New York Nonprofit Media

This is how not to speak to someone who was formerly in foster care

Stereotypes followed this former foster youth even after she left care – even to a doctor's appointment.

Even in college, former foster youth Jasmine Edwards had to confront stereotypes.

360° video: What does a Close to Home facility look like?

This 360-video shows you inside The Children's Village facility in Dobbs Ferry. It moves through three scenes (two out of three of them are multiple rooms "stitched" together) like a regular video but you can toggle around using your mouse or the "a" key (left) "w" key (up) "s" key (down) and "d" key (right). You can also use Google Cardboard and other headsets to watch the video in proper virtual reality. Use the YouTube app if you are trying to view on mobile. The following is a transcript of the video: For more than 100 years, New York City children have come to The Children’s Village, which houses a non-secure detention facility in Dobbs Ferry, about a half-hour north of the city. This 180-acre facility in Westchester County is run by The Children’s Village, one of about a dozen Close to Home providers. The 5-year-old juvenile justice initiative places adjudicated youth in facilities close to their local communities rather than in upstate facilities. About 100 youth live in two-story cottages on this wooded campus after committing offenses such as assault theft and truancy. “We have always served kids that are poor and kids that are vilified by community, that are seen as either incapable of assimilation or as not as important or as valued.” The belief that rehabilitation rather than punishment is the best way to deal with these juveniles has always been deeply held here, but it’s also becoming official state policy with Raise the Age legislation, which will move teens under 18 out of the adult prison system starting in October 2018. One of those cottages is just ahead of you across the road. Behind you just beyond the right field line is where they go to school alongside a recreation center with a heated swimming pool, gym and even a cafe where some of them get part-time work. “This campus is not a destination. It’s not a home. It’s not a family. It’s more like an emergency room than anything else … Being a teenager or being an older teen is not easy w

Sue has sass – and she's determined to keep her apartment.

For thousands of children each year, the foster care system is a reality. The process of getting there often begins with a single report that gets the attention of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Various nonprofits have clients that are familiar with this system. So, It is helpful to know how the system works when you come across a caretaker or child who has interacted with ACS. An ACS caseworker in cooperation with a supervisor can order a parent or guardian to attend parenting classes, drug rehab or counseling. If ACS believes that an imminent dangers is present in the household, the child can be immediately removed. Under ideal circumstances, family reunification becomes a reality and that has been a stated priority under ACS Commissioner David Hansell one year into his tenure. But the history of child welfare in New York City is not easy to overcome, as Tina Brown, author of the book “Catching a Case: Inequality and Fear in New York City’s Child Welfare System” told NYN Media earlier this year. A basic understanding of the system and the opportunities it presents to parents and caretakers to retain custody of children can help many clients.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU ARE ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY

The experience of being arrested is all too common among the clients of nonprofit organizations. In order to serve them best, a thorough understanding of how they might have landed in jail is needed. Minor offenses such as trespassing easily snare a homeless person. A parent can lose custody of a child by violating parole. An open container of an alcoholic beverage can doom a youth to months – if not years – of legal wrangling. Cases differ in the details, but the process is all the same in terms of what happens once they are taken into custody. There are choices made along the way that can determine how much a client’s interaction with the criminal justice system will impact their lives, as sister publication City & State reported earlier this month. Police officers can choose to arrest a person, issue a summons, or simply look the other way. Judges can have mercy and assistant district attorneys can choose to go easy. Acts of leniency can help individuals avoid getting caught up in what an independent monitor called the “culture of violence” that exists in Rikers Island. As recently as May 2017, Gothamist reported that half of those in New York City jails were there because they could not make bail. Those held until the end of their cases are 92 percent more likely to be convicted, according to one report. For about 9,000 people right now, the system pointed them in one direction – to jail. Here’s how they got there.

THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED HARMONIZE THROUGH MUSIC AT THE FORTUNE SOCIETY

Three years ago, Carl Dukes was humming a tune in the halls of The Fortune Society’s office when he noticed a colleague liked what he was hearing. John grabbed Dukes and told him about the “music cafe.” Dukes should come to this nascent event where clients, staff and guests of the Queens-based nonprofit let loose during lunchtime with guitar melodies, acapella harmonies and rock and roll ballads. Dukes could sing, Runowicz reportedly said. “I told him, ‘Get out of here,’” Dukes told New York Nonprofit Media in an interview last month. He had just finished singing “Fly Me to the Moon.” A guest appearance from a Tufts University acapella group was next to take the stage. At the time, Dukes was 74 years old and several years into his job as a liaison between The Fortune Society and the incarcerated people who contacted it for help. He had also acquired a bit of attention as a lunchtime crooner. Regular music jams at The Fortune Society bring together formerly incarcerated people for musical support. Three years ago, Carl Dukes was humming a tune in the halls of The Fortune Society’s office when he noticed a colleague liked what he was hearing. John grabbed Dukes and told him about the “music cafe.” Dukes should come to this nascent event where clients, staff and guests of the Queens-based nonprofit let loose during lunchtime with guitar melodies, acapella harmonies and rock and roll ballads. Dukes could sing, Runowicz reportedly said. “I told him, ‘Get out of here,’” Dukes told New York Nonprofit Media in an interview last month. He had just finished singing “Fly Me to the Moon.” A guest appearance from a Tufts University acapella group was next to take the stage. At the time, Dukes was 74 years old and several years into his job as a liaison between The Fortune Society and the incarcerated people who contacted it for help. He had also acquired a bit of attention as a lunchtime crooner. The formerly incarcerated harmonize through music at The Fortune Society f

