QUESTION
Council Member Joseph Asks DYCD About Re-engaging Disengaged Program Participants
0:51:04
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56 sec
Deputy Commissioner Mike Bobbitt of the Department of Youth & Community Development describes a range of approaches. These include allowing continuous enrollment throughout the year, recognizing adult participants might face various disruptions. The adaptation to virtual services during the pandemic, particularly beneficial for programs targeting adults and fathers, is highlighted as a successful tactic. The importance of hiring staff with the cultural competence necessary for effectively engaging this demographic is emphasized.
Speaker 5
0:51:04
When when participants stop attending, what's the tactic to get them back into the program?
Speaker 3
0:51:10
Wide range of of things that are done.
0:51:12
So one is we support the program you don't have to exit someone once they've been enrolled till the end of the year because we know adults are busy and they might disappear for various reasons.
0:51:25
We've heard anecdotally sometimes somebody gets locked up or moves or, you know, whatever the case may be.
0:51:31
During the pandemic when service services had to move to virtually.
0:51:37
That was a boon to some of our programs that serve adults.
0:51:40
And the father of programs were among those programs because now a dad could be seeking employment and could still dial in to be with his program.
0:51:47
So we try to offer programs all reasonable flexibility.
0:51:51
And I mentioned a moment ago, this staffing model, hiring persons with the cultural competence, to to be good at gauging this particular population is important.
