Giving Rye: Meet the Rye Youth Council

Giving Rye is a new occasional feature highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Lisa Dominici of the Rye Youth Council.

Your Name: Lisa Dominici

Organization: Rye Youth Council

Your role:  Executive Director

MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission. 

Dominici: Our mission is to promote social-emotional learning, strengthen resilience, and support mental well-being in our youth through best-in-class, accessible programs and services. We strive to ensure every child develops the social and emotional skills to successfully navigate the challenges and life experiences that impact their mental health and well-being. 

How long have you operated in Rye? 

Dominici: RYC was founded as a council of parents, students, clergy, educators and citizens in 1963. The organization was incorporated as a 501©3 nonprofit in 1972 (51 years).

What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for? 

Dominici: 

1. Restore Counseling
2. Peer to Peer Depression Awareness and Suicide Prevention
3. Rainbow Run

We launched Rye Youth Council Restore two years ago to address the growing crisis in youth mental health, and now provide low- to no- cost, short-term individual counseling to youth ages 5-22. Our clinicians counsel young people for up to six months, often together with their parents,  providing a collaborative approach to improving their circumstances. Since launching Restore, RYC has provided almost 800 individual sessions of care to 94 young people. We also offer parent support groups and in-school student wellness groups.

Peer to Peer (P2P) is an evidence-based program developed by the University of Michigan Eisenberg Depression Center and implemented in Rye by the Rye Youth Council in 2021. It centers on the notion that many mental health issues first present during adolescence and that teens can play a critical role in recognizing when their peers are struggling and in encouraging them to get the help they need. 

Through P2P, RYC helps students find creative ways to share information about and reduce the stigma around anxiety, depression, and other common mental health challenges, and encourages them to seek help when needed. P2P student awareness campaigns run from October through May in both Rye High School and Rye Middle School.

RYC Rainbow Run is a fun, community-building color run held each November in Rye Town Park for kids in grades K-6. This year almost 300 children participated, including many teen volunteers. It’s an incredibly fun event that serves as a protective factor by connecting kids of all ages to their community, and especially to members of the Rye Police Department who join the fun by throwing powder on the kids and being the target of the kids throwing powder on them.

Looking forward to 2024, what will be your top initiatives? 

Domini

1. Expansion of RYC Restore support services to help more children and families in and beyond Rye. We are excited to have recently hired another licensed clinical social worker, Dara Caputo, who has more than 30 years of experience conducting individual and family therapy with pre-teens, adolescents, and adults. Led by our Clinical Director Linda Tillmon, LCSW, RYC Restore will expand its  mental health support and services, such as counseling, therapy, youth groups, parent education, and crisis counseling to kids and families in Rye and the Sound Shore community.
2. Increased program offerings for youth, parents/guardians, and educators to support social-emotional learning and mental well-being. We are excited to have Lisa Weinman, M.Ed. join our staff as Program Director. A Rye resident, Lisa is a passionate and experienced school counselor with proven success empowering students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. She is the former Middle School Dean of Students at Sacred Heart Greenwich and will help RYC develop and launch programs our youth need to thrive.
3. Deepen our mental health clinical and programmatic support to Rye City Schools. The Rye City School District is an important and valued partner to Rye Youth Council in supporting the mental wellness of thousands of students. RYC will expand and strengthen our in-school programs to positively impact the mental well-being of as many young people as possible.

Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.

Dominici: We are a non-profit resource for the entire community, collaborating with families, schools, healthcare providers, businesses, and government to promote social and emotional learning, strengthen resilience, and support the mental health of our local youth. All of our programs and services, with the exception of in-school efforts, are open to anyone who lives or works in the Sound Shore community.

• Students in RHS and RMS can join P2P each fall and create in-school peer awareness campaigns throughout the academic year.
• RYC Student Outreach Committee creates opportunities for students to help their peers and others in their community. Any student in RHS can join at any time throughout the academic year.
• The RYC Grandfriend Club encourages intergenerational engagement and interaction as well as friendship development between teens and senior citizens living in the Rye community. Any student in RHS can join!
• Concierge Support Groups for adults and/or youth — Rye Youth Council offers custom/concierge parent and/or youth support groups for people seeking support in dealing with a variety of challenges and issues, including: in-school conflict, grief and loss, divorce, friendships, illness in youth or parents/guardian, any local crisis.  Contact [email protected]
• Young people ages 5-22 can receive weekly 1:1 counseling from our RYC Restore staff
• Adult and Student Volunteers are always needed to help with fundraising events like the Rainbow Run, the RYC Gratitude Project, Mistletoe Magic, and our Help Helps spring soiree.

Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status? 

Dominici: Yes

Looking back across 2023, what were your organization’s top achievements? 

