Bank Street College Open House

Graduate School of Education Open House
Thursday, October 11, 2007
* Sign-in and Refreshments: 5:15 to 5:30 pm
* Information Session: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
* Bank Street College Lobby and Auditorium
* 610 West 112th Street, New York, NY
At the Open House, you will have a chance to learn about our exciting degree programs, gain insight into the application process, ask questions, and meet with faculty members from various programs. There will also be a tour of the Bank Street School for Children.
To RSVP to the Open House, please e-mail (akherdekar@bankstreet.edu ) with your name and program of interest, if known, or call 212-875-4404.

An Exciting Position as a Community Organizer with Harlem United's Blocks Project

Position Description

Working under the supervision of the Managing Director and in partnership with the department’s other Community Organizer, she or he (s/he) will be directly responsible for developing collaborations with residents, policymakers, businesses and health and human service providers to design and provide HIV/AIDS awareness events, health fairs, and educational events to promote HIV testing and risk reduction skills building. S/he will work closely with the other Community Organizer (CO), Community Follow-up Worker (CFW) and Peer Workers (PWs) to saturate defined areas of East and Central Harlem with HIV stigma-reduction messages and coordinate neighborhood HIV/HCV/STD testing events and access to care and services. The Community Organizer must have extensive knowledge of Harlem and New York City’s health and human services network and must conduct assessments and refer individuals and/or families to appropriate community resources for needed services. As needed, the CO will establish ongoing relationships to ensure successful connection to quality medical and social services. As needed, the CO will assume clinical responsibilities as appropriate for the delivery of casework for individuals and/or families. COs will be required to conduct assessments and referrals during outreach activities and at other times.

Essential Job Functions

The Blocks Project, an exciting and innovative program at Harlem United, is a geographic and community organizing approach to delivering HIV prevention messages and testing to high risk areas (blocks) in Harlem. “Blocks” places people within the context of their environment and daily experiences and not just simply the customary risk-based approach that focuses on an individual’s behavior. Blocks’ staff will partner with residents and community leaders, policymakers, businesses and entrepreneurs, HIV/AIDS services providers and non-HIV community based organizations to reach Harlem residents who often do not see themselves as at risk for contracting HIV. HIV tests will be offered and hired social workers, who are trained in community organizing, will link people to local organizations providing an array of health and human services with the understanding that combating HIV is about addressing the range of problems that often face those most at risk of contracting the virus.

The following duties are mandatory requirements of the job:

· Convene monthly partnership meetings with community stakeholders, which would include residents, health and human service providers, to identify community needs, schedule health fairs, develop educational curricula and marketing materials, schedule outreach events and assess program delivery;

· Identify and build relationships with other community partners to serve as referral sources to meet the social and economic empowerment needs of Harlem residents;

· Develop training to build the outreach and communication skills of local volunteers and peer educators to promote stigma reduction messages and increase the testing rate for Harlem residents;

· As needed, accompany PWs and CFW on outreach events and conduct on-the-spot assessments and referrals to various health and human service programs and services for those in need of continued support and care;

· Maintain contact with those referred to services to ensure that those engaged are getting needed care and support; and,

· Required to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Other Responsibilities

The following duties are to be performed as assigned by the supervisor:

· Participate fully in all program evaluation activities

Education and Certification

Graduation from an accredited College or University with a Masters Degree in Social Work along with certification from the State of New York Department of Education. The hired CO should have experience in working with communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS.

Special Skills and Knowledge

The hired CO should be extremely familiar with East and Central Harlem communities. S/he should have a background in coalition work. The ability to speak fluent Spanish and/or one or several West African languages is a major plus. Knowledge and familiarity with HIV/AIDS services, including prevention strategies, and harm reduction, is a plus.

Salary

$38k to $45k

Please direct resume and cover letter to:

Joe Pressley, Managing Director, Blocks Project; Harlem United Community AIDS Center; 306 Lenox Avenue, 2^nd Floor; New York, NY 10027

Save the Date: CUNY BA Students at Baruch

Date Change:

October 5th from 5:30 to 7:30, Room TBA

This will be a networking event for all CUNY BA students whose home school is Baruch or others who are taking classes here for their CUNY BA degrees or even have an interest in attending Baruch in the future

RSVP by September 28th to debra_bick@baruch.cuny.edu.

You asked: Are there any scholarships available?

A student e-mailed me:

"Will there be any scholarships available this semester?"

CUNY BA Program is pleased to be able to offer seven scholarships, subject to the availability of funding. These scholarships, funded by a variety of donors, are exclusively for students enrolled in the CUNY BA/BS Program. Students who meet the basic eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply for these scholarships, as well as scholarships and awards available at their CUNY home colleges and through external organizations. The next application deadline for the scholarships will be in February 2008; the consolidated application form will be available online and in the Program Office in November.

Please visit our web site at www.cunyba.cuny.edu (Current Students>Scholarships>CUNY BA Scholarships) for more information.

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You have a general question? Post a comment or e-mail a staff member. We will answer at least one question every week on the blog. (For any specific questions relating to your case, please contact your advisor.)

CUNY BA Networking

Thanks to Eowyn, a CUNY BA student, there is a CUNY Baccalaureate Program group on Facebook. I am still working on getting us recognized as a network and will let you know if I make any progress. Also, if anybody needs an invitation to join Facebook, please e-mail me at lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu.

Study Abroad Forum

Hi Everyone,

I am writing to ask for student submissions for a Study Abroad Forum I am organizing for CUNY BA Students. It will take place on October 23^rd here are the Graduate Center from 6-8pm. It is a good way to meet fellow students and to discuss interest in, experience with, or ask questions about studying abroad. We did a similar event in 2004 and it was wonderful.

I am interested in hearing from students who have recently studied, worked, volunteered or done research abroad who would be interested in being part of a panel. Please e-mail me directly (kmcpherson@gc.cuny.edu) and let me know where you were, what you did and give me a brief bio of yourself. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Kate

Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs

The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs has numerous opportunities for CUNY students. Three have deadlines coming up this semester:

The New York State Assembly Session Intern Program
The New York State Senate Session Assistants Program
The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus CUNY Scholars Program

For information about these and other opportunities, please visit http://www.geocities.com/etrinternship/html/home.htm