For The Next Generation of Settlement House Leaders

On May 26th, the OPTIONS program at UNH member Goddard Riverside Community Center held the final of two Culmination and Evaluation meetings for the UNH Strengthening Settlement House College Access Programs initiative.

With generous support from the Citi Foundation, staff of five UNH member agencies increased their capacity to provide effective college access services for low-income students through participation in the 60-hour Foundation and Framework for College Access Counseling Course.

Those agencies were CAMBA, The Educational Alliance, Grand Street Settlement, Henry Street Settlement and Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House. Participants will continue to build on their skills through peer learning activities facilitated by UNH.

UNH members BronxWorks, St. Nick's Alliance, and University Settlement have been selected by IBM as project sites for the new Technology Services Partnership pilot. This pilot will focus on leveraging the latest technilogical advances in order to enhance each agency's client services and promote strategic planning and operational efficiency. At UNH's invitation, IBM presented information on the project to Executive Directors of UNH member organizations and asked interested organizations to apply to participate. After receiving many excellent applications, IBM chose BronxWorks, St. Nick's Alliance, and University Settlement based on their high level of interest in the project and their organizational commitment to enhancing human services with new technology. As part of the project, IBM will provide each organization with pro bono consulting services to help them create and implement technological solutions to meet their organizational needs. UNH will work with IBM to share lessons from the pilot project with all UNH members and the field.