the work first fellowship- january newsletter
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
1/6
Fellowship Timeline
the
Work First Fellowship
The Fellowship Experience
The Work First Fellowship is a unique opportunity for young
people interested in Urban Poverty and Public Policy. The
fellows spend four days a week working directly with low-
income New Yorkers at the offices of America Works. The
clients they serve include recipients of public aid, shelter
residents, ex-offenders, public housing residents, and veterans.
Each fellow will complete a research project on an issue
affecting urban poverty to be presented in May 2014.
OrientationAugust 5-10
RotationsAug-Sept 2013
Train at various
America Works
sites to learn the
different roles in
the company
ResearchOct-May 2014
Conduct an
individual research
project regarding
an issue of urban
poverty and policy.
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4
Happy 2014!It has been a busy year at the
Work First Foundation. In 2013
we launched the Work First
Fellowship, a unique research
fellowship for the next generation of
policy makers and scholars.
As we begin a new year, wed like to
take a moment to thank the people
who have made this program possible.To Peter Cove and Lee Bowes for
their vision and commitment, as well
as the incredible staff at America
Works who have worked with fellows.
Thank you also to the board of
directors, and all our speakers and
guests throughout the year.
Thank you to everyone who has
helped impact the lives of low-income
New Yorkers. We look forward to
great things ahead in 2014.
Participate in a 5-
day orientation
program featuring
board, speakers
and activities.
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
2/6
WORK FIRST FELLOWS WINTER 2014
In the FieldIn addition to research and work, the fellows have
participated in various activities outside of the office
that provide further insight into poverty policy.
Operation BackpackThe fellows ended their orientation week by donating
school supplies and backpacks to families affected by
Hurricane Sandy. The fellows donated three backpacks
filled with calculators, notebooks, pencils and other
supplied to children in Far Rockaway.
United Nations TourThe fellows had the opportunity to visit the United
Nations and learn about economic development and
policy on an international level. They visited the floor
of the Economic and Social Council only two days
before Septembers annual United Nations summit.
Ditmas Park Tour and DinnerFellows toured the Ditmas Park area with Jan
Rosenberg, founder of Friends of Courtelyou, to learn
about economic development movements in Brooklyn.
Afterwards, fellows enjoyed dinner with Peter Cove and
Lee Bowes in the home of Fred Siegel and Jan
Rosenberg. The fellows discussed their research projects
and received feedback.
Washington D.C. Visit
Fellows had the opportunity to visit the office of
America Works of Washington D.C. and observe
how different contracts impact the nature of job search
programs. The fellows briefly visited the White House
before a personal meeting at Housing and Urban
Development with Cabinet Member and United States
Secretary, Shaun Donavan.
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
3/6
WORK FIRST FELLOWS WINTER 2014
Scholars, practitioners and politicians: the fellowshave had a series of great speakers this year
Phillip Goldfedder: New York StateAssemblyman representing the Rockaways
Kay Hymowitz: Journalist and author of three
books, researches family and poverty
Jan Rosenberg: Founder of Friends of
Courtelyou, Ditmas Park community organizer
Gordon Campbell: Prior CEO of United Way,
former Commissioner of Department ofHomeless Services, current Professor of Practiceat NYU Wagner School of Public Servcie
Shaun Donovan: US Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development, former Commissioner ofNYC Housing Preservation and Development
Work First Board Members:Dan Donovan,
Pete Bullfrog Wikul, Jim McKay, HenryHank Saltzman, Fred Siegel
Shaun Donovan, US Secretary of Housing and UrbaDevelopment, gives words of wisdom to fellows.
Managing in government is like managing in three dimensions.
How do you create a public process that is fair and engages
residents? Innovations in government are hard. Failure ends up
in the paper. We need to create a culture that allows trying new
things.
I think its too easy to sit outside of government and say how they
get it wrong or how its so bureaucraticbut if youre the right
personality, Id like to describe that personality as 'patiently
relentless,' government can be a remarkably satisfying place to
work because you can work at such a large scale. Your job
everyday when you wake up is to help people.
