Graduating students from the Bronx High School of Science joined young leaders from across New York this summer. They provided free educational programs to approximately 200 learners from across the city and the world, establishing a foundation for younger students to continue in the years ahead.
Through initiatives afiliated with Philosophy Vessel, an international organization dedicated to developing a community of open philosophical and interdisciplinary exploration, more than 100 high school volunteers came together as instructors.
They supported education beyond traditional methods and institutions, showing how young people can rise to become teachers, leaders, and builders of intellectual communities.
Graduating seniors from the Bronx High School of Science used their summer before college to develop the foundation for recurring programs, ensuring that younger volunteers would be fully prepared to lead.
One of the initiatives grew from a collaboration involving Philosophy Vessel and the Bronx High School of Science’s Latin Club. Launched last summer, the programs of Philosophy Vessel’s branch Classics Convoy have run for the fourth term in a row, successfully opening free online courses on the Latin language and Roman History.
The other initiative Books & Beyond is a new project launched this summer, with the help and partnership of the nonprofit Projekt NYC and Harvard College’s Phillips Brooks House Association. A free summer program for students aged 7 to 14 across New York, it brought together more than a hundred high-school volunteers across all five boroughs. They helped build reading communities and develop a shared, enjoyable space for young children to read together and expand their English and literacy skills.
At the conclusion of these programs, the youth instructors joined together at Philosophy Vessel’s second annual visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They partook in independently organized tours of the Met’s Greek and Roman art galleries, engaging in discussion of art’s intersection with religion, politics, commerce, entertainment, and emotion.
The tours were designed to beckon participants to concentrate on how art consisted of experiences, intersecting with various elements of human life. A piece of art can serve many purposes and extend influences across time and populations — just like literature, ancient languages, and history.
As the graduating leaders prepare to enter college, Philosophy Vessel plans to continue developing a supportive, curious, and encouraging community. Especially with young people emerging to lead, teach, and discuss complex questions and ideas of the past and present, the future generations of New York City are prepared to become inspiring and influential educators and community leaders.
About Philosophy Vessel
Philosophy Vessel is an international organization, with currently more than a thousand members, dedicated to all students and lovers of knowledge. With free resources, discussion groups, forums, and publication opportunities, its mission is to make philosophy, the Classics, and interdisciplinary studies accessible, engaging, and collaborative and to cultivate a global community of thinkers united by a shared passion for and belief in the transformative power of inquiry, dialogue, and wisdom.
