Workforce Development in Action
Youth Development and Community Building
Kavon Williams is a third-grader who attends New York City Mission Society’s after-school program at PS 92 in Harlem. His parents have seen such positive changes in Kavon that they wrote a letter thanking the program staff. The letter follows:
The commitment, caring, and positive reinforcement given by all employees at New York City Mission Society made the difference for my son Kavon Williams. Our son’s confidence level and self-worth have both improved greatly. His entire attitude toward learning and school has changed. Not only did the test prep teacher help bring his grades up, the staff also taught him such basic skills as how to get his work organized, how to be neat, how to retain what he read, and how to process the information—basic skills the school system had not taught him. My son’s test scores were way beyond our expectations! We were very happy with the experience we had with the after-school program. We can’t thank you enough for all that you have done for our son.
The Beacon Center for Family Services at Wadleigh Secondary School provides foster care prevention services, including mental health counseling, parent empowerment, and advocacy services. Being located at a high school, program staff have the unique opportunity to observe signs of trouble among students and intervene before they become larger problems. Students trust Beacon Center staff, knowing the door is always open.
Recently, two students came to the Beacon Center struggling with their sexual identity and feeling suicidal. They complained that other students had harassed them, and they could not understand why. Their grades had fallen. They had gotten into arguments with teachers, other students, and their siblings. Their parents had expressed judgment and disapproval, and the students felt devastated.
Beacon Center staff provided the students with both one-on-one and group counseling, and they referred the students to outside agencies for additional support. Counseling helped the students come to terms with their sexual identity and appreciate themselves for who they are. With this shift in their self-image and self-worth, their relationships at home and school improved, and their grades returned to their previous levels.
Joshua Johnson, Family Preservation Services
Joshua Johnson is a young man with fierce determination, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
When Joshua came to the Enhanced Teens Program at age 19, he and his mother Laura were homeless and struggling, despite the fact that he was enrolled in college at Penn State. As a result of his family’s dire situation, Joshua’s grades had gone downhill and he was in danger of dropping out.
New York City Mission Society helped Joshua and his mother find an affordable apartment in New Jersey, and it provided Joshua with a scholarship to help with college costs. Joshua, who is an aspiring dancer, was able to return to college. “New York City Mission Society showed me love and care, which is just what I needed at the time,” he says.
Financial problems resurfaced again for Joshua, unfortunately, forcing him to leave school and find a job. He has been working full-time so he can save enough to continue with his education. He is now enrolled again and has secured housing. He plans on teaching a tap dance class for his work-study job next semester.
His financial setbacks have only made him more determined. “My goal is to finish college and start a tap dance group that tours the world,” he says. He recalls his guidance counselor’s advice, “Don’t let this situation get you down. Use it as a stepping stone to get to the next level. That way you will always succeed in everything you do.”
Workforce Development in Action
For Xiao Ting Zhao, a 17-year-old student at Emma Lazarus High School for English Language Scholars, moving to New York City from her native China last year was so disorienting that she likens it to being “a fly without a head,” to borrow a Chinese saying. New York City Mission Society’s Learning to Work (LTW) program at Emma Lazarus helped familiarize her with the city. It gave her a way out of the grinding life of low-wage employment that keeps her parents working long days and still unable to speak English after having lived here for years.
Through LTW, Xiao has taken trips to the United Nations, the Statue of Liberty, and even a camp in Connecticut. Her internship at Move with Grace Dance Studio in Brooklyn has helped fuel her determination to be a successful dancer. LTW is preparing Xiao for college by guiding her through the application and essay-writing process.
Xiao credits LTW for helping her make a successful transition to New York. “There is an expression in the Chinese community that says ‘New York can be your heaven or your hell.’ For my parents, it is their hell. Through the many LTW activities to which I have been able to bring my family, we are beginning to experience real American life. Slowly New York City is becoming heaven for us. Thank you so much for always being on our side to help us.”
Read more about the Emma Lazarus LTW program
Return to New York City Mission Society programs
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Kandes Ross, Club Real Deal
By all measures, Kandes Ross, an alumna of the Club Real Deal teen pregnancy prevention program, has created a successful life for herself. With an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Master’s from Columbia University, Kandes serves as an admissions advisor at Berkeley College.
The values and lessons she gained while with Club Real Deal continue to motivate her today. “Through Club Real Deal, I saw that it was okay for me to succeed and accomplish my goals,” she says, “even if those goals didn’t meet the approval of my peers.”
Kandes appreciates the emphasis that Club Real Deal staff made on getting an education, and she is grateful for the financial support from New York City Mission Society to help defray the costs of college. “Through Club Real Deal, I learned that no one can truly make it without the support of others,” she says. “As such, I have chosen a career path that allows me to give back to my community.”
In addition to her staff position, Kandes founded a Harlem-based consulting firm that mentors high school students and provides direct assistance with the college admissions process. Next, she plans on opening a bakery/coffee shop in Harlem with a focus on nutrition, education, and community. “I count myself among the blessed,” she says. “Those who are blessed, I have been taught, should share their blessings with others.”
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Youth Development and Community in Action
Frederick (not his real name), age 14, has been adopted by his grandparents and lives in Brooklyn. With a father who is imprisoned and a mother who lost custody of him due to drug abuse, Frederick’s grandparents knew that he needed a younger role model in his life . Three years ago, Amachi/NY matched him with Mr. M., a banker at a major financial institution in Manhattan.
Frederick and Mr. M. spend 10-15 hours together per month. Mr. M. introduced Frederick to golf, which Frederick loves. They have long talks about education, financial literacy, and personal growth and development.
Before Frederick met Mr. M., his grades had suffered. Since Mr. M. began mentoring Frederick, he has visited Frederick’s house each week to help him study. He regularly emails Frederick’s teachers and attends parent-teacher conferences. As a result, Frederick has become a solid B student, and he is highly motivated to learn.
“Mr. M’s life experiences and his inspiration make him an exceptional leader in his role as a mentor,” says Frederick’s grandfather. But Frederick is even more enthusiastic in his praise. “One of the things I admire about Mr. M. is his commitment and passion,” Frederick says. “He is easy to talk to and he understands the challenges in my life.”
The Amachi/NY program views its young people as “children of promise.” Mentoring relationships like those between Frederick and Mr. M. help young people of incarcerated parents live up to their full potential with great opportunity for success.
