Middle school
Trailblazer Trainings
Our introduction to leadership for middle schoolers. Students build confidence, find their voice, and learn how their community works and how to take part in it.
Community Center Without Walls Inc.
Youth leadership & civic engagement
across Westchester County, NY
Our purpose
One word: prevention.
Since 2020, Community Center Without Walls has been providing civic engagement training for middle school and high school students in Westchester County.
We don't have one building. That's the point. Our youth groups meet in different youth-friendly spaces across the county, places dedicated to interconnectedness and social impact, so young people learn that their community is bigger than any four walls.
View our 2025–2026 program guide →
- 200+students engaged across Westchester County
- 2020the year we started training young leaders
- 12weeks in every training session
- 1×a week, all school year long
The Youth Empowerment Program
Two tracks. One community.
High school
CCWW Youth Leadership Council
High school students take the lead. Council members organize, advocate and speak up on the issues that matter to them, and show younger students what that looks like.
How it works
Groups meet once a week throughout the school year. Each training runs 12 weeks and is led by an experienced facilitator, hosted in a different youth-friendly space each time.
What youth explore
- Networking skills
- Public speaking
- Community organizing
- Advocacy
- Artivism
- Volunteering through arts & culture
Past events
Where we've been
Every program is hands-on, held out in the community and built around the arts and culture. Here are some of the programs and celebrations we've hosted.
A Youth-Friendly Social Justice Poetry Series
Led by Westchester County Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva at The Pod by CocoaCompassion (11 Cedar St, Dobbs Ferry). Students interested in writing and poetry drew inspiration from chocolate: its roots in different cultures, its journey to the store, and the farmers behind it.
- Jan 28
- Feb 11
- Feb 25
- Mar 11
- Mar 25
- Apr 15
The Pod received a proclamation for opening its doors to the CCWW Youth Empowerment Program. The series was partially funded by Poets & Writers and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Cooking & Drumming Classes
Middle and high school students discovered new passions at the Tarrytown Community Center (105 Wildey St), with drumming and cooking classes running side by side through the fall.
Drumming
- Oct 15
- Nov 12
- Dec 3
Cooking
- Oct 29
- Nov 19
- Dec 17
The series closed on December 20th, when participants cooked a meal and performed a drumming showcase for their friends and families.
Youth Development Program: Empowerment & Apprenticeship
In partnership with the Greenburgh Public Library, this program gave young people ages 12–18 a place to feel supported and safe, with a focus on positive values, social skills, a positive identity and a commitment to education.
Groups met every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM starting September 12, 2023: three Tuesdays a month at the Theodore D. Young Community Center and one at the library.
Kwanzaa Celebration
CCWW brought youth, families and elders together to celebrate Kwanzaa, with live African drumming, performance, and a kinara set out among the harvest fruits.
It's the kind of evening our programs are built around: young people learning culture and community from the people who carry it.
Out in the community
See more photos →Who's behind us
Backed by people who believe in our youth
Local leaders and organizations have invested in CCWW's work year after year. Every dollar keeps our youth programs running out in the community.
-
2023
Earn Your Leisure supported Community Center Without Walls with $5,000.
-
2024
$15,000 in support from George Latimer, then Westchester County Executive and now Congressman for New York's 16th District.
-
2025
A $5,000 grant from Affinity Federal Credit Union of White Plains, NY.
-
Next
County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson (8th District) has agreed to provide $5,000 to continue programming.
Program partners
- The Pod by CocoaCompassion
- Poets & Writers
- NYS Council on the Arts
- Tarrytown Community Center
- Greenburgh Public Library
- Theodore D. Young Community Center
- Affinity Federal Credit Union
- Earn Your Leisure
2025–2026 campaign
Help us knock down more walls
We're raising $20,000 to fund the 2025–2026 Youth Empowerment Program: facilitator-led trainings, youth-friendly spaces, and arts and culture programming for Westchester County students.
$1,105 raised
of $20,000 goal
Secure donations are processed through Givebutter.
Get involved
Sign up, partner, or just say hello
Registering a student, hosting a session in your space, or looking to sponsor a program? Reach out directly. We'd love to hear from you.
Founder / CEO
Cliffton Abrams Sr.
Community Center Without Walls Inc.
(914) 564-6043 ccwwalls@gmail.comServing youth across Westchester County, NY