TESTIMONY
Testimony: Ursula Cooper-Hunter, Department Director from Bronx Works on Enhancing Youth Programs
1:45:36
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3 min
Ursula Cooper-Hunter, Department Director from Bronx Works testifies on the need for higher participant reimbursement rates to improve youth programs. They mention the post-pandemic challenges and propose enhancements like swimming programs, increased literacy, STEAM programming, and more appropriate salary rates for staff. They also discuss the complications from the NDA RFP changes, highlighting the importance of consistent funding and planning to meet community needs effectively.
Speaker 11
1:45:36
Okay.
1:45:37
Good morning.
1:45:39
It is still morning.
1:45:40
Yes.
1:45:40
Good morning.
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City Council member of Stevens And Committee, Children And Youth Committee.
1:45:49
I am the department director for Bronx Works Children And Youth Department, and we certainly appreciate the opportunity to submit written tests and money to the committee on children in youth.
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Bronx Works was founded in 1972.
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The Bronx Works mission is to improve the economic and social well-being of low income individuals and families we feed shelter, teach and support our neighbors to build a stronger community.
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Bronx Works currently has the following aycd children in youth programs.
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We have 5 Compass, after school programs, 3 Sonic, 2 high school, after school programs, one of them being an NDA program, at on the Adelaide Stephenson at the Adelaide Stephenson Campus, a wheeler program, as well as 3 cornerstones.
1:46:42
And a summer youth employment contract for thirteen hundred young people during the summers.
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So we certainly appreciate the DYCD children in youth funding, and it is in alignment with the bronze work submission to teach and support our neighbors.
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However, during the past, during during this post pandemic era, it has become increasingly apparent that a higher participant reimbursement rate is needed.
1:47:10
This will enhance aycd programming to allow programs to better serve our youth population.
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And some of the areas that would be importantly program enhancements would be things like swimming programs so that our industry, you can have swimming instruction, enhanced literacy and steam programming, social workers to support and address social and emotional needs, the social and emotional needs of youth, budgets which which accommodate a floor salary of 22 an hour and 25 an hour during the summer for group leaders and youth workers and increased salary rates for instructors and program leaders.
1:47:57
A 12 month contract to as opposed to a separate summer contract which will allow organizations to better plan and budget in terms of the NDA, something that we've experienced during the most recent NDA RFP where we were the priority areas shifted.
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And so as a result, we areas where we had some high school programming.
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The priority was no longer academic support by high schools.
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And as a result, some of the high schools that we had to leave the high schools we had to leave were pretty upset and disappointed because the need even though the priority area
Speaker 0
1:48:40
Thank you.
1:48:41
Your time has expired.
Speaker 11
1:48:43
Oh, okay.
1:48:46
I can share my written.
1:48:48
I can share the rest of it.
1:48:49
Thank you for your time.
