Tag Archives: CEWD

Brooklyn Science Innovation Initiative

In its second year, the Brooklyn Science Innovation Initiative (BSII) invited more than 35 high-school students to Kingsborough Community College (KCC) for a summer science and business immersion program. BSII paired a college-level Earth Science coursed with a virtual enterprise experience and had student develop virtual businesses using the concepts they learned in each class. This year’s student businesses include SpearTech, a solar-powered outdoor canopy that harnesses the sun’s power for usable energy, and BeeHax, a company that studies and proposes solutions to the collapse of bee colonies around the world.

Join us next Monday to hear student pitches and view their showcase of potential ideas. The event will be held at KCC’s MAC Rotunda (the Lighthouse) on August 8th from 2:30pm to 5:00pm

RSVP: http://bsii2016.eventbrite.com/

BSII is a collaboration between CEWD, KCC’s College Now and the Physical Sciences Department at KCC and is generously supported by the AT&T Foundation.

CYAP Success Story: Tearah Chesnut

It’s always great to hear from CEWD graduates with updates about their educational, employment and personal lives. This week’s letter comes from someone who graduated from the CUNY Young Adult Program in 2010:

Good Morning,

Tearah Chesnut via LinkedIn

My name is Tearah Chesnut and I attended the CYAP back in 2010. When I first came across this program I didn’t know what I was getting into. I am happy to say that I did complete it and went on to starting classes as a full time student at Kingsborough just a few months later. I continued on with Culinary Arts up until I got pregnant in 2012. I was just about a few credits shy, but never continued. Since then I’ve worked in a few kitchens, but never really knew if that’s where I wanted to be. I was laid off recently from a charter school working as a cafeteria supervisor. From there I really didn’t want to go back into a kitchen, let alone find another job.

A few weeks after the layoff I decided to start my own business making soap! When people ask me what made me want to start making soap I could never really find an answer. When I think about it now, looking back, while I was in the kitchen, I always wondered how ingredients can be used in other ways (other than eating them). That’s when I started researching the benefits of fruits on your skin and other various foods in the kitchen.

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Best Practices in Marketing – CEWD, Kingsborough and NRC

Best Practices in Marketing Webinar
presented by Kingsborough Community College
Friday, April 15th, 11am-12pm

Winners of two Department of Labor TAACCCT Grant Awards and several other large-scale grant funded awards, the Center for Economic and Workforce Development (CEWD) at Kingsborough Community College (KBCC) utilizes innovative marketing methods, including data research and strategic outreach, to successfully target candidates for their training programs and initiatives. These best practices have since been applied to the most recent TAACCCT grant, the Northeast Resiliency Consortium, as well as all other grant funded training programs awarded to the department. By developing innovative, customized campaigns, CEWD has been able to connect with multiple different constituent and participant groups through various communication platforms, including traditional print, web outreach, social media, and direct marketing.

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2016 NYAETP Youth Conference

On Tuesday, March 22, Dina LiMandri and Genesis Reyes will present at the 2016 NYAETP Youth Conference about CEWD’s successful approach to youth programming.

A strong relationship between the program counselor and participant cannot be overstated. A report by MDRC, Reconnecting Disconnected Young Adults: the Early Experiences of Project Rise, which featured KCC’s Project Rise, notes that the caring relationships between participants, case managers, instructors and staff promoted persistence and success. Participants interviewed for the report describe the staff as “invested, relentless, kind and passionate”. At CEWD, these relationships extend throughout the entire program team.

Through our presentation (click the image above for the full presentation) attendees will learn about our successful approaches that serve to empower young adult participants. We’ll review the benefits of our teamwork approach and its impact on retention. Attendees will discuss practical steps to facilitate implementation which will ultimately improve programming, participant retention results, and the development of best practices applicable to all youth programs.

CUNY Fatherhood Academy – Register Today!

Are you a father or an expecting father between the ages of 18 and 24? Do you want to get your high school diploma, enroll in college and start your career? Kingsborough’s CUNY Fatherhood Academy (CFA) could be just what you’re looking for! CFA is a comprehensive program designed to promote responsible parenting and economic stability for unemployed and underemployed young fathers through education, employment, and personal development. If you’re ready, fill out our online application to start the registration process.

Participants receive:

Preparation for the TASC, NY’s high school equivalency exam.
Career and educational exploration.
Preparation for college enrollment and job placement.
Work experience through internships and/or part-time jobs.
Workshops on important parenthood topics including familial bonding, health, and financial literacy.

To be eligible you must:

Be a male between the ages of 18 and 24 years
Be eligible to work in the United States (citizen, have a green card, or have a work visa)
Not be enrolled in college or another training program.
Have a child or be expecting a baby.

