25 Years of Impact in the South Bronx and Citywide

Our Story

With the scarcity of effective youth enrichment programs in the South Bronx, Bervin Harris and Darren Quinlan founded Renaissance Youth Center in 2001. Their goal was to create a safe haven where the community's youth could develop life-long academic and social skills.

In 2011, RYC's growth prompted expansion a few blocks north to its exising location on 168th Street and Third Avenue. Here, students enjoy three floors of classrooms, labs, performance spaces, music studios, a robotics lab and a zoology room that houses 40 live animals.

RYC has become a community fixture. The original mission of creating a place that kids can feel safe and enriched now touches up to 4,000 young people per week, through music classes, afterschool programming, tutoring and civic engagement.

Our Mission

Renaissance Youth Center empowers young people to fully maximize their potential by offering dynamic, team-building education, music, STEM and civic engagement programs.

We are committed to investing in our young people by promising a safe place to connect with others and open horizons; promoting creativity, leadership and innovation in all that we do; and providing learning opportunities that support a rewarding future.