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type nonprofit organization founded 1983 number of locations sunset park bushwick bedford stuyvesant williamsburg jamaica mott haven united states key people randolph peers chief executive officer number of employees 70 80 website obtjobs.org opportunities for a better tomorrow obt is a nonprofit with locations in brooklyn queens and the bronx new york . obt s mission is to educate train and support those who are at risk helping them to acquire the personal and professional skills they need to achieve rewarding employment self sufficiency and productive futures . in 2013 obt partnered with the ymca of greater new york in the creation of y roads centers . in 2014 obt was named to the s & i s list of the 100 most effective organizations by the social impact exchange . contents 1 history 2 services 2.1 youth education and job training 2.2 young adult internship program 2.3 medical administrative assistant 2.4 anchoring achievement in mexican communities 2.5 leading to success 2.6 adult employment and training 2.7 adult literacy 2.8 office of new americans 3 references 4 external links history edit opportunities for a better tomorrow was founded in 1983 by sister mary franciscus rsm to provide job training to the at risk youth of sunset park . obt began in a rundown storefront with the support of a small government contract . by 1992 additional public and private support allowed the organization to move into a larger building in the same vicinity . at this time obt launched a job training program for adults and started a support program for graduates . eventually daytime and evening remedial education programs were also added . in 2001 the organization expanded its youth program by opening a second location obt north in the bushwick bedford stuyvesant sections of brooklyn . in 2002 obt won a pepnet builder award for their commitment to continuous improvement in working with youth . in 2006 after the untimely passing of sr. mary obt hired randolph peers formerly vice president of the brooklyn chamber of commerce as the new chief executive officer . in 2013 opportunities for a better tomorrow partnered with the ymca of greater new york to open y roads centers across new york city . the first y roads center opened in jamaica queens in 2013 to provide the disconnected youth in the jamaica community with education job training and support services . 1 a second y roads center opened in mott haven bronx in october 2014 . 2 in july of 2015 opportunities for a better tomorrow intends to officially merge with the the maura clarke ita ford center mcif which has been operating out of obt s bushwick workforce resource center bwrc since september 2014 . 3 services edit youth education and job training edit obt s service model is unique among youth programs due to its comprehensive scope of training and its emphasis on personal discipline . the youth training model is an intensive 20 week program that includes high school equivalency classes if needed business math business english office procedures computer classes ms office public speaking and communications and a world of work module . a simulated real work environment is an integral part of the entire curriculum . participants are required to punch in and out on a time clock each day dress professionally and are given work assignments with timelines for completion . excessive lateness and absenteeism result in the participants being terminated from the program . students that successfully complete the 20 weeks emerge with a high school equivalency diploma and the skills necessary to obtain and retain employment . most of obt s job placements are clerical and administrative office related positions in financial services firms law firms government and other related businesses . obt s overall job placement percentage averages about 72 % annually . one fifth of obt s graduates also go on to enroll in college . the youth education and job training program is available at obt s locations in sunset park and williamsburg bushwick in brooklyn ; jamaica queens ; and mott haven bronx young adult internship program edit the young adult internship program is a 14 week job training and internship program available to young adults ages 17 24 who live in new york city with preference given to those who live in the neighborhoods of williamsburg bedford stuyvesant crown heights and bushwick in brooklyn and in jamaica queens . the interns participate in five weeks of intensive business skills training followed an eleven week paid internship . 4 obt s internship sites include the brooklyn chamber of commerce new york state and new york city government offices weeksville heritage center brooklyn navy yard vernon avenue children s school and woodhull medical center . medical administrative assistant edit the medical administrative assistant training program provides youth ages 17 21 with experience and training to have a successful career in the medical field . participants receive training in medical terminology communications customer service and basic bookkeeping . participants also receive a medical administrative assistant certification through the national healthcareer association and an internship in a hospital or doctor s office . 5 anchoring achievement in mexican communities edit in 2013 obt started an initiative specifically targeting youth in the mexican community in bushwick brooklyn to help improve retention in high school and help mexican youth continue on to college . 6 in partnership with churches united for fair housing and academy of urban planning aup . obt runs the growing responsibly through ownership and willingness grow program at st. joseph patron church and the anchor up program at aup . each program meets once a week in an effort to increase personal and professional development in its participants through career and college exploration and recreational activities including soccer music and art at grow . leading to success edit in 2014 as part of the cure violence initiative by the new york city mayor s office and councilman jumaane williams who is a co chair of the new york city council s task force to combat gun violence opportunities for a better tomorrow launched their leading to success program in conjunction with other community groups including gangstas making astronomical community changes g.m.a.c.c. sesame flyers and east flatbush village and leaders in the east flatbush neighborhood of brooklyn . the program is an evidence based public health approach which identifies and engages individuals most likely to be involved in gun violence and deploys interventions aimed at curbing that behavior before it occurs including retaliatory shootings . the initiative combines six city agencies and organizations to work with violence interrupters and mediators as well as provide rap around community based preventive services . 7 this month long program for community members ages 16 21 provides job skills training resume help and job placement assistance or college access assistance . obt will also provide services for community members up to the age of 30 which will include job placement assistance . adult employment and training edit the adult employment and training program is expected to provide over 3 000 adults per year with the training and assistance in obtaining a new or better paying job . the services are open to people from all stages in their career whether they are unemployed underemployed on public assistance or a veteran . recognizing that each jobseeker has individual needs obt s employment team tailors a unique service plan that may include business skills training resume development or job placement support . out of the bwrc obt also offers classes to become a certified microsoft office specialist . adult literacy edit the adult literacy program offers free english for speakers of other languages esol classes in the bushwick bedford stuyvesant and sunset park communities each year . obt supports students with a range of services including training in employment skills and job placement services . obt also offers high school equivalency and pre high school equivalency classes to adults at its bushwick and sunset park locations . office of new americans edit obt s office for new americans located at the bushwick workforce resource center exists to provide new yorkers with free services for the immigration applications such as naturalization renewal of green card certificate of citizenship deferred action for childhood arrivals daca and deferred action for parental accountability as well as referrals to other no or low cost immigration services throughout the city . ona also offers entrepreneurship classes taught in spanish . 8 references edit ymca opening massive center to help disconnected youth in jamaica 1 dnainfo april 1 2013 ymca launches program for disconnected youth in the bronx 2 dnainfo october 30 2014 merger recalls slain maryknoll nuns 3 the tablet november 29 2014 obt graduates more than 50 youth from young adult internship program 4 march 6 2015 http www.cb14brooklyn.com community directory job resources job training programs http www.lehman.edu cuny mexican studies institute dbaf anchoring.php williams stands with parents of recent 15 year old gun violence victim & community activists during anti gun violence rally 5 http www.nycservice.org organizations 2214 s & i 100 list social impact exchange job training for kids courier life publications paving the way for a better tomorrow obt gives tall salute to outstanding trio of executives in the community courier life publications helping create a better tomorrow courier life publications teens train for tomorrow many gain the skills needed for careers courier life publications . sister mary franciscus way debuts courier life publications sister mary franciscus way street renaming in sunset park brooklyn eagle . new paths of opportunity for immigrants in new york gotham gazette . external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title opportunities for a better tomorrow & oldid 737340950 categories non profit organizations based in new yorkhidden categories wikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest from september 2014articles lacking in text citations from september 2014all articles lacking in text citationsarticles lacking reliable references from september 2014all articles lacking reliable referencespages using infobox company with unsupported parameters navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print 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