|
|
Home About Us Adult Basic Education Services Archive Bulletin Board Calendar Career Centers Committees Contact the Staff Directions Elected Officials E-Mail the Board Membership Directory Mission Statement New Member Page News Organizational Charts Partners Related Links Reports WIA Five-Year Plan Workforce Training Fund Youth Council |
Back to eNewsletter Page
New Funding Supports Youth, Early Literacy & ESOL The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth Corporation has funded their grant application for the DYS: Bridging the Opportunity Gap funding opportunity. This grant application was submitted via a partnership between the Youth Council, New Directions Southcoast, Inc., and the Department of Youth Services (DYS) and has been funded for approximately $65,000. The award of this funding makes possible the operation of a program designed to serve youth who are involved with the DYS Community Re-Entry Center in New Bedford. Proposing to serve 25 youth, this program is designed to provide participating youth with a 5-week Job Readiness and Employability Training curriculum. Adam Chapdelaine, Youth Council Director explained, “Following the completion of this training, youth will be placed in subsidized employment experiences. Throughout the course of the subsidized employment experience, youth will be in contact with a Job Coach/Mentor that will provide them with life skills training one day a week.” According to Chapdelaine, the subsidized employment experience will allow youth to work for a total of 125 hours and earn minimum wage. At the close of the subsidized opportunity, the youth will be given assistance in finding an unsubsidized employment placement. He added, “One of the major difficulties in achieving success in this program is finding local employers willing to provide participating youth with an opportunity for subsidized employment and then a corresponding opportunity to transition into an unsubsidized, competitive employment placement.” By providing these youth with employment opportunities, employers are expanding the pathways to success that these youth have available to them. Earning a paycheck, and understanding the connection between an honest day’s work and that paycheck is an important step in the re-entry of these youth into the community. Any employers interested in providing such an opportunity are urged to contact Adam Chapdelaine at 508-979-1511 or the Youth Services Manager of New Directions Southcoast, Inc., Wendy Andrade 508-979-1700. The Youth Council is also awaiting notice of award on two other grant applications that have been submitted to the Commonwealth Corporation. First, a partnership of the City of New Bedford, the Youth Council, and New Directions Southcoast, Inc. has recently submitted an application requesting $50,000 to operate a youth employment program to run from January 1, 2008 – June 30, 2008. This program, known as YouthWorks, has historically been for youth summer jobs, but has now been expanded to provide year round employment opportunities for youth. The recently submitted proposal intends to place 28 youth in subsidized employment placements throughout the duration of the grant funding. The other grant that the Youth Council is awaiting notification on is the next round of Pathways to Success by 21 (P-21) funding for the region. “This application was submitted in response to a non-competitive RFP issued by the Commonwealth Corporation,” said Chapdelaine, “and stands to bring $104,000 in funding into the region”. This funding will provide for a P-21 Coordinator at the Career Center who will serve any walk-in youth to the Career Center. If anyone in the community is interested in becoming a part of or learning more about these grants and programs, please contact Adam Chapdelaine. Excellent news also came last week when the Family Center announced they received a welcomed boost to their funding through a grant from the Polaroid Fund/Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. Annmarie Pereira Sawyer, Family Center Coordinator, announced that her program will be awarded $43,000 to help restore classes and workshops that had been dropped when the federal government slashed Even Start funding. “Despite the great need in the community for programs that provide English language learning, early literacy classes, and parenting workshops, “ noted Sawyer, ”we had to scale back both English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Early Literacy programs. This has affected dozens of local families. Those enrolled in the Family Center … learn much more than English. They learn what it takes to be involved, responsible parents and good citizens,” said Sawyer. The Family Center has served hundreds of families over the last 12 years and now looks forward to beefing up its programming to meet ever-increasing demand. Ms. Sawyer expressed both relief and gratitude with this new funding. “We are absolutely thrilled. Thanks to LiteracyWorks, the WIB, and the Polaroid Fund, my staff and families have an early Christmas present.” 227 Union Street, Suite 206, New Bedford, MA 02740-5946 PH 508.979.1504 • FAX 508.979.5680 E-mail: Webmaster@gnbwib.org |