GREEK TRAGEDY PHILOCTETES INFORMS A DISCUSSION ON HOMELESSNESS IN NEW YORK

Services for the UnderServed - S:US found a new way to approach homelessness by organizing a reading of the Greek tragedy Philoctedes with Theater of War http://nynmedia.com/news/greek-tragedy-philoctetes-informs-a-discussion-on-homelessness-in-new-york

THIS IS HOW BLOCKCHAIN IS ALREADY CHANGING NONPROFITS By Zach Williams/ NYN Media http://nynmedia.com/news/this-is-what-blockchain-technology-is-and-how-it-is-changing-nonprofits Imagine a time not too far in the future when nonprofits could serve clients in completely new ways. A homeless person could access credit by leveraging his consistent interactions with outreach team members as proof of his ability to pay back a microloan. Donors could track their gifts from #GivingTuesday to implementation. The government could pay nonprofits through “smart contracts” that release funds as soon as services are provided – and no budget deficit, bank holiday or double-talking politician could stop it. Examples like these are how more and more people believe blockchain technology could revolutionize the nonprofit sector. “It’s not just technical possibilities that make it better, but also ethical,” said Amanda Graham, COO and co-founder of Blockchain for Change, in an interview. The New York City-based startup has implemented its own designs on shaking up homeless services through an app called Fummi. A pilot initiative is being pursued with Bronx-based nonprofit Part of the Solution, which uses an Android phone app to send and receive surveys to and from clients, which can then be used to better understand when and where to use resources, according to Graham. “If the organization can get immediate feedback on how well they’re doing, more information about their user, but it’s done through the tip of a finger and on a phone, it makes it much easier and much faster,” she said. “And then more exciting for me is increasing communication and management.” Startups have also taken notice of blockchain for servicing demands. Meetups have been held. New apps promise to shake up everything from accountability to customer service, and an optimism continues to spread across the nonprofit sector that blockchains will one way or another change how organizations operate – whether

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THIS IS WHAT BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IS – AND HOW IT IS CHANGING NONPROFITS

Imagine a time not too far in the future when nonprofits could serve clients in completely new ways. A homeless person could access credit by leveraging his consistent interactions with outreach team members as proof of his ability to pay back a microloan. Donors could track their gifts from #GivingTuesday to implementation. The government could pay nonprofits through “smart contracts” that release funds as soon as services are provided – and no budget deficit, bank holiday or double-talking politician could stop it. Examples like these are how more and more people believe blockchain technology could revolutionize the nonprofit sector. “It’s not just technical possibilities that make it better, but also ethical,” said Amanda Graham, COO and co-founder of Blockchain for Change, in an interview. http://nynmedia.com/news/this-is-what-blockchain-technology-is-and-how-it-is-changing-nonprofits

How New York nonprofit Day One combats dating violence by confronting popular culture

This is how the New York City nonprofit Day One leverages examples from popular culture to spread awareness about dating violence, a problem that has affected roughly one in four women nationwide. http://nynmedia.com/news/how-new-york-nonprofit-day-one-combats-dating-violence-by-confronting-popular-culture

UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT'S ROBERT HUNTER LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON POVERTY IN 1905

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This puppet loves news about the nonprofit sector in New York!

Wendy Hilliard Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, the first black athlete to represent the U.S. in gymnastics, has advice to share with #NewYork #Nonprofits http://nynmedia.com/news/these-are-the-nonprofit-lessons-that-wendy-hilliard-has-learned-from-teaching-gymnastics …

100 Suits for 100 Men has a hard-earned lesson for other New York nonprofits

We checked out what Colin Kaepernick's activism means for NY #Nonprofits like 100suitsfor100menThis is what we found. http://nynmedia.com/news/this-is-how-colin-kaepernick-s-activism-has-affected-new-york-nonprofits

The books to prison pipeline will ground to a halt throughout New York state unless the state Department of Corrections and Community declines to implement a pilot program that currently limits care packages to those bought through six selected vendors. If not, then nonprofits like NYC Books Through Bars will have to cease two-decades of work sending books to inmates throughout the state. NYN Media report Zach Williams visited the group in Brooklyn to observe their operations and better understand what's at stake.

“I would also ask, what is the purpose of what is going on here? Why am I going through this? And I didn’t want to be why me, why me, why me, because I look at so many other people who have other issues and situations and they move forward and that’s what I wanted to do.” Third Eye Insight - Fitness For The Blind http://nynmedia.com/news/nonprofit-teaches-the-visually-impaired-to-see-past-limitations

A virtual reality trip to 2017 NYN TechCon

An #iPhoneOnly 360-video gives you a sense of the space but you can really see what's going on at the 2017 NYN TechCon by watching our livestream: https://livestream.com/accounts/14683757/events/7964716