It's Our Money

Name of Your Organization:

Samuel Field YM&YWHA dba Commonpoint Queens

Overview of the Project - Please provide a brief description of the project.

Commonpoint Queens is proposing to create Future Focus, a virtual workshop series for a cohort of students across the five boroughs to help advance applicable real world skills. This intense workshop series will cover essential information related to college preparedness, work readiness skills, financial literacy and critical interpersonal skills. Workshop participants will work towards the creation and compilation of their work, through the completion of a portfolio that will include a resume, cover letter and additional project based learning materials that will demonstrate the skills and tools that they have developed through their engagement in this series. Participants will be required to present their work to their peers and program staff and will participate in a culminating celebratory event that will allow for reflection on their growth.  Participants will receive a stipend for the successful completion of all workshop sessions and portfolio submission. Fifty youth from across the city will benefit from participation in the program.

Which of the following issues does your project address?

1. Issue 1 - Addressing Mental Health
2. Issue 2 - Preparation for College and/or Career
3. Issue 3 - Youth Advocacy Promotion

Our project addresses Issue 2 - Preparation for College and/or Career

Youth Engagement - Please explain how you will engage youth in the planning and implementation of the project.

Youth will be involved from start to finish in the planning and implementation of our program. Youth voice will directly impact the creation and formulation of the workshop series curriculum to ensure that we are meeting their needs and successfully filling gaps in their knowledge. Involvement will first begin by surveying student interests and areas of desired focus. Youth will identify which aspects of college preparedness, work readiness and financial literacy topics they are most interested in, as well as areas of focus for each topic. At the midpoint of the program,  a check-in session will be facilitated to ensure that the identified needs are being met. This will allow us to have up-to-date feedback regarding youth experiences in the course, and directives for any areas of improvement or needed shifts in curriculum content and delivery. Finally, portfolios will be youth-driven and will feature pieces that are most important to them and reflect their areas of interest.

Budget - Your total project budget must equal $20,000 to be placed on the ballot for a youth vote. Please provide a brief description of what the funds would be used for to successfully implement your project. You will also need to download, fill in, and attach a full budget using this template.

• Two Part-Time Facilitators ($8,400): This staff will conduct two simultaneous cohorts of 25 students each.  The part-time facilitators will have an extensive background in college readiness and work readiness curriculum development and delivery.  
• Program Supplies ($1,600):  Participants will be given necessary materials to create and build their final portfolios.  Participants will be provided with a package that will allow them to insert their materials to utilize for future job and college interviews.
• Stipend ($10,000):  Students will be issued stipends of $200 upon completion of the program.  The stipend will be incorporated into the financial literacy aspect of the program to support the understanding of budgeting and saving money.

Timeline- Please describe the timeline for the implementation and completion of the project. All work for this project must be completed by June 30, 2021, which is the end of the city’s fiscal year and the deadline for the funds to be spent.

The timeline for project implementation and completion will run from March 2021 to June 2021. Recruitment and enrollment will take place in March. The workshop series will then be held from April-May. A pre-assessment will take place in early April to assess baseline knowledge and identify areas to address in the program. The series will then run for six weeks. Each week will include two sessions, each of two hours duration, for a total of 24 hours of intensive instruction, in addition to the portfolio work that will take place outside of scheduled sessions. In June, a post-assessment will take place to assess skill and knowledge gains as a result of program completion.

Project Activity Alignment - How does your project align with at least one of the following topics:

1. Leadership skills development: organizing & advocacy trainings
2. Stewardship of public spaces: public parks, transportation, etc.
3. Youth and student engagement
4. Civic education and advocacy
5. Community outreach involving residents that have been historically underrepresented in or underserved by city government and its processes

Future Focus will address topic gid://development-app/Decidim::Hashtag/3/3, Youth and Student Engagement, through a workshop series that will engage youth in various stages of their college mapping process.  The program will then provide support in the development of post-secondary plans related to college, and career topics in the series will encourage student inquiry in various areas. This will include essential college readiness materials, financial literacy education and career exploration, as it relates to picking a college major/minor. By receiving individualized support, the youth engaged will have opportunities to receive resources that are catered to their interests. This experience will reinforce the importance of self-advocacy and create a pathway that builds students’ capacity to navigate external influences while working towards their own vision. This series will empower students  to become the leader in the decision-making process.

What is your organization's area of focus?

1. Children and youth related
2. Advocacy and organizing
3. Arts and culture
4. Civic engagement
5. Education and literacy
6. Emergency management and disaster response
7. Employment and workforce development
8. Environment and sustainability
9. Faith-based
10. Food access
11. Health and medicine
12. Homelessness and/or affordable housing
13. Human rights
14. Human services
15. Immigrants and/or refugees
16. Justice related
17. Legal services
18. People with disabilities
19. Senior services
20. Women's issues

Children and Youth Related, Advocacy and Organizing, Civic Engagement, Education and literacy, Employment and Workforce Development, Food Access, People with Disabilities, Senior Services

Affirmations - Type \"YES\" below each statement to affirm that you are eligible to appear on the ballot for this process.

I confirm that my organization will be registered in the NYC Payee Information Portal and in PassPort, NYC’s online procurement system, in order to receive funding from the City of New York.

Yes

I confirm that my organization is able to front the costs of implementing this project. Organizations will be paid based on deliverables. 

Yes

Completion of Deliverables: I understand all deliverables must be completed by June 30th, 2021.

Yes

I understand a condition of funding includes submission of a final report upon project completion, and participating in a debrief session with the CEC.

Yes