Good Shepherd Services

After months of rallying to protect funding for Learning to Work programs, the city has decided to cut the budget by 25%. This deep reduction will impact students and their families at a time when the communities we partner with are already facing unforeseen challenges. Christyl Rodriguez, a Good Shepherd South Brooklyn Community High School student and LTW participant, shares how the cutback in funding could change her future. https://citylimits.org//opinion-learning-to-work-program-/

There's still plenty of time to cast your vote today! Visit this link for more information and Election Day updates.

Did you know there was still time to Plan Your Vote? Vote by Mail/Absentee Ballot Deadlines: The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot online has ended. Nov. 2nd: Last day to apply in-person for an absentee ballot.... Nov. 3rd: Last day to postmark ballot; last day to deliver ballot in-person to local board of elections or poll site. Vote before Election Day to avoid crowds. Early voting in New York ends tomorrow. Find your early voting poll site by entering your address here, https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/. In New Jersey, you can drop off your absentee ballot at a secure drop box on or before Election Day. Voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd New York: Polls will be open from 6 am-9 pm. New Jersey: A limited number of polls will be open from 6 am-8 pm. Visit https://www.planyourvote.org/ for more resources. Thank you to our Anti-Racism Branch and staff for creating this video to remind us all to plan our vote.

Learning to Work Coalition City Wide Virtual Rally calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza to protect Learning to Work (LTW) funding for thousands of NYC high school students who depend on the academic support and internship opportunities. A special thank you to our speakers! 1. Terrence Winston, Coordinator of the Coalition for Community Schools Excellence 2. LTW Coordinator Gregory Brender ... 3. CM Ydanis Rodriguez 4. Principal of the Paul L. Dunbar Middle School, Farid Hesham, which partners with Children’s Aid 5. Elsie McCabe Thompson, Executive Director, Mission Society 6. SCO of Family Services Desmond Blount Alum 7. Michael DeVito Jr. Associate Executive Director at NYCID 8. Public Advocate Staff Jumaane Williams 9. Ron Richter, Executive Director, JCCA 10. Adam Bartholomew, Community Schools Director at Bushwick Leaders High School which partners with Good Shepherd Services 11. Jamie Cartagena, Alum, Liberation Diploma Plus High School 12. Jessica Perez, Lincoln YABC Alum 13. Ben Thomases, ED, Queens Community House 14. Fernando Tineo, Division Director of YABCs at Good Shepherd Services 15. Eddie Silverio, Catholic Charities, Alianza Dominicana Division See more

At 4pm, we will be hosting our largest #saveLTW rally yet! Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Education plan to move forward with a 25% cut to vital Learning to Work (LTW) programs slashing nearly $2 million from Good Shepherd alone. This impacts students who are already struggling with staying digitally connected and engaged two months into the new school year. Join us here for today's CITYWIDE virtual rally to support young learners.

Enjoy this snippet of Denise's acceptance speech from last night's NYC Administration for Children's Services- ACS Awards. Congratulations! "I want to thank Sister Paulette LoMonaco, our former ED, for allowing me to establish the agency’s first LGBTQ Workgroup over 10 years ago, and our current ED Michelle Yanche, for ensuring that we can continue this important work. Our goal is to ensure that anyone who works at Good Shepherd has the language, the understanding, and the resources to offer to the youth and families we serve." Denise Hinds, Associate Executive Director of Foster Care, Juvenile Justice, and Supportive Housing (FJS)

Join us for our Election 2020 Keep Safe event. It is in response to concerns expressed around election and safety (emotional, physical, communal, etc.). While we encourage you to plan your vote, we also want to encourage you to practice self-care during this time as some might find it to be a challenging moment.

Good Shepherd’s Brooklyn Life Link conversation with Dan-El Padilla Peralta, Associate Professor of Classics at Princeton AND the author of UNDOCUMENTED A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League.

On FB Live at 3pm today, Good Shepherd and the DREAM Team will host a conversation with Dan-El Padilla Peralta, the author of UNDOCUMENTED and Associate Professor of Classics at Princeton University. We're excited to hear about his life's journey and advocacy work for Dreamers undocumented immigrants.

Denise Hinds, Associate Executive Director of Foster Care, Juvenile Justice, and Supportive Housing (FJS), has been selected by the NYC Administration for Children's Services to receive the ACS 2020 LGBTQ Ally Award for Outstanding Agency Staff! In addition to her commitment to children and families, Denise helped create and lead an LGBTQ+ workgroup at Good Shepherd that has uplifted both staff and participants for nearly 10 years. Denise will be honored tonight at a virtual event. Congratulations!

Learning to Work Staten Island Virtual Rally demanding the NYC Mayor de Blasio and NYC Department of Education Chancellor Carranza protect LTW funding both for the supports the Community Based Organizations provide and the internship dollars.

Students from our afterschool program at Brooklyn Scholars Charter School celebrated Lights On Afterschool and honored Breast Cancer Awareness Month last week. At the event, young people created a pink ribbon backdrop with uplifting messages, played interactive games, and snapped photos with their families.

Yesterday, we joined afterschool programs across the nation to celebrate Lights On Afterschool! It was very different this year, but we're thankful for staff and students who are rising to the occasion of the moment. With spirits high and masks on, a few of our afterschool students share why they enjoy the additional academic and social enrichment.

Learning to Work Bronx Virtual Rally demanding the Mayor and the Chancellor protect Learning to Work funding