FAO-enews


One of the first initiatives of the newly formed Futures and Options Young Professionals and Alumni Committee is to connect our alumni and young people throughout New York City to Futures and Options. To kick off this initiative, our Young Professionals and Alumni Committee will host A Toast to Brighter Futures on April 22nd, from 6:30 to 10 pm at Sutra Lounge. The event will include a live DJ, drink specials and a Optimistic Future Cocktail, with the proceeds benefiting Futures and Options. It will be an excellent event for young New York City professionals to network and learn about the work of Futures and Options, as well as for alumni of the program to reconnect and share the stories of their experiences as interns. For more information on the event, please click here for the invitation, or contact Serena Handley. Futures and Options' Board member Ketan Kapadia heads up the Young Professionals and Alumni Committee, which launched this February. The committee is comprised of board members Kristine Kern, Jamaal Glenn, Cynthia Marian, Futures and Options' alum Edward Hiraldo and Chris O’Connor, a young professional, who believes in Futures and Options' mission. The committee's objectives are to engage alumni through social networking outlets, create a core alumni group, as well as host Young Professional and Alumni events throughout the year. If you’d like more information on the Young Professionals and Alumni Committee, please contact Serena Handley or call 212-601-0002. -------------------------------------------------- Mentor Chris Hecht, meets with his mentee Matthew Wellington, a senior at George Westinghouse High School. Following a very successful mentoring program partnership with Futures and Options this summer, the Youth, I.N.C. Young Professionals Committee (YPC) decided to partner again with Futures and Options for our spring George Westinghouse High School Program. Caroline Le Feuvre of Morgan Stanley, Poonam Shah of Goldman Sachs, and Jelena Strelcova of Evercore Partners took the lead in organizing the volunteer effort again this spring. According to Caroline, “The decision to partner with Futures and Options to provide mentors for Futures and Options’ student interns this spring was a natural extension of Youth, I.N.C. YPC’s growing relationship with Futures and Options, given the success of our partnership last summer. The YPC seeks to channel the passion and skills of New York City’s young professionals to make a difference in the lives of the community’s youth, and Futures and Options’ spring internship program offers an ideal opportunity for the YPC Volunteering Committee to implement its vision through mentorship.” The opening event for the mentoring program took place on the evening of March 3rd at Mansueto Ventures’ generously donated office in 7 World Trade. Twenty YPC mentors were matched with 20 student interns from George Westinghouse High School, and the pairs had an opportunity to meet and get to know each other. Throughout the 12 week internship, the pairs will communicate weekly about the interns’ experience in a work environment, and mentors will offer support and guidance on topics ranging from the challenges of high school to college and long term career goals. The program has gotten off to a very successful start, with mentors spending quality time with their mentees, in addition to weekly communication. Zach Abrams took his mentee Antoine Villalobos out bowling on a recent Sunday. Of his experience so far, Zach said, “I can already tell that the experience will have a meaningful impact on both Antoine and myself. It is a great opportunity for us to connect with someone with a different perspective and learn from the conversations and experiences.” “Connecting with a mentor was the best decision Futures and Options offered because my mentor is helping me think about my career and my future and also my mentor is fun and cool which is a great combo!” said Amanda Williams whose mentor Amy Hertenstein has already introduced her to professionals in careers that Amanda is interested in pursuing. Amy says of the experience “Futures and Options is the first official mentoring program in which I have been involved. While I entered the process hoping to help in some way or form, my expectations have definitely been exceeded. After reaching out to contacts in the entertainment and teaching industries to help connect [Amanda] with people in careers she is interested in, I received an e-mail that said 'So this is what a mentor does, help you out in time of need!!!’ It's moments like that one that makes this experience very rewarding as you realize what an impact you are making on these kids' lives.” For more information on the spring mentoring program with Youth, I.N.C.’s Young Professionals Committee, please contact Tyran Williams or call 212-601-0002. -------------------------------------------------- Nicholas Kristof’s March 25, 2010, New York Times op-ed article titled “Escaping From Poverty” points to proven interventions for fighting poverty: “Two of the most important interventions seem to be education and jobs.” Kristof’s article highlights cost-effective programs that break the cycle of poverty, including career academies, which as Kristof says, “Keep students engaged in high school by teaching around career themes and partnering with local employers to give kids work experience. Eight years of follow-up research suggests that graduates are more likely to hold jobs and earn more money.” Futures and Options Career Development and Internship Program aligns closely with the work of career academies: we make it possible for underserved youth to receive career readiness training and vital hands-on work experience. The downside is that the recession has brought cuts to both education and jobs, “harming the two most effective stairways out of poverty,” in Kristof’s words. It is imperative that we continue to provide the Futures and Options “stairway out of poverty” to New York’s teens: an internship and career development program that truly improves their education and career trajectories. Join our work by making a contribution now. -------------------------------------------------- College Guidance What: Making the Right Choice for College Workshop Who: High School Seniors Where: Alliance for Downtown New York When: April 13, 5 pm to 6:30 pm. For more information on our College Guidance Initiative, please contact Tyran Williams or call 212-601-0002. Career Exploration and Goal Setting Event What: Youth, I.N.C. Young Professionals Committee Mentoring Program Event Who: George Westinghouse High School