Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the US Challenge
Focusing on the Future Program
One-line solution summary:
Equipping disadvantaged children with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in life after high-school graduation.
Pitch your solution.
The Glens Falls Area Youth Center is a non-profit organization that serves disadvantaged youth(5th to 12th graders) in the Greater Glens Falls, New York area through a wide variety of educational, recreational and life-skills programs(including after school snacks and dinner each day), completely free of charge. The children who are members of the center are a diverse assortment of cultures, ethnicities, belief systems, races and personalities. They are at-risk. Most of them come from low-income families; 90 percent fall below the poverty line and qualify for free or reduced lunch at school.
We want to bridge the gap between ambition and opportunity to break the generational cycle of poverty.
One of our initiatives is a monthly speaker series, where guest speakers come in to share information about their experiences. Another is to be more STEAM focused, providing kids with skill sets that will make them more attractive to employers.
What specific problem are you solving?
In 2019, we successfully served over 2,000 unduplicated members.
We want to bridge the gap between ambition and opportunity to break the generational cycle of poverty, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19. Most of our kids having fallen behind academically due to lack of help at home or lack of resources.
Over 50 percent of children in America fall below the poverty line; this is a national crisis that we have to solve. Ensuring they have a proper education is the key to the future. By investing in children, we are investing in our future as a country.
What is your solution?
One of our major initiatives is having a monthly speaker series, where guest speakers come in to share information about their experiences or careers in order to make our members aware of opportunities out there that they might not have thought about otherwise. We also are going to be more STEAM focused. Given that the majority of our members are living below the poverty line, their access to science and technology outside of school is incredibly limited. STEAM helps develop a variety of skill sets, including: problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, decision making, leadership, entrepreneurship, acceptance of failure, media and technology literacy, productivity, social skills, communication, flexibility and initiative. We are purchasing necessary technology to make this happen: Chromebooks, VR Headsets, 3D Printer, Droid Inventor Kits, iPads and STEAM Programs for these devices. Each day we will help kids catch up in school and expose them to STEAM activities that are fun, engaging and they wouldn't have access to otherwise. Kids will feel inspired to achieve, discover a new passion/realize that they can take a talent and make it a career, find a love for subjects that are usually dreaded, and set goals for their futures.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Enable learners to make informed decisions about which pathways and jobs best suit them, including promoting the benefits of non-degree pathways to employmentWho does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
The children who are members of the Youth Center are a diverse assortment of cultures, ethnicities, belief systems and personalities. They are also at-risk; many of them are ostracized, bullied, and not expected to achieve much of anything. They are the definition of underdogs; left out of what some people believe are the important clicks in school and lack last names that carry any clout. The majority of our members come from low income families; 90 percent fall below the poverty line and qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. They are the children in our community. They are the children in your community. They are the countless children throughout the country who are struggling. They are the future. What is more important than investing in them?
Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the US Challenge and your selected dimension.
Like I said, this isn't just an issue in the area that we serve. This is a national problem, as lethal as the coronavirus. Breaking that generational cycle of poverty by bridging the gap between ambition and opportunity will benefit our country as a whole. These kids matter. They are the future workforce. If they aren't prepared for the future, how can we expect it to be bright? It is up to us to help them, guide them and ensure that they have the tools and skillsets that they need to achieve greatness.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Glens Falls, NY, USAIn which US state(s) will you be operating within the next year?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growthWho is the team lead for your solution?
Molly Congdon-Hunsdon: Executive Director
How many people work on your solution team?
2 Full time staff members, 2 part-time staff members, 12 volunteers.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: What is your approach to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization?
The purpose of the Glens Falls Area Youth Center is to operate a centrally located drop-in facility for disadvantaged and at-risk youth and to provide free recreation, education and life-skills programs to all-age-eligible individuals, without discrimination and regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, or socio-economic status, in a friendly, well-supervised environment. Here everyone is welcomed, wanted and, most importantly, loved.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new business model or processDescribe what makes your solution innovative.
We provide educational opportunities outside of the school system, but what we do is so much more than that. We teach our kids how to deal with anxiety, anger issues, gain coping skills, sportsmanship, and work as a team.
Describe the core technology, if applicable, that powers your solution.
Chromebooks, VR Headsets, 3D Printer, Droid Inventor Kits, STEAM Programs for those devices and iPads. It is used for STEAM activities and projects.
Provide evidence that this technology works.
These are pieces of technology that you may have used yourself; using them in the right way is the key. STEAM programs engaged kids and teach them valuable lessons all while having fun. It stimulates a joy of learning.
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
What is your theory of change?
As a result, kids will feel inspired to achieve, will discover a new passion or now realize that they can take a talent and make it a career, find a love for the dreaded subjects of science, math and technology, set goals for their futures and feel like someone believes in them and those goals, learn to understand the value of education and go on to teach those values to their own children or feel that their dreams can actually become a reality.
Select the key characteristics of your target population.
