Welcome to the website of Futures and Options Inc.!
To old friends, and on behalf of the many high school students who have benefited from your generosity and support, let me thank you for having made a difference. To those new to FAO, let me tell you about our program, about what we do and why we do it, and about how you can join us in our mission. Join us in achieving our dual goals: enabling our high school youth to connect with our economic mainstream and strengthening our business community through this creation of a pool of prepared and productive employees...

Why FAO?

Urban adolescents, though motivated, eager to learn, and anxious about their future and the independence it entails, often lack access to the economic mainstream, connections to the workplace, and understanding of the workplace culture. All too often they fail to see the connection between what they have been asked to do in high school and what they can reasonably be expected to do as they move into adulthood. They often have little realization of the opportunities available to them and, equally important, of what they have to do to take advantage of those opportunities, including what higher education they must have.

At the same time, employers, especially those in urban areas, decry the lack of qualified entry-level employees. They seek an applicant who is willing to learn, aware of the need to arrive on time and to be a "team member"–in short, who possesses the "soft skills" of positive attitudes. But that candidate too seldom appears, in large part because our high schools today lack the resources to provide the programs through which these qualities are nurtured.

The mission of FAO Inc. is to respond to these dual needs: the need of young people for connections and access to the economic mainstream and the need of the business community for well-prepared young employees. FAO Inc. does this by preparing high school students for placement in paid internships and then supervising them throughout the experience. Explore our website to learn about the specific and effective methods we have developed to respond to these needs. They result in the development of positive skills and attitudes on the part of students and in the knowledge they gain about networking and careers. The partner corporations, which sponsor their internships, gain real work and future employees. The on-site supervisors and the FAO educational staff gain a great deal of satisfaction.

The impact of the FAO program is remarkable, attested to by current and former interns, by supervisors, and by our sponsors. FAO Inc. has created opportunities for hundreds of New York City students in career areas about which they knew little and to which they had no access. It has improved the employability in global markets of these young people. The "soft skills" they develop, like initiative, enable them to more effectively use their substantive skills, such as computer literacy–in any position. FAO benefits youth, the business community, and the city itself by developing productive citizens. Read on–and join us as a partner in this mission.

To read more about Dr. Barbara Christen, click here.