bridging the opportunity gap initiativecommcorp.org/.../2019/03/...webinar-presentation.pdf ·...

© 2012 Commonwealth Corporation 1

Bridging the Opportunity Gap Initiative A Career Development Training Program for youth

BOG FY20 Request for Proposals Bidders WebinarMarch 5, 2019 2pm-4pm

An initiative to support the positive development of youththrough community engagement by providing career awareness, career exploration, career

preparation and career retention employment activities.


Welcome and Introductions

Danielle Brazeau: Sr. Program Manger, Commonwealth

Corporation [email protected] 413.584.3627 ext. 6803

Kyle Whelan: Program Coordinator, Commonwealth

Corporation [email protected] 413-584-3627 ext. 6806


Housekeeping

• Please remember to put your phones on mute

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• Conference call number (for audio portion

of the webinar): 1-888-265-4641

Conference Code: 2846443383

• Location of documents (www.commcorp.org)


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Objectives

• To provide an overview of the purpose of the Bridging the Opportunity Gap initiative and the program elements;

• To inform potential grantees of the funding levels and competitiveness of the funding process;

• To review both the program design, and proposal requirements;

• To clarify the relationship between DYS Directors of Community Services and the grantee;

• To answer questions that potential grantees have about Bridging the Opportunity Gap.


Purpose and Overview

• Target group: youth committed to DYS in the re-entry phase.

• Structured opportunities that help youth gain employability skills and develop pro-social behaviors, personal and social awareness, leadership, advocacy and life skills through high-quality programming

• Focus on innovative techniques from youth serving agencies that deliver a positive youth development approach.


• All funding is on a cost reimbursement basis from: – Year Round: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2020

• Funding levels

– 10-15 grants (typical awards range $25,000 – $90,000,

depending on number of youth served)

• Competitive Procurement

Funding levels and Competiveness


Eligible Youth

Youth: Grant funds must be used exclusively to support youth involved

with the Department of Youth Services as committed youth, committed

Youthful Offenders or youth accepting voluntary services from DYS as YES

(Youth Engaged in Services). Approximate age range is 14- 22 years old.

Pre-Work Documentation: Program staff must collect all relevant

documentation (i.e., birth certificate, SSN, etc.) for prospective program

participants and complete I-9 form in compliance with the Department of

Homeland Security I-9 mandate, and obtain work permits for youth ages

14-17. The work permit applications can be found on the www.mass.gov

website. All supporting documentation must be completed on or before the

orientation day or before youth attend career readiness training. More

information on the I-9 form, and other program tools, can be found in the

Bridging the Opportunity Gap Grantee Handbook available at

www.commcorp.org.


Overview of Submission ProcessRequest for Proposals Released

February 27, 2019

Webinar Session for GranteesMarch 5, 2019

Submit application to DYS for review and signaturesMarch 22, 2019

Responses (Applications) DueApril 3, 2019

Applicants Notified of Grant AwardJune 14, 2019

Anticipated Contract Start DateJuly 1, 2019

Contract End DateJune 30, 2020

Questions about the DYS Bridging the Opportunity Gap Request for

Proposals will be accepted via email through March 8th, 2018 by noon, and

responded to within 3 days. Q & A will also be posted at

www.commcorp.org.

Questions should be directed to: Danielle Brazeau, Sr. Program Manager

at [email protected].


How to Approach This Work

Working in conjunction with DYS community staff, CommCorp seeks grantees that are motivated, enthusiastic about working with at-risk youth; also seek culturally relevant/responsive staff as many of our youth are youth of color.

We seek to work with organizations that use a Positive Youth Development Model that is asset-based, and supports the development of the following factors for young people:

A stable sense of identity

Belief in their own abilities

Positive and supportive relationships with adults

Sense of control over future outcomes


BOG Program Elements

Career Readiness Training

Field Experiences

Soft Skill Development


Bridging the Opportunity Gap Tiered Approach

Career readiness training – writing a resume, cover letter

and thank you letter.

Job shadow experiences

Mini-subsidized employment opportunities in different

settings

Community engagement days

Volunteer days

Tier Two:

Career Exploration

Career interest inventories

Personality assessments

Bridging the Opportunity Gap orientation

Guest speakers

Workplace tours

Field trips to colleges, training programs, etc.

Career fairs

Researching jobs in the area

Learning about employment resources in the community

Career center visits

Career presentations

Tier One:

Career Awareness

Career readiness training

In-depth goal planning

Longer-term subsidized employment based on career

interest

Internships/apprenticeships

Certification training

Tier Three:

Immersion for Career Preparation

Unsubsidized employment

Up to 6 months of post-employment support: check-ins with

youth and employers

Leadership activities to support other youth in program

Tier Four:Immersion through Retention

Start Here

End Goal!


