I can't believe it is April already! What an exciting few months we've had since our last newsletter in January - please read on to find out about all of the great work we've been doing at StreetWise Partners!
As most of you know, this will be my last newsletter as I am moving back home to England next week. My husband Graeme and I are expecting a baby in early August, and as I enter this new phase of my life I've been reflecting on all of the incredible opportunities I've been afforded, the wonderful friends I've made, and the daily inspirations I've received while working in New York, and especially at StreetWise Partners. I will be returning to England a very different person than when I left five years ago (not to mention a little rounder in the tummy with the baby!), and I want to thank you all for being a part of this incredible adventure with me. I shall miss you all, and hope you keep in touch - you can find me on LinkedIn!
Here is a snapshot of the amazing things that have happened since our last newsletter.
1. Leadership Transition
Of top most importance to announce is the arrival of our new Executive Director, Tracey K. Allard. Tracey started working at StreetWise Partners on March 22 and has spent the last 2½ weeks visiting our programs, meeting with Board members, and going through a thorough transition, covering the past, present and future of the organization. Tracey brings a wealth of workforce development experience to StreetWise Partners as well as many fresh ideas and a great amount of enthusiasm! Please click here to read our Press Release about Tracey's appointment as the new Executive Director.
2. Spring Programs Launched!
We have 88 trainees currently in six programs in three states, working with 236 volunteers and officers. More details on our current trainees, our new 12 month program and one-time volunteer opportunities are detailed below (our refined trainee selection and piloting of our one-year program have meant that some programs are smaller than they've been before, but read on to learn more about the demographics of the trainees to see how we are really impacting people who need our services, and helping them in the most sustainable way!). We also ran a small pilot program this spring at the Corporate Executive Board in DC focusing on key skills - resumes, interview skills, professional communication and goal setting - which was extremely well received and brought about a number of successes.
3. Fundraising Events
On Thursday March 10 we welcomed over 400 people to our New York Taste of Success event and last Friday April 1, we had over 175 people at our Laugh for a Change comedy event in DC. Both events brought together engaged and interested individuals and gave us the chance to share more about the life-changing work we do.
Scroll down to read more about the past three months of happenings!
I sign off not 'goodbye' but rather 'speak to you soon, and see you again someday!'
Best wishes,
Melanie Christianson
P.S. Make sure you read our Trainee Success Stories and click to view our trainees talking about what they got from the program - all can be found along the right side of the newsletter!
The staff and volunteers at StreetWise Partners are working on several exciting projects in preparation for spring which include:
New Year Long Programs Update:
In our last Newsletter, we announced our new, year long program structure, which will build upon our 13-week Career Ventures programming, with nine additional months of flexibly-scheduled ongoing mentor check-ins/support and Continued Professional Development Workshops. Since then, we have been hard at work setting up the support structure for this new Career Implementation phase of our program.
There are several changes to look forward to on the horizon that we believe, along with this new extended level of support, will help our trainees achieve higher employment rates, increase the number of trainees re-enrolling in educational degrees or certificate programs, and further help our trainees gain the skills needed to sustain employment once they have achieved it.
A new group of Phase 2 Officers is currently being recruited to manage and support trainees and mentors following the Promotion Ceremony (formerly known as Graduation) that will take place at the end of the 13-week Career Ventures program. We have created a new website to track individual's progress, and also to create a forum for mentors to share ideas, resources and ask questions directed at officers and other mentors. Mentors will be responsible for providing progress reports on their trainees progress each month and staff will run in-house check-in sessions at six, nine, and 12 months. This will be an opportunity to discuss common barriers, share successes, resources, job leads, and network. At the 12 month check-in, each trainee will be evaluated to determine if they meet graduation requirements, which include:
A minimum score of 90% on Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Prove-It exams.
Completion of a monthly progress report (submitted by mentors).
Attend and connect with staff at all three tri-monthly check-in sessions.
Make substantial progress/completion of their Career Work Plan.
Create a continued plan for the next one to five years.
There will be one Graduation Ceremony for all NY/NJ trainees and one in DC to celebrate their accomplishments at the end of the 12 month program.
