Local “Teen Innovators” Are Taking History And Business Lessons To The Real World At Brooklyn Navy Yard

History. Internships. Expanding horizons. Hands-on experience. Small businesses. Learning about the real world.

All of these things/lessons and more were cited by this year’s “Teen Innovators” as things they learned and wanted to learn from the annual program sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) with support from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which takes the students on tours of local businesses, allowing them to practice interview and debate skills, find mentors, and work in internships in the Yard.

“I expected the program to be just like school, but it was so much more than that. It was a hands on learning experience,” said Kayla Bailey, a junior at Benjamin Banneker Academy of Community Development. “We did tours, interviews, debates and so much more.”

Fellow participant Shaiful Alam, a senior at Dr. Susan S. McKinney High School of the Arts, agreed that the experience exceeded expectations.

“Initially, I expected to learn about the history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but I [also] learned about the role it played in different time periods [and] that the Brooklyn Navy Yard is home to many small businesses that have thrived. One of my favorite experiences was being able to take a tour. . . and gather important information on the role it played in World War II.”

The 25 student participants hailed from Banneker Academy, McKinney, and Bedford Academy.

By exploring the Navy Yard’s economic and cultural impact on the surrounding community over time, students gain an understanding of the Navy Yard’s evolution, devolution and recent rebirth. “Teen Innovators” become behind-the-scenes reporters on the businesses, careers, and culture of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, past, present, and future. Using digital platforms to display their findings, they put the Navy Yard’s 21st century innovations into the context of 400 years of Brooklyn history.

All 25 students have been selected for promotion to paid internships, noted Shirley Brown Alleyne, program manager for the Teen Innovators.

This means that in February, “students will participate in a work/career readiness workshop [where] they will learn how to write resumes and cover letters, go on mock interviews, learn about financial literacy and responsibility, appropriate workplace dress, among other skills. Then, they begin their internships at the Navy Yard, from February – May.”

Last year, students interned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Jack a Threads, Hip Hop Closet, HITN (Hispanic International Television Network), Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., and other companies.

Looking towards the future, students are aiming for careers in everything from fashion design and broadcast journalism to history and aesthetics.

“I hope to take the skills that I have learned and the confidence that I have gained from this program and put it into taking other opportunities and meeting new people” said McKinney HS senior Jihada Paneto. “I have always been very shy but having to stand up in front of those people and getting those congratulations afterward gave me more confidence to just move forward in whatever it may be.”