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BRCDC dual mentorship program
Name of Your Organization:
Bay Ridge Community Development Center Inc. (BRCDC)
Overview of the Project - Please provide a brief description of the project.
After conducting a survey and Zoom meeting brainstorming session with the youth of the Sunset Park and Bay Ridge community, we concluded almost unanimously that there is a great need for Mentorship in our community. BRCDC plans to offer a Dual Youth Mentorship Program that will combine Mental Health Counseling and Professional/Vocational Mentorship for youth in the community. With the assistance of a licensed mental health counselor, the youth can engage in one-on-one sessions, peer counseling sessions, and/or workshops. This will help to identify problems, as well as stimulate and enhance well-being and quality of life improvement for young people. Additionally, BRCDC will also create a Professional Vocational Mentorship program that aims to educate the youth about making good career choices. We will be pairing the youth with professional members of the community for internship opportunities to foster hands-on training. This will allow the youth to make better decisions about their future career paths.
Which of the following issues does your project address?
- Issue 1 - Addressing Mental Health
- Issue 2 - Preparation for College and/or Career
- Issue 3 - Youth Advocacy Promotion
BRCDC seeks to address Issues 1,2,and 3
Youth Engagement - Please explain how you will engage youth in the planning and implementation of the project.
The youth play the most vital role in the planning and implementation of this project. Firstly, the youth coordinator held multiple brainstorming sessions with youth members to ascertain the necessity of such a program. Then they came up with the parameters of the proposal. Next, they will begin the process of marketing the program. After that they will begin to gather information and solicit professionals of the community to begin the process of pairing one professional with several youth members for mentorship. In addition, youth volunteers will schedule meetings between a mental health counselor on staff with youth who are in need of one-on-one counseling as well as begin peer/group counseling sessions with a professional counselor. The entire coordination of the mentorship program will be run by youth, for youth!
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.
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.
This project began in December 2020. There will be monthly zoom sessions and/or in person sessions with youth members to gauge the progress of the mentorship program; starting January and ending in June with a total of six general meetings. BRCDC staff will open mental health counseling sessions both one-on-one (2x per week) and group sessions (1x per week) beginning January and ending in June. Since this is an ongoing program, the Youth Coordinator will be recording the frequency of counseling sessions. With regard to the Professional mentorship program, BRCDC staff will coordinate with local professionals internship work on-site as well as remote between youth members and career professionals (estimated 2-3x per week engagement) from January to the end of June.
Project Activity Alignment - How does your project align with at least one of the following topics:
- Leadership skills development: organizing & advocacy trainings
- Stewardship of public spaces: public parks, transportation, etc.
- Youth and student engagement
- Civic education and advocacy
- Community outreach involving residents that have been historically underrepresented in or underserved by city government and its processes
BRCDC’s project is directly aligned with building Leadership Developmental skills among the youth by allowing our youth to work directly with professional members of the community whom they would otherwise not have access to. For example, there might be youth members who are interested in a certain field of work or vocational training, but do not have the means or wherewithal to gain access to an internship or even a conversation to solicit advice. BRCDC’s youth mentorship program will provide that opportunity. Local entrepreneurs have already shown an interest in pairing with the youth to foster them.
Youth and student engagement in order to facilitate growth both personally and professionally, as well as community outreach is another area where many young people do not have the opportunity to show their strength of leadership skills or to gain such skills. By placing this entire program from start to finish in the hands of the youth, we have already empowered them to become leaders. Covid-19 has presented the youth with a unique opportunity to master their communication skills via social media. BRCDC plans to harness these skills by having groups of youth members directly seek out professional mentors and work with them. This invaluable training will allow the youth to make connections, better career choices and open doors of opportunities. BRCDC services all residents of New York City, with a focus on the underserved and those who are seeking a voice as well as opportunities to learn about civic engagement. By partnering with the youth, we seek to educate them about their civic duties while mentoring them.
What is your organization's area of focus?
BRCDC Focuses on the following and more:
- Children and youth related
- Advocacy and organizing
- Arts and culture
- Civic engagement
- Education and literacy
- Emergency management and disaster response
- Employment and workforce development
- Faith-based
- Food access
- Health and medicine
- Human rights
- Human services
- Immigrants and/or refugees
- Justice related
- Legal services
- People with disabilities
- Senior services
- Women's issues
Affirmations - Type "YES" below each statement to affirm that you are eligible to appear on the ballot for this process.
Project Activity Alignment to CEC’s Mission: Please select which activity the project aligns with most closely.
YES
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, 2020.
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
This idea proceeds to voting because:
Thank you for your proposal submission! Based on our review, your proposal is eligible according to the project guidelines and will be placed on the ballot for the youth vote to take place in February.
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