BOG Work Readiness Skills

• Perseverance • Communication

• Optimism • Confidence

• Self-Control • Discipline

• Tolerance • Critical Thinking

• Collaboration


Tier 1


During tier 2 each youth must have a portfolio (in hard copy and

electronic format) that includes:

A resume;

One cover letter;

One sample thank you note;

Two reference letters (preferably from employers and

program staff);

A completed job application;

And a sample employment e-mail inquiry.

OPTIONAL: Copies of certifications and/or training certificates

youth obtain as a result of programming

Youth Career Portfolio


Field Exploration Opportunities

• Job Shadows

• Volunteer Days

• Community Engagement Days

• Career Fairs

• Mini-Subsidized Employment (< 60 hours)


Job Shadow

• Job shadowing is a work experience option where participants learn about a job by walking through the work day as a shadow to a competent worker

• The job shadowing work experience is ideally in an occupational area of interest to the participant


Volunteer Days

• BOG grantees should encourage their youth participants to volunteer their time and effort –to gain the personal and developmental benefits that come from a quality volunteer experience. Working a shift in a soup kitchen, or a hospital, or an animal shelter can help build transferable skills that have a positive impact on a youth’s employment readiness.


Community Engagement Days

• Another form of volunteer experience that has developmental value for youth participants are activities that fall into the category of civic or community engagement. Examples might include such activities as a recycle campaign or bottle drive, an effort to clean up trash from a public park, or organizing a ‘midnight basketball league’, etc.


Past Program Certifications

2

2

4

10

17

27

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Drivers Education

ServSafe

Automotive Technician

Customer Service

CPR, First Aid

OSHA


Soft-Skill Benchmarks

Tier 1: Benchmarks

75% attendance

75% punctuality

75% engagement

75% professionalism

Tier 2: Benchmarks

85% attendance

85% punctuality

85% engagement

85% professionalism

Tier 3: Benchmarks

90% attendance

90% punctuality

90% engagement

90% professionalism


Please note that proposals will be stamped with time and date of

receipt

Late proposals will not be considered

All proposals must consist of 3 Parts

Part 1: Project Narrative

Part 2: Signature Page

Part 3: Budget and Budget Narrative

Proposal Requirements


Lead Applicant

Program Operations and Administration

Staffing and Facilities

Program Design

Coordination with DYS

Recruitment and Retention Strategy

Bridging the Opportunity Gap

Project Narrative


All proposals must utilize the attached

forms, and provide detailed information

about each line item in the budget narrative.

Please see the RFP for a complete list of

both allowable and non-allowable expenses.

Budget and Budget Narratives


FY20 RFP Process

February 27 Request for Proposals Released (CommCorp website)

March 5 Webinar Session for Grantees

March 22 Submit draft to DYS for review and signatures

April 3 Responses (applications) due to CommCorp

Submit proposals online athttps://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328757

June 14 Applicants Notified of Grant Award

July 1 Anticipated Contract Start Date

6/30/2020 Contract End Date


FY20 RFP Submission

What to submit?• Narrative• Budget• Signature Sheet

Where to submit?• Use the CommCorp Bridging the Opportunity Gap

grantee portal –https://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328757

Be aware of electronic grant processing for FY20• Grant execution (signature) via e-mail• Grantee portal to find contract attachments


Expectations for Grant Administration

– Program staff who will have contact with any DYS youth are required to adhere to all applicable DYS policies and procedures including, for example, those regarding safety and security, codes of conduct, dress codes, confidentiality, reporting of incidents, and photographs of DYS youth. The full range of current DYS policies is accessible on-line at http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dys/policies/chapter-01-department-policies.htm and should be reviewed by grantee so that its staff will be in full compliance with all guidelines and requirements;

•– Funded organization’s should review organization commercial

insurance policy to ensure that youth participants are covered for any loss or harm that may happen as a result of Bridging the Oopportunity Gap related program activities;


Expectations for Grant Administration

– regular monthly submission of cash requests during the program;

– regular submission of total enrollment numbers, goals and services on a weekly basis in the BOG database;

– timely contract closeout at the end of the season–submission of final invoices;

– accurate reporting of employer match – full contact information to be reported in database for all employment sites;


Selection Process

Review and assessment will be based on the following:

Proposals that are submitted before the deadline, fully complete

and contain all required attachments (threshold criteria)

Applications that reflect a creative, collaborative, and community-

centered approach to meeting the career readiness, vocational

and employability needs of eligible youth and reflect strong

collaboration and engagement by DYS regional and district office

staff

The quality and extent to which the project plan states goals and

objectives that are measurable and attainable; the quality and

clarity of the proposed project design

The degree to which the applicant organizations can demonstrate

a successful track record working with youth and in particular

youth in DYS custody


Selection Process (cont.)

