade--

00:00:21.074 --> 00:00:22.224
younger than 2nd grade.

00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:26.640
We also cater to seniors,
meaning people over 60 years old.

00:00:26.730 --> 00:00:29.460
This place, it's like an oasis.

00:00:30.389 --> 00:00:33.889
People walk by The Armory every day,
they don't realize what's in here,

00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:35.310
but the neighborhood does.

00:00:35.310 --> 00:00:37.649
The Armory's been here over 100 years,
it's going to be here

00:00:37.649 --> 00:00:38.749
for another 100 years.

00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:41.469
If we keep this program alive
that we're doing now,

00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:45.761
they love it, they'll learn from it,
and we can only go up and up and up.

00:00:46.049 --> 00:00:47.549
My name is Bassett Thompson.

00:00:47.918 --> 00:00:50.434
I am the director of Track & Field here
at The Armory.

00:00:50.434 --> 00:00:51.734
-My name's Alberto Aquino.

00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.549
I work as the director
of Youth Programming

00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:54.209
at The Armory.

00:00:54.274 --> 00:00:55.560
-My name is Clayton Harding.

00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.679
I am the director of College Counseling
for Armory College Prep,

00:00:58.679 --> 00:00:59.957
which we refer to as ACP.

00:01:00.176 --> 00:01:01.560
-I'm Zakia Haywood.

00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:06.480
I'm director of College Track and Field
and Special Projects here at The Armory.

00:01:06.899 --> 00:01:08.158
-My name is Rita Finkel.

00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.919
I'm the co-president of
The Armory Foundation.

00:01:11.279 --> 00:01:13.589
My other co-president
is Jonathan Schindel.

00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:19.439
I have been here for 18 years
and have rarely looked back and thought

00:01:19.440 --> 00:01:21.750
anything other than total delight.

00:01:22.230 --> 00:01:23.568
There's nothing like track and field.

00:01:23.568 --> 00:01:28.440
It accommodates all temperaments,
all body types.

00:01:28.553 --> 00:01:31.078
Approximately the same amount
of young women

00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:33.479
as young men participate
in track and field.

00:01:33.539 --> 00:01:38.009
My sweet spot is
the intersection of children,

00:01:38.039 --> 00:01:39.750
sports, and education.

00:01:40.049 --> 00:01:42.660
I think both Jonathan
and I feel very clearly

00:01:42.739 --> 00:01:44.038
that this is a big,

00:01:44.382 --> 00:01:47.583
huge building that can stretch
in many ways.

00:01:47.694 --> 00:01:49.769
We can do high school track and field.

00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:54.030
We can also add the little kids,
and we can add the seniors.

00:01:54.210 --> 00:01:59.880
We can expand our educational programs
in ways that are new,

00:02:00.389 --> 00:02:03.869
becoming a more
and more important building

00:02:03.929 --> 00:02:06.603
in the daily lives
of our community members

00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:08.520
in Washington Heights and Wood/Harlem

00:02:08.880 --> 00:02:09.880
in the South Bronx.

00:02:10.111 --> 00:02:12.240
-I was really excited to work here

00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:14.419
because The Armory serves the community.

00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:17.569
It was a really exciting opportunity
that I had to serve

00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:19.199
my people.

00:02:19.949 --> 00:02:22.889
I oversee, basically, all programs
where there's kids running

00:02:22.889 --> 00:02:23.889
in the building.

00:02:23.970 --> 00:02:27.070
This year we have over 600 kids
who registered for the program.

00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.989
The big goal is to develop a lifelong love
of health and wellness

00:02:30.990 --> 00:02:31.990
for our kids

00:02:32.219 --> 00:02:36.239
through regular consistent exercise,
joy in that space as well,

00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:37.350
and social connection.

00:02:37.559 --> 00:02:38.700
On the academic side,

00:02:38.730 --> 00:02:41.280
the biggest thing that we really try
to support our kids with is getting

00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.959
into high schools that we know are going
to support them and bring them

00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:47.789
into a lifelong trajectory of success.

00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:50.940
We want people in the community
to know that even though it's an armory

00:02:50.940 --> 00:02:54.120
and there's gated windows,
this space is open for them.

00:02:54.239 --> 00:02:58.948
Providing opportunities for the community
that we have here to come into our space

00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:00.779
to exercise and utilize the track,

00:03:01.470 --> 00:03:04.820
that is the stuff that drives us
and is propelling us to the future.

00:03:04.938 --> 00:03:06.566
-This is the fastest track in the world.

00:03:06.566 --> 00:03:08.400
Literally more world records
were set on this track

00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:10.100
than any other track in the world.

00:03:10.140 --> 00:03:12.569
College Prep is a college access program

00:03:13.170 --> 00:03:16.709
that helps students who run track
for their school's track team

00:03:16.753 --> 00:03:19.139
here at The Armory.
It helps them get into college.

00:03:19.139 --> 00:03:22.035
The program has over the years
expanded downward.

00:03:22.063 --> 00:03:24.570
We actually go all the way
down to 2nd grade now.

00:03:24.779 --> 00:03:28.079
To be a 2nd grader and coming to run
on the track where professional athletes

00:03:28.079 --> 00:03:30.659
are setting world records,
they won't even realize

00:03:30.660 --> 00:03:34.010
how cool that is until much later,
but I promise you it's very cool.