We are very excited about piloting this new 12 month program model, and the staff, Board and key volunteers who consulted together on these changes, feel very excited about this new opportunity for enriching the support we offer to our trainees.
Career Ventures Programs
We have served almost 2,000 trainees and have worked with more than 5,000 volunteers since our inception in 1997. Since the launch of our DC program in 2006, 198 trainees have graduated and since the inception of our NJ program in 2008, 84 trainees have graduated.
Over the past year, we have focused our target program population, and in turn are reaching those who can most benefit from our program. Our Spring programs are, as a result, slightly smaller than our fall programs, however we are targeting a much more needy population. The following metrics highlights the barriers faced by our spring trainees, and the charts compare a few key demographics from last year to our current programs.
Metrics from Spring 2011 trainees:
52% are 0-1 generation in the U.S.
30% have English as a Second Language
70% of parents are single parents
Only 7% of spring trainees currently receive any healthcare benefits and 56% are on public assistance
Last year as a whole we saw significant improvements and can report the following successes:
·74% of participants were employed by the end of the 13-week program
·Average participant weekly income upon starting the program was $121 and income increased by an average of 75% (88% in just fall 2010 programs). Young adults salaries increased the most drastically - by 257%
·In fall 2010 programs, the number of people receiving healthcare benefits doubled from beginning to end of Career Ventures
·Significant improvements were seen in our trainee's confidence in their resume, interview skills and job-relevant computer skills. 98% reported improved resume and interview skills, 92% increased their confidence, and 90% indicated greater overall satisfaction with life
·Our pre- and post-cycle computer tests indicate that Career Ventures participants improved their computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint by on average of 16%. The greatest impact is seen in young adults, whose proficiency in these programs improved by up to 25%. Young adults also improved their typing speed by an average of 10 words per minute
·Professional networks doubled in size on average and participants added an average of 21 new individuals to their network through the program
Get Involved!
StreetWise Partners offers an array of one-time volunteer opportunities throughout New York and Washington, DC. Click here to register online to secure your space in these upcoming projects.
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Spring 2011 one-time events are as follows: NEW YORK
Conduct three mock interviews as a CEO, Line Manager or HR Manager, and then provide direct feedback to our motivated, low-income job seekers.
New York Stock Exchange: Wednesday, 6/8, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Speed Networking: Provide our program participants the opportunity to meet new people, develop their confidence in speaking about their professional and personal experiences, and 'perfect their pitch' - the way they 'sell' themselves to new contacts they meet.
Credit Suisse: Wednesday, 5/18, 6:15 - 7pm
WASHINGTON, DC
Computer Teaching Assistant: Work one-on-one with one of our trainees to help them improve their computer skills in Microsoft Office. White & Case: Saturdays, April: 9th, 16th, 30th; May: 7th, 14th 21st, 10 -11:15am
Conduct three mock interviews as a CEO, Line Manager or HR Manager, and then provide direct feedback to our motivated, low-income job seekers.
White & Case: Saturday, 4/16, 11:30am - 2pm
Speed Networking: Give our program participants the opportunity to meet new people, develop their confidence in speaking about their professional and personal experiences, and 'perfect their pitch' - the way they 'sell' themselves to new contacts they meet.
White & Case: Saturday, 5/7, 1pm - 2pm
We will be offering several Continued Professional Development Workshops this spring in NY & DC. Click here to learn more and sign-up for any of our workshops.
Recent / Upcoming Events
On Thursday, March 10th, more than 400 members of the StreetWise Partners network gathered at Providence Lounge in NYC for an evening of tasting, sipping, and giving back. The night featured 30 of NYC's finest culinary and beverage companies including Buddakan, Luke's Lobster, Poco, Delicatessen, Macbar, The Macallan, Moët & Chandon, Brooklyn Brewery, and more. Special thanks to The Remixologists, Yelp!, and Julie Qiu for helping to make the evening a true success.
StreetWise Partners celebrated April Fool's Day with Laugh for a Change in Washington, D.C. Over 150 people gathered at District for cocktails and entertainment from five local comedians. Many thanks to our host for the evening, A.D. Garrett, and to everyone who joined us last Friday!