Dominici: 

• RYC Restore Counseling: We are extremely grateful to have provided short-term weekly counseling to more than 93 young people, equating to almost 800 sessions of care. We helped so many young people develop mental health competencies and skills to navigate life’s challenges, and also taught families to know when, where, why and how to seek help when needed. Students feel heard, safe, and cared for while developing a path forward with new skills and perspectives.
• Peer to Peer: It’s incredibly rewarding to know the Peer to Peer (P2P) programs we run in Rye Middle and High School are increasingly popular among students. This fall more than 80 students attended the all-day P2P conference to kickoff  this year’s learning. Through pre- and post-student surveys at both schools, we are able to demonstrate the initiative achieved many statistically-significant results among all students in both schools, including an increased:
  1. ability in identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety;
  2. confidence in their ability to help a friend access in-school mental health support services;
  3. likelihood of telling someone if a friend discloses they are thinking about suicide;
  4. knowledge about how to get mental health help at school.

We also are proud to be the University of Michigan Depression Center’s P2P agency partner for Westchester County and began this role by helping Edgemont Junior-Senior High School launch P2P.

• One of our goals is to create a critical mass of adults in our community who can recognize and respond to a young person experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge or disorder. Last year in partnership with my friend and colleague Nancy Pasquale of RyeACT, we trained more than 70 adults, educators, faculty, clergy and other community leaders in Youth Mental Health First Aid.  Our next certification course is on January 18th. Adults can register here: Rye Youth Council Inc – January 18 Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification for Adults (networkforgood.com)

How can local residents support your organization? 

Dominici: We love volunteers! Volunteers can help with seasonal projects like our Gratitude Challenge, annual events like the Rainbow Run, and collaborate professionally to offer programs and services.

We love people who attend our events, including the Rainbow Run and our annual Help Helps Spring Soiree (save the date – April 25th at The Apawamis Club!)

We also love our financial donors! Most of RYC funding comes from individual community donors. We recently launched our 3-year pledge program called RYC Ally, which will help us maintain and grow our programs and support services to reach more youth, significantly impact more children and more families, and serve our mission. Become an Ally!

Follow us on social media @ryeyouthcouncil to stay informed of our programs and services, and sign up for our newsletter on ryeyouthcouncil.org.

What local Rye residents and area businesses have been the longest, steadiest supporters of your organization?

Dominici: This is a tough question!  Every single person who attends a program, utilizes our support services, or makes a donation of any size contributes to our ability to serve our mission. The back of our Rainbow Run t-shirt is filled with local businesses who sponsor our event; the City of Rye and Rye Presbyterian Mission & Outreach support our positive youth development through ongoing funding; Rye Little League has been a champion supporter of our Help Helps spring fundraising for several years; our Board of Directors, past and present, are vital to our success; our RYC Allies bolster our strategic growth and ability to serve; and of course the Rye PBA is a huge part of our Rainbow Run. I could list most small businesses on Purchase Street and the Boston Post Road (Jerry’s!) as long-time supporters. Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, NYS Assemblyman Steve Otis, and NYS Senator Shelley Mayer provide ongoing support through program funding, event attendance, and community connection.

Tell us about you:

How long have you been in your current role? 

Dominici: I served on the RYC Board from 2010-2018 and have been executive director since 2018.

Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?

Dominici: Full-time, Salaried

How would your friends and family describe you in one word? 

Dominici: Compassionate

Pick one:

Dominici: 

MyRye.com Select from:	Your Pick:
Coke or Pepsi?	I don’t drink soda
Regular or diet?	n/a
Action movie or rom com?	Action
Cook, order in or eat out?	Cook!
Dog, cat or no pet?	Two cats
Balsamic vinaigrette or ranch?	Balsamic
Ruffles Original, Lay’s Barbeque or Funyuns?	Ruffles Original (Salt and Vinegar)
Still, sparkling or tap?	I love them all

 

What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?

Dominici: I am keenly aware of the small acts of kindness friends, family, and even strangers gift to me every single day. One kindness that stands out  . . . when my father died of leukemia in 2009, my neighbor Susie made a mixed-tape CD for me to help with my grief and remember him. Whenever I play that CD it really connects me to his memory, and I am forever grateful to her for that kindness.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why, and who would you take with you? 

Dominici: I would go back to Africa. I’ve been to Tanzania and would love to go to Kenya. The wildlife, nature and people are absolutely amazing. I dream of taking my three young-adult children on safari with me.

What is your favorite streaming / TV series?

Dominici: Ted Lasso

What is your favorite movie?

Dominici: Almost impossible to answer!  Good Will Hunting and The Princess Bride

Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City? 

Dominici: I lived in Rye for 20 years (Green Ave) and now live in Port Chester

Thanks, Lisa!

Organization’s website.

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