Interns Where: TBD When: April 14, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. For more information on the George Westinghouse High School Internship Program, please contact Tyran Williams or call 212-601-0002. A Toast to Brighter Futures What: A fun event with a live DJ and drink specials, with proceeds benefiting Futures and Options Who: New York City Young professionals and alumni of Futures and Options. Where: Sutra Lounge, 16 First Avenue When: April 22, 6:30 pm to 10 pm. Admission: $10 minimum donation. *Must be 21 or over to attend. For more information on the event, please click here for the invitation, or contact Serena Handley. -------------------------------------------------- It is our priority to keep in touch with our alumni and offer support in any way we can. If you are an alum of our program, please take a minute to update your contact information, so that we can keep in touch with you and keep you informed about upcoming alumni events. Thank you for your help! -------------------------------------------------- Futures and Options is proud to spotlight its program and introduce you to some of our partners and young men and women who participate. Click here to view our video. --------------------------------------------------		Visit the event page for more information and to RSVP. Must be 21 or over to attend. Will miss the fun, but want to support Brighter Futures for New York’s teens? Click here. For more information contact Serena Handley or call 212-601-0002. ----------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- Futures and Options is excited to share our 2009 annual report with you. The report details our work in the last year to serve the youth of our city and strengthen the workforce of tomorrow. Thanks to your support we were able to serve 54 percent more students this year than in 2008. Please click here to read about our student's accomplishments, the benefits to our business partners, our new program initiatives, recent fundraising events and much more... If you would like to receive a copy of our annual report please contact us at 212-601-0002 or email Serena Handley. ----------------------------------------------- The Futures and Options Pre-Internship Program, which annually serves 100 middle and high school teens, provides career readiness training to students who have not yet acquired the skill level or age to be placed in internship positions – an often neglected demographic of youth. Each term two Pre-Internship Program alumni are hired as paid interns and assist our program’s lead coordinator, Stefanie Jones, in planning the activities as well as have an opportunity to model and apply the skills they learned in the program. After having successfully completed the Pre-Internship Program, Claymont Sancho, a sophomore at George Westinghouse High School, and Morolake Thompson, a senior at Health Professions and Human Services High School, assisted the Pre-Internship Program as interns this past fall. In addition to their responsibilities as assistants, the interns also take part in our Internship Program's career readiness workshops and enrichment activities. Interns Morolake Thompson and Claymont Sancho Claymont and Morolake share their feedback on the internship experience: Morolake, what impact did your experience as a Futures and Options intern have on you?* “As a Futures and Options intern, I became better skilled in time management and learned to take initiative. As a student, balancing several extra-curricular activities at once, every minute became significant and leisure was precious.” Claymont, what was helpful to you from your experience as an intern? “Three things I learned were: 1. Communication: Learning that you have to call and let people know if you are going to be late. 2. Get Sleep: So you are ready to work with energy. 3. Active Listening: Listen to tasks so you understand the directions and ask questions.” Morolake, what advice would you give to teens looking for a job? “I would advise teens in search of a job to first create a list of things they are good at and another of things they enjoy doing. In creating this list, they will not only learn more about themselves but also have a basic idea on what types of jobs they would not only enjoy doing, but carry out successfully.” Claymont, how did you feel about your supervisor and how did they help you to learn and do your best? “Stefanie was a supportive boss, who helped me fix mistakes, practice presentations, and prepare for each workshop.” Morolake, would you recommend the program to other students? “I would very much recommend the program to other students because of the basic on-the-job skills every student needs. As a student, finding employment is difficult because of lack of experience. As a result of the internship opportunity created especially for students by Futures and Options, teens have the opportunity to prove they are mature and skilled enough to handle the challenge of employment.” Claymont, how about your advice? I would tell kids to take the job seriously right from the start and not to underestimate how important you are to the team. Claymont and Morolake also created a job resource guide for teens who are looking for an internship. You can download the guide here. For more information on the Pre-Internship Program, please contact Stefanie Jones or call 212-601-0002. ----------------------------------------------- Did you think wish lists were only for the holidays? You can visit our Amazon.com wish list to donate items that will improve our program workshops, add to our college guidance materials, and assist us in organizing our small office. This wish list is compiled from requests by program staff and is regularly updated to reflect the needs of our students and staff. Visit our wish list to donate an item that will directly benefit the youth of our Career Development and Internship Program. ----------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- To view photos of our workshops, field trips and events visit our Flickr page. ----------------------------------------------- Our top priority is staying in touch with you. Please sign up for our newsletter and program and event updates. To join our email list click here. If you are a friend, donor, business partner or alumni of Futures and Options, please take a minute to fill out this short survey and update your contact info with us. For more information on our programs or events, please email us at info@futuresandoptions.org or call 212-601-0002. To download an application for the Internship or Pre-Internship Program, visit our website.