As part of the fellowship experience, fellowshear from various practitioners and scholars inthe field of public policy. We have beenfortunate to have some incredible guests thisyear who have shared their experiences inpublic service and research on policy issues.
Jennifer Jones Austin:Executive Director of
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies,Recently named co-chair for the De Blasiomayoral transition team.
Peter Salins:Professor of Public Policy andUrban Planning at Stony Brook, Senior Fellowat the Manhattan Institute
Howard Husock: Vice President of the
Manhattan Institute, scholar and author
Jason Turner: Previous commissioner of HRA,
former Wisconsin Works Director
JenniferJonesAustinKayHymowitz
GordonCampbellHowardH
usock
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
4/6
WORK FIRST FELLOWS WINTER 2014
Words from the Fellows
Evelyn Canela
I have undoubtedly developed a better understanding
of how New York Citys welfare system directly affects
our ability to change the lives of our clients. This
fellowship has fueled my desire to work in a social
impact organization that improves immigration or
housing services for low-income communities.
Matthew Elliott
Every day I am excited that I am able to do intellectuallystimulating work that makes city governance more
efficient. I have been given the chance to use my
computer skills to build programs that greatly reduce the
amount of paper work the company must fill out. The
research fellowship has given me the chance to work with
Columbia University economists on research that studies
how to better place welfare recipients into jobs.
Natalie Joseph-PaulineDuring my time working at America Works I've
realized that policy makers should know how their
policies affects the lives of those they're influencing. I
had an opportunity to write a blog post about poverty
and discovered that single parent households tend to
struggle more than two parent households.
Matt LozadaThroughout my time as a research fellow I have learned
from both the policy makers and the people their policies
affect that New York can truly be called a tale of two cities.
Unfortunately, the stories my clients tell are not the ones
policy makers always hear. While development policies
create more opportunities for would-be New Yorkers,
they make it more difficult for low-income New Yorkers
who have lived here for decades to retain their housing.
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
5/6
WORK FIRST FELLOWS WINTER 2014
Words from the Fellows
Molly LuptonThrough my research project, I am learning about thehiring process for individuals who have a criminalrecord. I have talked with professionals at AmericaWorks and other organization that work with ex-offenders, discovering the barriers that individuals have
with a criminal background when seeking employment.
Michael PerloffThe best part of the Work First Fellowship has been
learning how the public assistance system actuallyfunctions. Before I started, I only understood welfare
policy at a theoretical level. By spending five months
helping to implement New York City's welfare programsI have learned how seemingly small policy decisions canhave a large impact on people's lives. The experience has
helped me develop a more grounded perspective on
government aide.
Brandon StormVisiting the America Works office in Washingtonand hearing about how dramatically different localpolicy is compared to New York really put intoperspective how small differences in policy bystates and municipalities can lead to dramaticallydifferent realities for people decades later.
Parma Zahid
An article we read earlier in the year about how braindevelopment is effected due to stress brought on byeconomic hardship heavily influenced my researchproject with the America Works population. I also hadthe opportunity to incorporate my interest in publichealth during our meeting with the Secretary of Housingand Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, to learnabout the way health safety is taken into account whenmaking housing developments.
-
8/13/2019 The Work First Fellowship- January Newsletter
6/6
Get Involved!Are you an expert in public policy? Are you passionate about helping
young people pursue careers in public service? From speaking with
fellows to assisting with research, there are many ways to get involved.The Work First Foundation also welcomes tax-deductible gifts by check
to the address below. Contact Ashley Putnam at
[email protected] more ways to get involved.
Happy2014!
205 West End Avenue
Suite 19S
New York, NY 10023
www.theworkfirstfoundation.org
WORK FIRST FELLOWS WINTER 2014
workfirstfellows @workfirstfellow @workfirstfellows