The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford (MCIF) Center Open Arms Project (OAP)
MCIF Center empowers the immigrant women and men of Bushwick to move beyond the barriers that being in a new country presents through our holistic approach to education. We believe that an individual’s education must go beyond the classroom and encompass all walks of life.Through OAP, participants receive services in 4 different areas: Education, Empowerment, Legal, and Workforce.
Sobre ti
Sección 1: Tú
Nombre
Christina
Apellido
Licata
Website URL
Organization
The Maura Clarke - Ita Ford (MCIF) Center
Country
Estados Unidos, NY
Sección 2: Tu organización
Nombre de la organización
The Maura Clarke- Ita Ford (MCIF) Center
Sitio web de la organización
Teléfono de la organización
(718) 452-0167
Dirección de la organización
138 Bleecker Street, Brooklyn
Tu organización es
OSC/ONG
País de la organización
Estados Unidos, NY
tu idea
Name Your Project
The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford (MCIF) Center Open Arms Project (OAP)
Country and state your work focuses on
Estados Unidos, NY
Describe Your Idea
MCIF Center empowers the immigrant women and men of Bushwick to move beyond the barriers that being in a new country presents through our holistic approach to education. We believe that an individual’s education must go beyond the classroom and encompass all walks of life.Through OAP, participants receive services in 4 different areas: Education, Empowerment, Legal, and Workforce.
Website URL
Innovación
What makes your idea unique?
The idea behind the services at the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center goes beyond simply serving the immigrant population of Bushwick, Brooklyn and the surrounding area. MCIF Center engages and empowers these women with the support of caring staff members. We create bonds of trust and a safe environment where our participants can come for assistance in any situation. The Center grew slowly, since the population that MCIF served was hesitant and distrustful of reaching out for assistance. However, with over 17 years of service, MCIF Center has become a trusted, staple organization in the community of Bushwick.
Through our education programs (ESL, GED, Computer Basics, Entrepreneurship, and Citizenship), our participants take the first steps to full integration into the community.
MCIF’s collaboration with various community organizations provides our participants with additional services that promote a greater knowledge of and involvement in their neighborhood, their children’s education, and their legal rights. OAP allows our participants to gain access to valuable services throughout the community at a more personalized level.
MCIF's support in their education and lives enables our participants to obtain better jobs, continue their education outside of MCIF, and create better opportunities to move toward their dreams. Their education is comprehensive, as most of our participants have spouses and children. MCIF not only improves the lives of our participants, but also in turn creates a better future for the next generation of Brooklyn.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impacto
Esta presentación se trata de
What impact have you had?
We have improved the English of 125 participants during this school year and have empowered them with the confidence to go beyond their known realities. MCIF participants improve their ability to be responsible and obtain a better work ethic through adherence to the attendance system, which requires that participants attend class with a limited number of excused absences allowed. Integrating them into a community environment with classmates of similar backgrounds also improves their willingness to learn the language and relieves their uneasiness in speaking, as it can be quite intimidating once they leave the classrooms and go out into the world.
In addition to our ESL program, MCIF has also served 30 participants in our GED preparation course in Spanish, 30 participants in our Computer Basics course, 5 participants in Citizenship preparation, and 10 women in Entrepreneurship course, where women are educated in business plans.
The services offered through OAP ultimately allow these women to dream. Often a sense of dreaming is not the cards for those struggling to make ends meet. However, these women dare to dream that their lives will be better and that they can achieve their goals.
Through OAP, MCIF Center has also given valuable information to our participants through our collaboration with other organizations in the community. Many of our participants have opened bank accounts, informed themselves on their legal rights from both lawyers and the NYPD, acquired student identification, grew in their knowledge of their children's education, and involved themselves in community organizing to find solutions to issues in the Bushwick area. Our partnerships with community organizations ensure that the immigrant population of Bushwick will be served through referrals and follow-up.
Problem
The inability to speak English creates multiple barriers in all aspects of our participants' lives. First and foremost, MCIF Center aims to empower these women to realize their own potential. Many times, immigrant communities have the danger of becoming closed off because of the language barrier and fear of losing a loved one to deportation. Many valuable resources are simply unknown or ignored. In strengthening their education in not only English, GED, and Computer Literacy, but also community resources, they empower themselves to achieve a better position economically and personally. In addition, their knowledge and confidence transforms their families.
Actions
MCIF has been a staple in Bushwick for over 15 years. By being involved with local community organizing groups and other valuable community based organizations, MCIF constantly expands the services that we are able to provide to our participants. We constantly renew these relationships and look for new ones. Follow-up on referrals and tracking of the services received are essential to the well-rounded education the community gains.
The staff at MCIF communicates with each other at weekly meetings and their students on a daily basis to ensure that the highest quality of education is being achieved and the needs of our participants are being met. MCIF has an elected student council for the dissemination of information both to and from the participants.
In addition, another level of English was implemented because of the high demand for ESL in Bushwick. A one-on-one Literacy course was also introduced this year.
After the closing of our work site (kitchen incubator and sewing co-op) in 2009, MCIF reintroduced job training through our Entrepreneurship program, where women obtain the skills and knowledge to create marketable products and develop a successful business.
Results
The participants at MCIF Center will "graduate" to the next level in their education whether it be English, GED, Computer Literacy, etc. Along with increased education, they will gain better jobs.
Through open communication between staff and students, MCIF will become more aware of the changing needs of the Bushwick community and address them.
OAP will also provide them with more information about the community leading them to healthier, more informed life decisions.