Stay tuned for more information about the StreetWise Partners Summer Soirée coming up on Wednesday, June 8th at The Carriage House in Gramercy, NYC. Enjoy an evening of festive cocktails, savory treats, live music, and more. Individual tickets and corporate-sponsorship will be available. Plus, the StreetWise Partners Challenge is back, so watch this space for more!
If you have any comments or feedback about this newsletter, or wish to be removed from our quarterly updates, please email Seekqumarie Kellman, Development & Program Associate at seekqumarie@streetwisepartners.org.
1. James Fleming, a graduate of our Jersey City Career Ventures program recently secured an Accounts Receivable Manager position at Medidata Solutions. A few of James' responsibilities include maintaining a cohesive billing system and investigating and resolving customer queries for the clinical software development company. James was introduced to the program by his mother, Deborah Fleming, who's also a graduate of the Career Ventures program.
2. Rhonda Steward is a trainee in the Career Ventures program hosted at The Gallup Organization in Washington, DC and recently interviewed for a part-time position at a group home agency. Rhonda was offered a fill-time Client Manager position right on the spot. Rhonda's responsibilities include monitoring and supporting four individuals with intellectual disabilities.
3. Mekedes Woku, a graduate of the Key Skills program hosted at the Corporate Executive Board landed an interview two days after enrolling in the Washington, DC based program. Mekedes worked diligently with her mentors to practice the big 6 interview questions and she gathered additional insight during mock interview day. At the conclusion of the five-week long program, Mekedes secured a position as a Staff Accountant at Adventist Healthcare.
4. Olesya Luzinova, a graduate of our New York adult Career Ventures program recently secured an IT Analysis position at Siwel Consulting. Olesya conducted an informational interview with Katie Taylor, a mentor in the program. Several weeks after the interview, Katie learned of an IT Analysis position within Siwel Consulting. Katie forwarded Olesya's resume on to the Human Resources department, and after three rounds of interviews, Olesya will start at Siwel Consulting in one week.
5. Marcus Byas, a graduate of the young adult Career Ventures program is passionate in his pursuit of art. Marcus is currently studying Fine Arts at Kingsborough Community College. He specializes in painting, mix media and performs freelance logo design. With the support of his mentors, Marcus recently created a website to display and sell his artwork. Click here to follow his work.
Share a moment with Marcus Byas
Leadership
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rahul Advani, Chair Energy Capital Partners
Orlando Ashford
Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc.
Singleton Beato
American Association of Advertising Agencies
Justin Bibb
National Conference on Citizenship
Tim Blass
Insource Consulting
Cameron Breitner
CVC Capital Partners
Ben Chrnelich
New York Stock Exchange
Allison Devore
Brian Dolan
Barclays Capital
Mark Fariborz
Hellman & Friedman
Joseph Foy PwC
Jon Friedland
Porter Orlin
Matt Gorin
Contour Venture Partners
John Iorillo
Ambrose Employer Group
Brian Korb
Glocap Search
David Kurzweil
Latham & Watkins LLP
Alan Landis
Corporate Executive Board
Anton Levy, Vice Chair General Atlantic
Richard Lukaj
Bank Street Group
Sarah-Marie Martin
Credit Suisse
Claire Silberman
Tony Snow
Soros Fund Management
JUNIOR BOARD NYC
Karine Alyanakian Brian Ballan Robert Brink Amelia Cason, Vice Chair Kevin Doherty Scott Glowinski Luke Guerrero Mona Hamra Elizabeth Kanter Jonathan Longabaugh Jeff Meyers Greg Nep Bhavik Patel Lisa Raylesberg Erin Smith Tazia Smith, Chair Taylor Stirek Alex Urdea Andrea Vidler Lauren Wolf
JUNIOR BOARD DC
Lauren Anderson Aaron Bartley Sahar Batmanghelidj Stephanie Beer Ben Bullitt Steve Frankel Steve Gabster Ashwin Gargeya Steph Heller Andy Jeng Angie Jusino Sarah Katz Joshua Kriger Jason Kwon Jonas Miller Trey Poore Clare Pozos Grant Reckhow Nick Shahani Silvia Tergas Caitlin Webber Hayley Weimer, Co-Chair Lauren Weiner Charles Wert David Worn, Co-Chair
