Jan. 8, 2024: Howie the Harp Graduation Ceremony Returns!

We are pleased that our Howie the Harp Advocacy Center (HTH) graduation ceremony returned on Monday, January 8th – after a long hiatus because of the pandemic. Community Access gathered at NYU Kimmel Center’s Rosenthal Room to recognize graduates who completed classroom and boot camp trainings from 2020 to 2023. The graduation roster included over 150 students, and many of these graduates were able to attend this inspirational gathering along with their friends and families. The graduation ceremony is an important element of the training program – a moment where the achievements of those that completed the program is formally recognized.

The ceremony included remarks by class speakers, awards to community partners, a Pomp and Circumstance procession with the presentation of diplomas to graduates – and the singing of the HTH Alma Mater, with musical accompaniment by Michelle des Roches on violin. The class speaker remarks are always a highlight of these graduation ceremonies, where we get to learn more about individual life journeys, how the HTH training impacted them, as well as see first-hand the talents and gifts of a few of the graduates. We filmed this year’s event, and I encourage you to watch it online.

When Howie the Harp Advocacy Center was founded in 1995, it was the first comprehensive peer training program in the country. The center was – and remains – a revolutionary place of opportunity. And, as you know from our priorities in the strategic plan, we have been working to refine the curriculum and scale up the program so that more students can participate and graduate from the program each year. There remains a huge need for more peer specialists in the human services sector in NYC. In fact, a program officer at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shared, that on any given day in NYC, there are at least 40 open peer positions being recruited for by human service providers. We want to fortify HTH as the go-to place for peers seeking meaningful careers where they can use their life experiences to help others. And, celebrating milestone moments like HTH graduation reminds us how essential our program is toward transforming the mental health provider landscape in NYC.