Through the Entrepreneurship program, the participants learn how to start their own business, including product development, cost benefit analysis, obtaining credit, and business planning. These skills are transferable in their every day lives because they learn financial responsibility. This knowledge is valuable regardless of the product.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
1st Year: MCIF will create a viable computer lab in order to increase our students exposure to technology. Technology will be further integrated into the ESL program through ESL software, Internet research, Word Processing, and Visual Presentations. In addition, MCIF will implement a Job Bank, where participants will be able to research employment and create cover letters and resumes.
2nd Year: MCIF will secure funding for a new location, either shared or rented. By securing funding, MCIF will be able to serve more participants at a more accommodating location.
3rd Year: MCIF will obtain a new space. With the increased space, MCIF will actively recruit competent staff members and secure funding for the increased services offered at the Center.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Our project will be successful unless our funding is significantly decreased. Losing our space and failing to obtain another space within the community would also take a serious toll on the services provided at the Center. Funding cuts affecting our supporting agencies would prevent them from providing services for free to our participants. In expanding the services available and the courses offered, the increased cost of payroll and failure to receive additional funding would prevent the project from being successful.
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$1000 - 4000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Sí
Sustenibilidad
¿En qué fase está el proyecto?
Operando menos de un año
In what country?
Estados Unidos, NY
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Sí
If yes, provide organization name.
The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford (MCIF) Center
How long has this organization been operating?
Más de 5 años
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Sí
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Sí
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Sí
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Sí
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Without these partnerships, MCIF Center would only be an educational center. However, by creating these partnerships with local organizations we expand the dissemination of information and access to free services for our participants.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Funding- One of the most critical elements that MCIF would need to secure is concrete funding sources that would allow us to expand our operations. Building and cultivating relationships with private donors is also essential to the success of this initiative. With the aspiration to provide services to the ever-growing population in the immigrant community, there is a need for more space to conduct courses and provide workshops.
Recruitment of Qualified Staff- As we obtain secured funding, we would need to identify qualified staff to provide the services at MCIF. MCIF prides itself on its low turnover rate and would want to hire individuals who: 1) can work effectively with the population 2) are qualified in teaching ESL and 3) are committed to our mission and to the participants in the program.
Finding appropriate space- Finding space that is near public transportation and accessible (walking distance) from the current location of our Center is essential for the participants. If the space is shared, the location must be able to accommodate our courses during our currently scheduled time.
La historia
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
As an ESL Instructor at MCIF Center, I realized that there were far more issues than the barrier of English affecting the participants of the Center. External issues and concerns were preventing the participants in my class from excelling in their education at MCIF. Wanting to make a bigger difference in these people's lives, I brought my concerns to my Executive Director, Janet Henriquez.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Janet Henriquez and I discussed my concern about the needs of our community and eventually created the Open Arms Project. We decided upon the 4 cornerstone issues affecting the students: Education, Empowerment, Workforce, and Legal. After Google-ing prospective names to see if they already existed, we felt like we were never going to find the right name. At a loss, we both put our hands up shrugging and decided to call the project "Open Arms". Realizing that there was a bigger network of services that were not being utilized, we felt that we could bring a greater knowledge to our participants and the Bushwick community.
Janet Henriquez has had experience in economic development and entrepreneurship, which makes her knowledge and community involvement essential to the relationships formed through OAP. Ms. Henriquez was involved in the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Neighborhood Advisory Board #7 and the Police Community Council in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Upon graduating with her Bachelor's in Theater, English, and Sociology, Ms. Henriquez has worked in the non-profit sector for most of her professional career. She has been Executive Director of MCIF Center since November 2008.
I have been involved in teaching English to the immigrant communities of Brooklyn for over 3 years. At MCIF Center, I am not only an ESL instructor, but also the Executive Administrative Assistant. Through my extensive involvement with the participants and on the administrative side of the organization, I have been able to efficiently assess and implement workshops, curriculum, and other educational opportunities along with Ms. Henriquez and the Director of Education, Catherine Talia, OSU.
Outside of MCIF Center, I am involved in the United States Australian Football team (USAFL) and was a co-founder of the New York Magpies Women's team in New York City and editor of the Magscene, the team's E-newsletter with a readership of over 5000. I am also a freelance writer for Behind the Burner, a website dedicated to culinary tricks, tips, and techniques, and USFootyNews.com.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Friend or family member
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
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Comentarios
Hi Christina,
I'd love to hear more about your entrepreneurship program. Can you go into more detail about the scope of the program and the impact and outcomes it has for the participants?
Thanks!
Alexis
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for commenting! The Entrepreneurship program has had many faces throughout the history of MCIF Center. In the past, MCIF had a women's sewing coop and a kitchen incubator. Due to the economic times, our organization had to move out of the space that housed these services. However, our mission for helping our participants become economically independent has not changed.
The newly instituted Entrepreneurship program began in January 2010. Originally women created crafts for specific holidays, like Mother's Day and Easter. The scope of the program came to include training in business skills, such as cost benefit analysis and effective marketing. The women involved in the program have been creating jewelry, cell phone charms, and hair combs with new ideas on the horizon.
The goal of the program is for these women to not only learn the skill of creating products that will sell, but to take that skill out into the world and create a successful business on their own.
In the next academic year, MCIF plans to develop a full curriculum for the women and invite guest speakers to inform the women about small business loans, marketing tools, and successful business practices. MCIF will also integrate technology into the program through the sale of products on-line.
If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you,
Christina
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