The Prospect Park YMCA offers a variety of classes for all ages, from prenatal yoga and kids art classes to tai chi, ballet and Aerobox. It also has a swimming pool, a weight room and a cardio room.
The YMCA ( Young Men's Christian Association) is a non-profit worldwide organization dedicated to serving communities. The Bed-Stuyvesant chapter is located on Bedford Avenue at Monroe Street. The stated goals of the YMCA are to bring together members of the community, nurture individual potential and address social responsibilities. The YMCA was founded in 1844.
The Wayside Tompkins Park Senior Center is a part of the New York City Department for the Aging Services network of low-income assisted living facilities. The Center offers long-term residential care, room and board, housekeeping, personal care and supervision. Meals are provided three times daily, and a full range of planned activities and outings are offered regularly.
Prospect Hill Senior Services is a day center for senior citizens. Here, attendees can participate in activities ranging from yoga, painting classes and computer classes to field trips and Friday movies. Breakfast and lunch is served. The center is sponsored by and housed in St. John-St. Matthew Emanuel Lutheran Church.
The Center for Anti-Violence Education focuses on providing violence-prevention curriculum to women, particularly for transgender people, teenagers and children. Programming includes self-defense courses offered at a sliding-scale fee. The center offers free childcare to participants in its courses.
Park Slope Senior Citizens Center is a day center for Park Slope's senior citizens, located in All Saints Episcopal Church on a shady block of Seventh Street, just off of Seventh Avenue. Here, seniors can socialize, participate in games, exercise and enjoy outings. Lunch is served daily, and regular activities include bingo.
For more than 25 years, Park Slope Communication Center has been helping children and adults improve their aptitude for speech, language, reading and learning. Speech and language therapy is available for all ages and separate language courses are offered for elementary school children. Classes are also available for adult stutterers and for children struggling with getting to know their peers. The center's tutors can help kids with homework, math and reading skills.
The Weeksville Heritage Center provides education and learning programs on free African American communities throughout Brooklyn. This cultural institution offers programming in art, history and the environment, with music performances, art gallery exhibitions and a farmer's market. Programs are available for elementary school students and research internships are available for older students.
Congregation Beth Elohim is a reform temple with several services on Friday and Saturdays. The temple has a strong emphasis on Jewish education, both for youth and adults. The temple additionally houses a pool and gym.
In 1964, Senator Jacob Javitz, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Mayor John Lindsay sponsored the Special Impact Program, an ammendment to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This community development plan in 1967 birthed the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the first and now oldest community development corporation in the country.
The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation today sponsors an array of community development programs, including mixed-income housing rental and ownership, energy conservation, college preparation and job placement, youth development, financial literacy and planning, entrepreneur education and micro lending.
In addition, the Corporation owns and manages Restoration Plaza. Formerly an abandoned milk bottling plant, Restoration Plaza today is home to the Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation, Billie Holiday Theatre, Youth Arts Academy, College of New Rochelle, Skylight Gallery and a number of other small retail businesses and restaurants. Also, there is a community large community meeting room available for rental.
Bishop Boardman Apartments is a 200 unit housing complex for low-income seniors and those with mobility impairments. The complex is located between Windsor Place and 16th Street on 8th Avenue. The complex is sponsored by the Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Corporation.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music, founded in 1861, is Brooklyn's preeminent cultural institution. BAM features four movie theaters that show a mix of mainstream and independent films. The academy also houses the Howard Gilman Opera House, and hosts a wide variety of cultural events. BAM has earned a reputation as a high-profile venue for avant-garde performers.
Sumner Community Center is sponsored by Groundwork, an organization that supports the development of youth, their families and the community. The center is a resource for the community. It provides youth with recreational and educational activities to partake in after school.
Kings Bay Y at Windsor Terrace is a community center offering a wide range of programs for children and youth throughout Brooklyn. This establishment provides after school programs with various activities, music classes, yoga, chess and an open play space. Programming is available for both children and adults.
Rise Up and Walk is a not-for-profit organization that offers educational and athletic programs for kids between the ages of 4 and 15. This location offers summer camp, arts and crafts classes, soccer, tennis, basketball, football, mentoring, tutoring and after-school programs. For more information, or to get involved, visit the website.