WE’RE HIRING
CCF is looking for an Academic Counselor to support mentees enrolled in Uplift Mentor and the Academic Support Program.
Academic Services
Uplift Mentor
Congratulations to the 12 mentees and 13 mentors who successfully completed the program this past May as part of Uplift Mentor, cohort two. Currently, two cohorts are running simultaneously: cohort three (Nov. 2021-Nov. 2022) and cohort four (June 2022-June 2023). Between the two cohorts, there are 28 mentees and approx. 20 mentors currently enrolled, with cohort four enrolling the largest number of participants to date!
For women enrolled in cohorts three or four, the next Sister Circle will be in-person on August 4. This Sister Circle will be led by two mentors from cohort 4 and will include painting instruction and theater warm-ups.
To learn more and apply, email Katherine at kpinzon@collegeandcommunity.org.
Academic Support Program (ASP)
On June 10, CCF held its first in-person graduation since before the start of the pandemic. This year, nine women graduated, earning associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. The evening also celebrated four CEEP graduates, awarded 12 end-of-year scholarships and welcomed nearly 70 attendees to the live event.
Congratulations to all the graduates, and thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support these women on their educational and career journey! The 2022 New Beginnings Graduation was live streamed, so if you missed it, you can watch it by clicking the link below.
The Academic Services team is focused on broadening CCF’s partnership network with a specific focus on organizations and schools that create a pipeline for recruitment as well as new opportunities and supports for existing CCF participants. If you work for an organization or school that may be interested in working with CCF in this way, please reach out to Katherine Pinzon, Uplift Manager at kpinzon@collegeandcommunity.org, to discuss possible collaborations.
MultiGen
The spring cohort of MultiGen celebrated the end of the semester with a hybrid “Paint and Sip” event that welcomed participants and their families. One of MultiGen’s very own participants facilitated the painting activity.
For the upcoming fall cohort, Haddi Waggeh, MultiGen facilitator; Whitney Vairin, Associate Director of Academic Services will update and enhance the existing program design by incorporating learnings from the first two years of the program, including participant feedback.
Career Advancement Program
In 2019, CCF received a multi-year grant from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office Criminal Justice Initiative that allowed CCF to think expansively about our College & Career Programs, be responsive to the needs of our community, and develop a holistic set of programs. In evaluating the program over the last three years, CAP has not been able to support the women we serve in the way we had initially envisioned or develop the partnership we had hoped to have in place by now. Therefore we have had to make the difficult decision not to continue with the CAP program as it is currently designed. CCF remains committed to supporting women in their search for meaningful employment as part of the services we provide. We will be looking at different models, tools, and supports to provide women as they begin their search for meaningful, family-sustaining careers.
For existing CAP Fellows, please contact Janelle Rollins, Acting Associate Director of Career Advancement, at jrollins@collegeandcommunity.org. For any students not enrolled in CAP but needing career support, please contact your academic counselor for a referral.
This August, CCF will again provide THRIVE training to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS), and we are excited to expand on this partnership! Previously, CCF provided THRIVE to a few of NCDPS's college partners, and all of their in-prison education providers - this August, CCF will train the entire community college system.
Also, this summer, CCF will begin work with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to provide THRIVE training to four CUNY sites (over the next year) as part of the CUNY-CCF THRIVE: Cultivating Inclusive Campus Climates at CUNY for Students with Conviction Records.
If you have questions or would like to learn more about THRIVE, contact Lettisha Boyd, Director of Training & Special Projects, at lboyd@collegeandcommunity.org
The Art of Expression
With the support of the Art for Justice Fund, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, CCF partnered with the Josephine-Herrick Project and Noelle Ghoussaini to provide photography and multidisciplinary arts workshops over 13 weeks. The workshops culminated in an in-person presentation, Women of Change: A Transformation Exhibit and Showcase, where family, friends, and the larger CCF community were invited to experience and learn more about the personal transformation each participant went through to create their art piece.
The arts exhibition officially kick-started CCF's Voter & Civic Engagement initiative to build more political and individual power amongst justice-impacted communities in the Bronx.
Voter & Civic Engagement Initiative
Building off CCF's Women Influencing Systems and History (WISH) and Justice Votes NY, CCF's Voter & Civic Engagement initiative will target neighborhoods and constituencies with low levels of civic participation by removing obstacles to voting, sharing nonpartisan (or neutral) information about candidates, and providing citizens and advocates with information and leadership opportunities.
How it works
Three Month Training
To maintain our ability to provide individual attention and nurture a safe space, this training is capped at 15 women from the Bronx. Participants will learn issue identification, different forms of advocacy, building power in community, the history of the Bronx, digital literacy & social media, and government & the legislative process.
Six-Month Mentorship
Women who complete the 3-month training can apply to be community liaisons. Community liaisons are supported in their organizing efforts for six months while they build direct expertise in local democracy with a strong focus on creating a power source in the community and base-building. Community liaisons will also have opportunities to connect with organizations focused on similar work throughout the city.
Throughout the program, there will be the opportunity to travel to Albany and D.C. Participant stipends are also available.
If you are a Bronx-based individual or organization and want to be involved, click the link below.
Pell Implementation
When Pell Grants for incarcerated students were restored in December 2020, CCF amplified its commitment to the expansion of bridge programs that offer students support to complete degrees in the community if they are released from prison before degree completion or choose to pursue an advanced degree. For this to succeed, CCF is working with partners to ensure that bridge programs meet the needs of our students and community. In the coming year, CCF will continue to ensure the best possible outcomes for Pell implementation by taking the lead on a whitepaper that uplifts best practices in reentry planning and partnerships for prison education program providers to help students continue their education after release.
CCF was identified as an important stakeholder by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education to contribute insights and expertise as the Department updates the Beyond the Box guidance.
CCF and Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates submitted a memorandum to the Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education on supporting Continuity of Education from carceral setting to reentry in regulations on Pell Grants from Prison Education Programs. Read the memo by clicking the link below.
