The pandemic couldn’t stop New York City high school students from learning the benefits of unionized careers, thanks to the first virtual Future in Focus career fair on June 4 on Facebook Live.

“Let’s Talk About It,” a UFT Member Assistance Program (MAP) initiative designed to educate and support students around addiction and mental health, had an additional challenge this year: helping students deal with the emotional toll of the coronavirus.

More than 180 city public high school seniors and graduate students were honored this year with Shanker Scholarship Awards. The union-funded awards provide almost $1 million to high-achieving students from low-income families annually.

UFT-DOE focus group considers how best to evaluate and implement curricula that exemplify clear standards.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew praised school counselors for "keeping people calm" daily as well as in a crisis during the 16th annual School Counselors Conference at UFT headquarters in Manhattan on March 7.

Forty youth organizations took part in the second annual partner expo for the UFT's community schools program, United Community Schools, on Jan. 30 in Shanker Hall at union headquarters in Manhattan.

UFT members met at the Staten Island borough office on Feb. 6 to design T-shirts celebrating the 100th day of the school year on Feb. 14.

Putting power in the hands of members in the schools was the theme of a panel discussion at the UFT’s Queens borough office on Jan. 30. The panel featured 11 chapter leaders, representing every district and grade level in Queens, who discussed how they successfully empowered members in their schools to advocate for their rights as union members.

About 30 District 75 members learned how to organize their colleagues to get politically active and advocate for their interests as workers at a political action workshop at union headquarters on Feb. 25.

Members collect free books for their classrooms and their homes at a First Book event on Feb. 1 at the UFT’s Staten Island borough office.