VOYAGES: YEAR 10

Welcome to VOYAGES - a small, safe, and supportive school designed for you, the student. Voyages was created by a group of adults and young adults who believe that individual support and interesting classes are keys to success for all students. At Voyages, you will have choice, voice and an opportunity to make a difference at school and in the world.

Founded in 2007, Voyages Preparatory High School is a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education and Queens Community House. We serve students who are at least 16 years old who have struggled to earn credits in a traditional high school environment. We are here to help students graduate by providing individualized attention and support. As we celebrate our 10th year, the mission and vision of Voyages is stronger than ever:

Our Mission: Our doors - and our selves - are open to young people who need our talent and our understanding and our best efforts. Our students need a school that is different, this means we cannot and will not be ordinary educators. We will be radical in our pedagogy and connections to youth; we will challenge both our students and ourselves. We will develop opportunities to deeply engage in experiences that we - adults and youth - find personally and intellectually meaningful.

Our Vision: Voyages will be a place where students who have struggled and continue to struggle in school will re-engage in learning. On a daily basis, students will learn about and engage with the real world and actively support each other’s struggle. They will care for the worlds they inhabit—their homes, their communities, their school, and their classrooms. Staff members will model this process by showing care in the way they interact with, support, and learn from each other. Graduates from Voyages will carry special credibility in the educational and professional worlds, as being skilled in reading, writing, discussion and problem solving. We will teach students to ask “why?” and search for meaningful, authentic, answers. They will be politically aware and engaged; instead of only reading about political movements in the past, they can create and share their own ideas. Our kids will not simply have choices, they will deliberately make choices; rather than viewing a diploma as a blanket access to higher income, they will see their education as a reflection of their reality and the future they can create. Finally, we will wholeheartedly involve ourselves in everything we do, whether it is a game, a debate, or solving an equation.