Do you want to know even more? Visit our homepage and then fill out our Orientation Session Application. A representative will contact you to provide additional information about the program, assess your eligibility and register you for an upcoming session.

CEWD Director, Babette Audant, Researches the Stackability of Culinary Arts Credits at KBCC

CEWD’s Executive Director, Babette Audant, just released findings from her study: Stackable credentials and career/college pathways in culinary arts at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY
The study “compared employment and education opportunities for students enrolled in short-term training to those of students enrolled in an associate degree program. Its goal was to explore gaps between employer demand for trained workers and long-term investments in education. The study also aimed to suggest ways in which we can meaningfully support students in their pursuit of degrees, even as they seek employment in high-growth sector for which education, experience, and job titles are often an imprecise match.”

CUNY Fatherhood Academy at Kingsborough

New York City Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery announced today that Brooklyn’s only community college—Kingsborough Community College—and Hostos Community College in the Bronx were chosen as the two expansion sites among CUNY campuses for the CUNY Fatherhood Academy (CFA). The announcement took place at LaGuardia Community College, the site of the original 2012 program launch. Joining Deputy Mayor Buery were Kingsborough Community College president Farley Herzek, Hostos Community College president David Gomez, LaGuardia Community College president Gail O. Mellow, CUNY Director of Continuing Education and Workforces Programs Valerie Westphal, and NYC Human Resource Administration Office of Child Support Enforcement Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Parent and Community Engagement Alan S. Farrell.

Hostos Community College in the Bronx was also selected as the second expansion site, and LaGuardia Community College will continue to sustain the Fatherhood Academy which began on its campus in 2012. Total funding of $2.1 million will serve more than 200 fathers over the next year at all three sites. Beginning in November 2015, the grant of $441,357, which will be administered by Kingsborough’s Center for Economic and Workforce Development, will allow the College to serve an anticipated 40 young fathers in CFA as they prepare for, and enroll in college and/or training programs.

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CEWD Employee of the Month, April 2015

CEWD Employee of the Month, April 2015:

Genesis Reyes

“Genesis is reliable and passionate employee. She is invested in the outcomes of the program, the success of young people we serve, and overall day-to-day management of Project Rise. ”

“I couldn’t ask for a better person to work along side with, especially when there’s a heavy load of work that is in need for assistance. Genesis is the go to person when major questions are being asked.”

“On a personal note Genesis is very loving and caring and shows lots of charisma.”

Ms. Genesis Reyes began her career with the CEWD in 2011. Ms. Reyes is currently a Kingsborough Community College student and works for CEWD full time. Over the course of her employment Ms. Reyes was promoted three times, and most recently began her position as Program Coordinator for SIF Project Rise. In this role, Ms. Reyes will provide support the program with day-to-day support to ensure if functions optimally. Ms. Reyes has successfully provided support to the Project Rise team by effective multi-tasking and administrative coordination. Some of Genesis’s contributions include creation of the Project Rise newsletter, co-coordination of the Job Club, efficient management of payment requests, to name a few. Ms. Reyes is studying Early Childhood Education and is expected to graduate fall 2015. She plans on pursuing a degree in Education Studies at CUNY Brooklyn College.

CEWD at NYCETC’s 2015 Policy Forum

On February 6, the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) hosted a policy forum titled “Policy, Perspectives and Partnerships” to discuss NYCs Career Pathways Report and for participants to share their experiences with city leaders and to discuss recent city-wide workforce developments. Over very own Director of Programs, Alissa Levine, co-facilitated group activities with CUNY Central’s Colette Labrador, during a Career Pathways workshop “How Do We Design and Implement Effective Career Pathways Models” conducted by Scott Zucker of Public Works Partnership.

Student Success Story: Maya Stansberry at KCC Urban Farm

If you’ve read any of our recent posts about KCC Urban Farm, you’ve probably seen photos of one of our most dedicated and energetic student aides: Maya Stansberry. Before the holidays I sat down with Maya to talk about her work on the farm and her future plans in urban agriculture.

What is your interest in urban farming and where did it come from?

Growing up, gardening was a pastime that my mother and relatives eagerly shared, and something that I learned to appreciate as well as enjoy. While my family has no professional/educational background with gardening, we always had gardens or small, indoor greenhouses going on somewhere. As a result, and I feel like a hippie saying this, I love being outside and connecting with the earth. There’s something exciting about putting something in the earth and getting something else back.

I wouldn’t say that my interest in urban farming comes from growing up in Baltimore, but more comes from growing up in a family with a southern/country heritage where gardening/farming incidentally runs in the family (my fraternal grandfather, who grew up on a farm, has his own vegetable garden which I helped tend to in my early teens; my maternal grandmother has a vegetable garden at her church; my mom encouraged my siblings and I to attempt to grow things, etc.).

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