The BIG Live Corp (Being Involved Greatly, Living in Various Environments/TBL) is a vendor for the New York City Department of Education. The organization exists to provide college & career awareness, community outreach & development, family enrichment, STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics), motivational speaking and economic awareness workshops within New York City Public Schools.
Aimed at raising social status and improving quality of life, TBL motivates inner-city youth towards professional and personal achievement.
The BIG Live has over ten years of experience in providing resources to young people in high-risk, socio-economically challenged communities. With a positive track record within Queens Public School District(s) 27 and 29; Brooklyn Public School Districts 32 and 19, and New York City Public School District 6. TBL has over three years of experience servicing The Arthur Ashe Institute’s Health Disparities Summer Internship Program (HDSIP) by the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center at SUNY Down State.
HDSIP interns attended morning classes at the SUNY Downstate campus; in afternoons they worked on research projects at community-based organizations. Through videos and presentations, students learn about the impact of ethnicity, race and poverty on health outcomes; then disseminate the findings through several social media streams. With The Arthur Ashe Institute, TBL collectively raised public awareness of municipal health figures within urban culture, aligned the results with socio-economic statistics and then merged the findings to promote awareness throughout East Flatbush Brooklyn.
TBL has over five years of experience as a College Access for All Vendor within the New York City Board of Education. Many students may have a limited understanding of the benefits and diversity of options in higher education. Through the College Access for All program, The BIG Live impacted lifelong learning, development and promoted the trajectory of inner-city youth within the middle school demographic.
The College Access for All program allowed TBL to dispel the myths around college opportunities, feasibility and attendance. Through designed workshops and curriculum, TBL explained to youth participants how to navigate college life, build relationships and maneuver through the challenges that may be present within the inner city. TBL was successfully able to educate families and students on college admissions strategies, explain the different types of colleges available and explain the different ways to fund a college education through the available scholarships, grants, loans and other alternative creative funding sources.
TBL was founded by CEO Pierry Benjamin in January of 2010 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in media & communications from SUNY College at Old Westbury. Motivated by his experience as a youth minister in his Parish Sacred Heart of Jesus located in Cabria Heights Queens, Pierry was able to begin his career in youth advocacy by using his 401K plan and sponsoring high risk, alternative schools targeting Incarceration and Recidivism. The program was called “Low Down on Lock Down”.
The Low Down on Lock Down program, targeted an initiative called “Raise the Age” which was passed into law April of 2017, that raises the age at which youths are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. The law required police to notify parents and legal guardians when a juvenile or adolescent offender was arrested and ensures that any questioning of the child is done in an appropriate location and limited to a reasonable time. In addition, the legislation also raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18 and created a classification for 16- and 17-year-olds.
New York was previously one of two states that automatically prosecuted 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. This gravely and unfairly punished youth and prevented them from receiving the services they needed to rehabilitate themselves and re-integrate into their communities. New York youths who commit non-violent crimes will now be able to receive age-appropriate housing and programming to lower their risk of re-offence.
Aimed at raising social status and improving quality of life, TBL motivates inner-city youth towards professional and personal achievement.
The BIG Live has over ten years of experience in providing resources to young people in high-risk, socio-economically challenged communities. With a positive track record within Queens Public School District(s) 27 and 29; Brooklyn Public School Districts 32 and 19, and New York City Public School District 6. TBL has over three years of experience servicing The Arthur Ashe Institute’s Health Disparities Summer Internship Program (HDSIP) by the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center at SUNY Down State.
HDSIP interns attended morning classes at the SUNY Downstate campus; in afternoons they worked on research projects at community-based organizations. Through videos and presentations, students learn about the impact of ethnicity, race and poverty on health outcomes; then disseminate the findings through several social media streams. With The Arthur Ashe Institute, TBL collectively raised public awareness of municipal health figures within urban culture, aligned the results with socio-economic statistics and then merged the findings to promote awareness throughout East Flatbush Brooklyn.
TBL has over five years of experience as a College Access for All Vendor within the New York City Board of Education. Many students may have a limited understanding of the benefits and diversity of options in higher education. Through the College Access for All program, The BIG Live impacted lifelong learning, development and promoted the trajectory of inner-city youth within the middle school demographic.
The College Access for All program allowed TBL to dispel the myths around college opportunities, feasibility and attendance. Through designed workshops and curriculum, TBL explained to youth participants how to navigate college life, build relationships and maneuver through the challenges that may be present within the inner city. TBL was successfully able to educate families and students on college admissions strategies, explain the different types of colleges available and explain the different ways to fund a college education through the available scholarships, grants, loans and other alternative creative funding sources.
TBL was founded by CEO Pierry Benjamin in January of 2010 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in media & communications from SUNY College at Old Westbury. Motivated by his experience as a youth minister in his Parish Sacred Heart of Jesus located in Cabria Heights Queens, Pierry was able to begin his career in youth advocacy by using his 401K plan and sponsoring high risk, alternative schools targeting Incarceration and Recidivism. The program was called “Low Down on Lock Down”.
The Low Down on Lock Down program, targeted an initiative called “Raise the Age” which was passed into law April of 2017, that raises the age at which youths are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. The law required police to notify parents and legal guardians when a juvenile or adolescent offender was arrested and ensures that any questioning of the child is done in an appropriate location and limited to a reasonable time. In addition, the legislation also raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18 and created a classification for 16- and 17-year-olds.
New York was previously one of two states that automatically prosecuted 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. This gravely and unfairly punished youth and prevented them from receiving the services they needed to rehabilitate themselves and re-integrate into their communities. New York youths who commit non-violent crimes will now be able to receive age-appropriate housing and programming to lower their risk of re-offence.