Proposal for Fellowship Placement • Summer 2016
Organization: Varick Center For Empowerment Inc
Full street address of organization: 242 Dixwell Ave New Haven , CT 06511
Website: Not Active Under Design
Name and title of the Direct Supervisor (please note: the Direct Supervisor must be available to supervise Fellow on a daily basis): Jesse Phillips Chief of Staff of Varick and Pastor Eldren Morrison Founder/Chair VCE
Phone number and e-mail address of Direct Supervisor: 203-624-6245 Jphillips@varickmemorial.org
Placement dates (8-11 weeks between May 31 and August 12, 2016):
Are placement dates flexible? If so, please describe: Yes
Hours of the program (placements should be equivalent to full-time): 10:00am-5:00 pm
Placement Description
Organization description (Mission statement, population served. 150 words or less.):
to stimulate holistic, green economic development in the Varick A.M.E. Zion Church community and distressed inner-city communities in New Haven,
Connecticut by managing, directing, assisting, encouraging, and implementing new business and residential development.
to provide, encourage, and support programs that connect members of distressed inner-city communities to financial literacy, education choices, career development, and other resources to create green, self-sufficient communities.
Please write a 1-2 sentence summary of the work that the Fellow would be conducting (50 words or less):
The fellow will serve as the day to day operator of Varick Center for Empowerment and manage all administrative duties of the development coporation.
Responsibilities:
VCE Website Development and Update.
Research & Apply for capacity and predevelopment grants.
Identify potential development site as well as due-diligence for development.
Staff board meetings and assist in the recording of and dissemination of board minutes to board members.
Serve as point person for the partnership with Booker T Washington Academy, VCE and Private developer for the Dixwell/Webster redevelopment.
Attend community, business and municipal meetings on behalf of VCE.
Hold consistent community focus groups and community conversation for the immediate Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhood residents around developing economic need assessment.
Work on the feasibility of Operation Hope partnership with VCE and serve as the pint person.
Build up the VCE office infrastructure in the Varick Life Center such as (Phone system, mailbox, VCE filing and organizing, letterhead creation).
Manage the VCE operations outside
Please write a complete description of the specific project you propose and list the duties/outcomes expected of the Fellow. (Suggested length:one to two pages.)
VCE Major Projects: The primary programs that the potential fellow will work on
with VCE leadership are only 2 VCE major initiatives. We don’t want to over stretch or overreach.
Webster/Dixwell Redevelopment: Varick Center For Empowerment, Booker T Washington Academy is looking to partner with a private for profit developer to build a mix-use development on the corner of Webster/Dixwell that will include the
permanent location of Booker T Washington Academy school a prek-8 school with limited retail, 40-60 units of affordable housing with retail all on the same developable lot.
Operation Hope Initiative: VCE is looking to partner with the national organization
Operation Hope. Operation Hope is a silver rights empowerment, making free
enterprise work for everyone. We accomplish this through their work on the ground as the nonprofit private banker for the working poor, the underserved and struggling middle class. We achieve our mission by being the best-in-class provider of financial literacy empowerment for youth, financial capability for communities, and ultimately, financial dignity for all.
Varick Center for Empowerment would like to work with Operation Hope to bring
several of Operation Hope programs to New Haven located in the Dixwell neighborhood. The primary programs but not limited are below
Hope Financial Dignity Center: It is one stop shop community based program and
center that provides financial literacy, resources, and counseling to people in underserved neighborhoods. Hope Centers, trained finance professionals provide financial literacy classes and one-on-one counseling on homeownership, mortgages and foreclosures, credit, small business, and more.
Internet Cyber Café: It is a traditional base of operations for many freelancers and
small business owner. It can serve as an impromptu office, research center, and
computer lab. T includes full service café with free Internet access and state of the art computer workstations. Café gives clients a quiet place to check email, conduct e-commerce business, or do online research in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere.
Subproject: Develop a survey and analysis of the economic conditions of the
immediate neighborhood.
Specific skills/experience required for the project (Please list): Computer skills is a critical, proficient in Microsoft office, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Adobe, flash.
Varick Center For Empowerment Project Coordinator
Responsibilities:
VCE Website Development and Update.
Research & Apply for capacity and predevelopment grants.
Identify potential development site as well as due-diligence for development.
Staff board meetings and assist in the recording of and dissemination of board minutes to board members.
Serve as point person for the partnership with Booker T Washington Academy, VCE and Private developer for the Dixwell/Webster redevelopment.
Attend community, business and municipal meetings on behalf of VCE.
Hold consistent community focus groups and community conversation for the immediate Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhood residents around developing economic need assessment.
Work on the feasibility of Operation Hope partnership with VCE and serve as the pint person.
Build up the VCE office infrastructure in the Varick Life Center such as (Phone system, mailbox, VCE filing and organizing, letterhead creation).
Manage the VCE operations outside.
Build partnership with area community groups, businesses as well as nonprofits and serve as a liaison
Qualification:
Excellent verbal and written communication skill. Experience in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word) and social media is necessary. Experience in Constant Conctat or Equivalent and Adobe Creative Suite.
Additional requirements (e.g. a car or weekend working hours). If a car is required, please include information regarding parking arrangements and mileage
reimbursement): Flexible with student schedule but just M-F work schedule.
Briefly describe the work that Yale PPSF Fellows have done with your agency in the past and present. If you have not worked with Yale Fellows, please describe any work that Yale students have done with your agency.
