“Why We Love NYC” Partner Spotlight: 92Y
As we draw closer to our very special January 25th NYC trivia night hosted by Pat Kiernan at The Bell House, I want to make sure that all of our incredible partners who have come together to make this special event possible are recognized – and today, we have a new partner to announce!
Seeing how this event is designed to be a night of pop culture trivia celebrating New York City, it only makes sense that the prizes attendees will be competing for include experiences which may be considered “quintessential New York City” – and when you think “quintessential NYC,” fewer institutions spring to mind more quickly than my former employer, the world-renown 92nd Street Y.
Now entering its 138th year of existence, the 92nd Street YMHA/YWHA (known more familiarly as 92Y) is truly a special organization within New York City. Founded a decade after the Civil War ended with a mission to enhance the bodies, minds and souls of young Jewish men and women in New York City, 92Y has since expanded its scope and vision to welcome people of ever age, race, religion, ethnicity and economic position, as well as to become the model Jewish cultural & community center of the 21st Century.
Billing itself as “An Open Door to Extraordinary Worlds,” the sheer volume of 92Y’s program offerings and services are legendary: a full concert series, poetry center, a senior program, dance center, after school programs, music classes, residence hall, a world-famous nursery school, art classes, jewelry making, a fully-equipped gym with two basketball courts and an Olympic-sized pool, summer camps, Jewish education programs, an art gallery, plus much more. In 2008, 92Y opened a downtown outpost, 92YTribeca, offering an array of programs designed for a younger audience of 20s/30s.
During my 6 years as a 92Y staff member, I was in charge of developing and running the organization’s diverse adult education division, which included classes and workshops in humanities, languages, personal growth & development, food & wine tastings, film, hobbies/games and writing, as well as tours throughout the city, support groups and a robust singles program. In total, over 300,000 New Yorkers take advantage of the programs offered through 92Y each year.
It is 92Y’s celebrated lecture series, however, which is truly what the organization is known for.
Over the past two decades, 92Y has established itself as New York’s premier speakers’ venue. On most nights of the week, people fill the 300-seat Buttenwieser Hall or the better-known 900-seat Kaufmann Concert Hall to attend all types of speaking engagements from luminaries of all walks of life: academics, intellectuals, actors, directors, musicians, politicians, thought leaders, even world leaders come to 92Y’s famous stages to deliver stand-alone lectures, engage in moderated conversations, participate in panel discussions and compete in head-to-head debates in all manner of subject areas.
Priding itself as a platform for a “free and open exchange of ideas,” 92Y invites lecture patrons to ask questions directly to those onstage at the end of each event, so that they may participate in the dialog as well; for those speakers with books, there is typically a signing afterwards. For many New Yorkers, attending a lecture at 92Y means not only access to the brightest minds and celebrated individuals, but the chance to engage with them directly as well.
On January 25th, we are delighted to announce that 92Y will be joining us as a partner at our NYC trivia night, with several lucky participants winning the opportunity to attend a lecture at the famed building on 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. We are honored to have this most quintessential of New York City institutions join us in our effort to celebrate the greatest city on earth!