How many people does your solution currently serve? How many people did your solution serve in 2019? 2018? 2017?
2019: 2063; 2018: 2055; 2017: 2030
What percent of the people you served in 2019 were between the age of 15 and 30?
What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year and in the next five years?
Working in human services presents an idiosyncratic challenge. After the doors are closed for the night, you are faced with the task of coming up with ways to raise money to ensure that the doors will open up again the following day. We work incredibly hard to raise the funds to continue this program along with the many others that we offer: food, life-skills, health and wellness, etc. Passion, determination and hard work has never failed us from achieve our goals.
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
We will continue to grow and expand our education program to best meet the needs of the children that we serve, helping as many kids as possible become the first in their families to graduate from high school, go to college, trade school or the military and become independent members of society ready to be part of the workforce.
Our tactics and methods could definitely be replicated and scaled to impact tons of kids.
How do you plan to overcome these barriers?
Grant writing, fundraisers and getting the word out on our social media platforms, website and monthly email newsletters.
What outcomes data would you like to be collecting that you are not yet able to collect?
We will be starting questionnaires this year(beginning and end of academic year) for the kids to complete. Getting their thoughts on STEAM and future jobs will help us even more with this process. I think this date will prove to be invaluable.
What type of organization is your solution team?
NonprofitHow many people are on your leadership team? (Of these, please provide the number of individuals from your leadership team that are full time, part time, and volunteer)
2 Full-time staff members and 2 part-timers. Then our Board of Directors is made up of 12 individuals.
What is the number of individuals from my leadership team that attended community college for at least one year?
3
What is the number of individuals from my leadership team that received a Pell grant as a college student?
3
In what year was your organization founded? How many years have you worked on your solution?
1968. 52 years strong. Our Executive Director, as well as two other staff members, grew up at the center as children. Molly has worked her for the last 12 years.
Why are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
We understand the kids that we are serving. We were them. We are passionate about what we do and how we do it. The Youth Center molded 3 out of the 4 of us into the people we are today. We want to make that kind of impact for these next generations.
What organizations do you currently partner with, if any? How are you working with them?
Each summer we have a Summer Reading Program that helping rising fifth graders transition into the middle school. We work with the local elementary and middle schools in Glens Falls to help kids feel prepared mentally and emotionally for this change.
What is your business model?
At the Youth Center we believe that education is the key to future success. Many of our members are the first in their family to graduate from high school or attend college. We've always provided tutoring each day as well as assistance for those that are starting the process of applying to college.
Recreation is vital; it’s what initially draws kids inside our doors. It also provides them with an outlet to unleash stress and anger as well as to provide mental clarity and relaxation; keys to unlock a healthier future.
Our members benefit greatly from our life-skills programs. Hygiene is one of the many important issues that we deal with each day. We always have an assortment of hygiene products on hand and we also teach our members how to use them. Believe it or not, there are so many kids, even high schoolers, who don't understand how to clean themselves, use deodorant or keep their mouths clear of cavities. Aside from personal cleanliness, we also provide mentoring for constructing resumes, how to be successful during a job interview as well as how to conduct yourself at said job.
Our food program is essential because many of our members aren't going home to a hot meal, or any meal at all. Each day when they arrive, they are able to have a snack and a healthy, home-cooked meal. We also offer art therapy initiatives to bring our members some peace.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, or to other organizations?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)What is your path to financial sustainability?
We have several Foundations that provide support annually. We are also always writing new grants, and each year we have one big fundraise; this year due to COVID-19, we had to postpone. We have been around for 52 years, and will continue to do so for many years to come.
If you have raised funds for your solution or are generating revenue, please provide details.
Mons Concepit Foundation: $10,000
Nora Roberts Foundation:$3,000
Robert Bader Foundation: $1,800
Price Chopper: $2,000
Peckham Family Foundation: $500
DBL Foundation: $22,000
RY Foundation: $52,000
Global Village Charitable Trust: $52,000
If you seek to raise funds for your solution, please provide details.
We are seeking $30,000 in additional funding to purchase more pieces of sustainable technology in the aftermath of COVID-19.
What are your estimated expenses for 2021?
$255,000: Estimated Expenses of 2021.
Why are you applying to the Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the US Challenge?
We feel that this is a solution for future employment, not only in our area but also throughout the country. These kids are imp
Children are a vital component to the future success of any community. One day these young men and women could be working for Glens Falls Hospital, the largest employer in our area or the hospital near you, aiding you when you're at your most vulnerable; driving economic development by starting their own business and providing goods, services and jobs; or educating the next generation as a teacher. Honestly, the sky is the limit!
It is of the utmost importance that we invest in them, because when the children thrive, so will this country and all of the communities within it.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
What organizations would you like to partner with, and how would you like to partner with them?
Continue our partnership with the school system for our Summer Reading Program.
Please explain in more detail here.
Searching to secure that additional necessary funding to best serve these underprivileged children.
Solution Team
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Solution Name:
Focusing on the Future Program