The students, ages 11-18, are members of "Fresh Youth Initiatives (FYI)" a youth community service organization in the Washington Heights section of upper-Manhattan. Nineteen of the students were selected for the organization's annual school break as FYI's top participants, having completed the most hours of service during the past year, and six others are junior leaders. Accompanying the group are five parents and staff members, and FYI founder and co-director Andrew Rubinson.

Students For Appalachia (SFA), a service organization in the College's Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS) are hosts for the group. FYI and CELTS share similar missions, supporting opportunities for community service and for personal and leadership development. SFA students will work with the visiting FYI students on local service projects and will travel with them to sites in eastern Kentucky.

FYI began in 1993 and has involved hundreds of young people in projects and events serving the Washington Heights community, a working-class neighborhood of mostly immigrants from the Dominican Republic. FYI currently sponsors or participates in more than 20 community-wide programs that range from neighborhood clean-up and improvement projects to making sleeping bags for the homeless.

In Berea, the FYI students will stay with local host families and attend classes with their Berea College student hosts, as well as participate in local service projects.

Scheduled activities for the week include:

Sunday, Feb. 17 - Arrive in Berea

Monday, Feb. 18
9:15 a.m.-Noon - Tour Berea College Farm, Student Craft Workshops, town of Berea, attend classes with College students
1-5 p.m.- Service Projects: older students at Habitat for Humanity or Recycling Center; younger students at Flower Pot Project and Adopt-a-Grandparent program, Berea Hospital Long Term Care Center

Tuesday, Feb. 19
2-4:30 p.m. - Program Sharing Time (Baird Lounge, Alumni Building)
Berea SFA students will talk about their service programs and FYI will present a program about their organization and the sleeping bags for the homeless project.

Wednesday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 21 - Travel in Eastern Kentucky
Wednesday, 8 a.m. - Leave Berea
Noon - Lunch at Old Schoolhouse Inn, Benham
1 p.m. - Tour Kentucky Coal Mining Museum and Portal #31 (former coal mine)
5 p.m. - Dinner at Pine Mountain Settlement School
Thursday, 9 a.m. - Nature Tour/Hike at Pine Mountain Settlement School
1 p.m. - Return to Berea College

Friday, Feb. 22
9:15 - Noon - Service Projects and Lunch older students cleaning at Boys and Girls Club or Goodwill store; younger students perform Talent Show at Berea Senior Citizen Center

5 p.m. - Depart for New York City

For additional information contact the Students for Appalachia, Betty Hibler director, at (859) 985-3936.