The number of youth who will be directly served through grant activities and who will gain specific job related certifications or competencies as a result of program activities

The degree of support services that will assure the success of participating youth to complete all program activities and be prepared for employment or continued vocational training experiences

A final selection of proposals that provide a geographic balance in DYS regions across the Commonwealth as well as addressing the population areas that host the largest number of DYS clients

For previous BOG grantees the review will also consider the degree to which the applicant successfully met all of the previous requirements under this grant, including retention of youth in programs, successful program outcomes, compliance with fiscal, program, and reporting requirements


What does success look like for BOG Youth?

Program Inputs:

What do youth achieve during BOG?

• Career Readiness Curriculum

• Pre-employment Activities

• Vocational Training

• Entrepreneurship Training

• Arts Training

• Mentorship

• Subsidized Employment

• Portfolio

• HiSET Services

Short-Term Outcomes:

What do youth take away from BOG?

• Examples:

• Certifications

• Network connecting them to jobs

• Good work habits

• Lower community supervision level

• Ability to set goals and make realistic plans to achieve them

• Make progress in grade level, HiSET, &/or college

Long-Term Outcomes:

What do we hope for youth in the future?

• No adult recidivism

• Attainment of certificates or degrees

• Successful employment

• Personal and family self-sufficiency

• Positive connections to their communities


How CommCorp ensures success:

We meet youth where they are and build on

their strength

Design programs that meet the regional

workforce demand

Hold youth and the BOG programs to high

standard


Data Collection

Please note that CommCorp collects data, and monitors

programs from multiple perspectives and sources

including but not limited to:

the web-based database for Bridging the Opportunity

Gap;

surveys, for youth, staff and employers;

fiscal monitoring; and

information gathered at technical assistance meetings,

etc.


Relationship with DYS & CEP Partners

Successful Bridging the Opportunity Gap programs require consistent contact with DYS and other CEP partners including but not limited to:

Directors of Community Service, District Managers, Caseworkers, Youth Service Coordinators, and Technical Assistance contact person from CommCorp.

Contact with DYS should occur at a minimum on a bi-weekly basis in the form of meetings, conference calls, and sharing of program logs and notes that include information about the name and location of employment and attendance.


Sample Resources

BOG Grantee Handbook

Empower Your Future BOG Career Readiness

Curriculum Guide


Next Steps:

Deciding if a BOG Program is a Match

Contact DYS Directors of Community

Services (please see page 11 of RFP)

Please email [email protected] or

visit the CommCorp website

http://commcorp.org/available-funding/ to

access the BOG Grantee Handbook to

support program development, and access

more information about the logistics of

delivering BOG programming.


Reminder

• Submit application to DYS for review and

signatures by March 22, 2019


Instructions for RFP Submissions

• Submission Deadline: Proposals (with all

three components in Microsoft Word and Excel

format, not PDF) are due on April 3, 2019 by 4:00

p.m.

• Submission Process: Proposals must be submitted

through Commonwealth Corporation’s BOG portal, at

https://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328757.

https://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328707.

• Applicants will be asked to enter certain information about the applicant organization and key personnel who are affiliated with the proposal. ttps://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328707

https://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328707

https://commcorp.tfaforms.net/328707


Submission Process Continued

• Part 1: Project Narrative: Proposals must include a brief written narrative of no more than ten (10) pages of double-spaced text. Clearly marked headings. Submit it in Microsoft Word format (not PDF). Use the following naming convention: OrganizationName_FY20BOG_Narrative.doc.



• Part 2: Signature Page: Applicants must submit a separate signature page, using the template provided, that contains the signature of the applicant’s executive director, and the DYS Director of Community Services and local DYS District Manager. Scan original signatures and submit it using the appropriate button on the Bridging the Opportunity Gap portal website using either JPEG or PDF format.



• Part 3: Budget (3A) and Budget Narrative(3B): Applicants must submit a detailed budget request using the provided forms. Upload your budget using the appropriate button on the BOG portal website. Submit it in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format (not PDF). Use the following naming convention: OrganizationName_FY20BOG_Budget.xls.


Q & A

Questions from the chat board will now be

answered.

Thanks for your participation!

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