00:03:34.109 --> 00:03:37.890
Our job is to get students
to prepare both academically,

00:03:38.099 --> 00:03:39.199
socially, emotionally,

00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:40.479
financially,

00:03:41.040 --> 00:03:43.980
every otherly, but we've been fortunate
to have a program

00:03:44.189 --> 00:03:46.620
that for the last eight years
has had every single student,

00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:49.289
100% of our students,
get accepted into four-year colleges

00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:53.210
and with an average of 70%
of their college costs

00:03:53.265 --> 00:03:54.780
covered by scholarships and grants.

00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:59.909
We are an extremely diverse organization
in every sense of the word diversity.

00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:03.000
More people do track and field
than any other sport.

00:04:05.059 --> 00:04:06.259
Of course, it's diverse.

00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:07.389
Everybody does it.

00:04:07.590 --> 00:04:11.369
Our program is just organically evolves
in a way that allows

00:04:11.626 --> 00:04:12.930
everybody to be served.

00:04:13.100 --> 00:04:14.101
I'm really proud of that.

00:04:14.101 --> 00:04:17.309
I'm really proud of how well represented

00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.570
every group is here at The Armory.

00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:25.950
We're very aware that we're part
of a Washington Heights community.

00:04:27.059 --> 00:04:29.518
Many of our employees are

00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:30.519
from this community.

00:04:31.638 --> 00:04:34.349
-Listen, we make things happen here.

00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:38.969
I started here as a athlete
when I was in middle school.

00:04:39.690 --> 00:04:41.429
I also ran here in high school.

00:04:41.430 --> 00:04:43.050
I ran here in college.

00:04:43.589 --> 00:04:45.660
The Armory has definitely come a long way.

00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.020
We have upgraded all of our services,

00:04:49.770 --> 00:04:53.504
offering so many new
technical aspects to it

00:04:53.565 --> 00:04:54.565
and assets.

00:04:54.719 --> 00:04:59.159
One of the special projects
is our Seniors Aim High Program.

00:04:59.490 --> 00:05:01.559
It's a community wellness initiative.

00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:06.059
We work in collaboration
with CUIMC but in partnership

00:05:06.150 --> 00:05:07.889
with our community members.

00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.279
Initially, the program
started off as a referral.

00:05:11.354 --> 00:05:15.719
Doctors would say,
"Hey, anxiety, go to The Armory.

00:05:16.590 --> 00:05:17.999
It's right across the street.

00:05:17.999 --> 00:05:18.999
Go to the armory."

00:05:19.110 --> 00:05:20.640
Your doctors are telling you to come.

00:05:20.640 --> 00:05:22.080
It's a sense of accountability.

00:05:22.080 --> 00:05:24.680
The doctors were coming too,
which was so surprising.

00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:28.740
It was a way to bring
our community together

00:05:29.790 --> 00:05:33.088
and not just leading them to water,
but giving them the resources

00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:34.089
that they need.

00:05:34.290 --> 00:05:37.680
I would see The Armory as a community hub.

00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:41.939
You don't create a program
based on what you think is important

00:05:42.090 --> 00:05:44.190
but what the community
thinks is important.

00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:46.079
Listen to the community members.

00:05:46.169 --> 00:05:48.959
Have it be a diverse group
of community members.

00:05:49.169 --> 00:05:52.739
You can't change behavior
until you can impact mindset,

00:05:53.430 --> 00:05:57.360
and you don't know what's
on their mind until you talk to people.

00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.070
Keep that door open and definitely keep

00:06:00.126 --> 00:06:04.380
a open and compassionate
and sympathetic air.

00:06:05.340 --> 00:06:09.090
-I think mailmen should see us
as a resource in the community,

00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:12.210
and we would love to see mailmen
as a resource as well.

00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:16.030
The more that we try to work together,
I think the more outcomes

00:06:16.088 --> 00:06:18.540
that we'll have that
are good for everybody.

00:06:18.900 --> 00:06:20.863
-A lot of our students come to us.

00:06:20.937 --> 00:06:22.474
They want to be a doctor,
they want to be a nurse,

00:06:22.474 --> 00:06:24.324
they want to be any number of things.

00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:26.819
I have yet to hear anyone say to me,

00:06:27.270 --> 00:06:30.689
"I want to be a public healther,"
and obviously they should.

00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:32.370
We would love to be able to do that.

00:06:32.370 --> 00:06:35.128
We'd love to have you become
a bigger presence for us

00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:36.479
so that we can say to them,

00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:39.700
"Yes, I know you know there's
a whole lot of students

00:06:39.723 --> 00:06:42.384
that are here on this block,
but do you know what they do?

00:06:42.384 --> 00:06:46.020
Can you put down in an essay,
I want to be this?"

00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:49.229
It's not a one-way street,
it's a two-way street.

00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:51.685
How many times have you run an out track?

00:06:52.211 --> 00:06:53.311
Come run an out track.

00:06:53.430 --> 00:06:55.409
This is the coolest track in the world.

00:06:55.830 --> 00:06:57.239
-This community

00:06:57.780 --> 00:06:59.880
is particularly important

00:07:00.419 --> 00:07:04.619
because we sit right in it,
and we're right around the corner.

00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:07.499
Students showing their families
they can be healthy.

00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:09.153
It's young people being healthy

00:07:09.201 --> 00:07:11.136
and going home
and encouraging their parents.

00:07:11.136 --> 00:07:14.252
People don't just come
and run or walk around the track

00:07:14.255 --> 00:07:14.751
and then leave.

00:07:14.752 --> 00:07:16.078
They speak to one another.

00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:17.729
They see one another every week.

00:07:18.030 --> 00:07:22.048
It's community building, and to me,
that's something

00:07:22.049 --> 00:07:27.959
that this big hulk of a building can do
and do really well and have people form

00:07:27.960 --> 00:07:31.079
communities and be healthy
while they're doing it.