Who We Support
Grantee Spotlights
Goddard Riverside’s Options Center was founded in 1985 as one of New York City’s first community-based college access centers. Options’ College Access Counselors provide 1:1 support to help young people who are underrepresented in college – including low-income, first-generation, Black and Latinx young men and women, and those experiencing significant barriers to college enrollment, such as young people aging out of foster care, those who have experienced homelessness, DACA students – to successfully apply, gain admission, and enroll in college. In 2012, the Options Center began offering College Success Counseling services to support its students to persist through college and earn a college degree. Access and Success counseling teams take a strengths-based approach to guide students to develop their own agency along the continuum of college applications, decision-making, transition to college, major determination, transfer process, and career planning. In addition, since 2005 Options has operated a Training Institute that has provided training to more than 8,000 unique college access and success professionals representing over 600 schools and organizations. The Institute offers a 60-hour college and financial aid counseling foundations certification that has been described as the “gold standard” in the field and several full and half-day workshops. More recently, the Institute developed a College Success Training that includes four workshops on college-readiness topics such as Unpacking Financial Aid and Don’t Miss Your Transfer, and additional social-emotional sessions.
Reel Works mentors, inspires, and empowers NYC youth to share their stories through filmmaking, creating a springboard to successful careers in media and beyond. The organization matches teens one-on-one with professional filmmaker mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It is a powerful combination that changes young lives and creates films that have been seen by tens of millions of viewers worldwide. Building on its successful program tools and methods, Reel Works broadens its reach and impact and diversifies the media industry through MediaMKRS: Building Pathways For Careers in Media. Through MediaMKRS, young people receive training from industry leaders, educations, and local government and gain industry credentials. They also gain work experience through sequential, paid work experiences at leading media companies. Participants receive industry-based badges that align with nationwide workforce standards and show employers specific skills they have gained through learning experiences. MediaMKRS also partners with employers and unions to provide job training for specific careers in media. Reel Works recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary by presenting a series of short films of the most inspiring films and filmmakers.
The Bell amplifies the voices of New York City students and empowers them to lead in the fight for equity in the nation’s largest school system through complementary programs in youth activism and youth journalism. The Bell’s Miseducation podcast gives NYC high school student interns a microphone to report on the inequities they see in their schools. With guidance from staff from The Bell and professional journalists and podcasters, students gain multimedia storytelling skills while adding valuable voices to the education conversation. Students’ stories raise awareness about inequities faced by many NYC students to a podcast audience of 15,000. Miseducation podcasters have been re-republished by the Hechinger Report and featured on WNYC in its education news segments. Listen to the Miseducation podcast.