New Futures for Youth - Assignment Example

New Futures for Youth I. Introduction New Futures for Youth is an independent, non-profit organization located in Little Rock, Arkansas. For the purpose of this assessment, New Futures for Youth will be referenced as New Futures or as NFFY and these terms will be used interchangeably. The information gathered for this assessment was obtained through personal communication by staff employed with this program. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of NFFY, by comparing and contrasting information obtained about the organization through personal communication with an administrator and front-line professional. In 1988, New Futures was established as a collaborative of public and private, community and institutional representatives committed to improved outcomes for youth. New Futures offers a wide variety of services to many children and youth living throughout the Little Rock Metro area. Some of the initiatives offered through NFFY include: (1) capacity building; (2) workshops; (3) neighborhood-based programs; (4) unwed birth prevention programs; (5) youth initiatives projects; and (6) career development for children and youth. The mission of New Futures is to ensure that all children have a supportive caring adult for guidance, solid academic skills, access to basic health and social services, opportunities to experience success, and safe places for children and youth to meet and learn new skills (New Futures for Youth, 2010). The target populations for New Futures are youth living in low-income families or children and youth facing other serious obstacles to success. A goal of New Futures is to design and implement better services and supports for youth by collaborating with the youth, their parents and the community. As such, some of the following services are offered through New Futures: (1) job shadowing; (2) volunteerism; (3) project-based learning; (4) summer employment; (5) internships; (6) apprenticeships; (7) entrepreneurial training; and (8) out-of-school youth programs. II. Individual Level A majority of the services mentioned above are offered through New Futures for Youth. As such, the organization will be the remaining focus of this assessment. In addition, many of the indirect service professionals (social workers, program specialists, program liaisons) are employed here. M. Vogler is the administrator that was interviewed and D. Threet is the front-line program specialist that was interviewed. Mr. Vogler has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been the Integrated Services Program Specialist at New Futures for twenty years. Ms. Threet possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and has been with New Futures for seventeen years. When asked how does age, gender, marital status, and tenure affect hiring and supervision decisions, Mr. Vogler explained that aside from the administrative and volunteer positions, the major requirement for employment with New Futures is that applicants possess a four-year degree received from an accredited college of higher learning (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). When Ms. Threet was asked the same question, she stated very simply that, “maturity and commitment to youth development” was the major hiring criteria of New Futures (Threet, personal communication, July 19, 2010). When asked to elaborate, Ms. Threet explained that gender, marital status and tenure are not usually applicable. New Futures currently plans to hire three new staff members, to be out placed in area high schools, working directly with youth in a pilot project. Gender will be considered in hiring to match male staff with male youth and female staff with female youth. However, this is not a requirement, only a consideration to meet the needs of the youth. Through personal communication with both staff member’s, it appeared that they differed in their opinions of what were the most important hiring criteria for employees. Ms. Threet explained that an obviously qualified applicant (who was also an internal applicant) applied for a promotion within New Futures and was hired for the position and the applicant did not have a four-year degree. This could very well explain why the two differed in their responses to the hiring criteria of employees. In terms of professional make-up of the organization, both staff members explained that the organization consisted of a wide variety of disciplines, i.e. social workers (LMSW and LCSW level); Program Specialist; Program Liaisons; Communications Specialist; and Research and Evaluation Analysts. However, when asked about the types of professional development trainings that the program offered, both employees provided very different responses. Mr. Vogler explained his staff is always encouraged to attend and conduct different workshops involving youth and family issues, and to provide training and technical assistance to individuals and organizations (add workshops from the website). Ms. Threet mentioned the various workshops as well. But, her focus was to be aware of what is going on with the youth, collaborate with other organizations and to advocate broad community resources, for increasing and strengthening assets available to youth. Influenced by the increasing number of at-risk youth in the Little Rock Metro Area, the organizational values and ethics of New Futures consist of confidentiality, equality, racial equity, cultural strengths, community involvement and youth leadership development. Personal communication with both employees revealed that this is a required and necessary component of effective-service delivery and every employee adheres to these standards. Employees of New Futures understands their target population and the environments that most of these at-risk youth are living in, which makes it easier to adhere to their standards. Both Mr. Vogler and Ms. Threet believe that the organizations values and ethics overall, do mirror social work ethical standards. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics, “social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients” (2010). Again, both Mr. Vogler and Ms. Threet gave similar responses in terms of the types of personality traits that are best suited for employees with New Futures. Some of the traits that were mentioned were being professional, being non-judgmental, open-minded, caring, sympathetic, empathetic, trustworthy, and dependable. As Mr. Vogler is the Master Level Social Worker/Program Specialist for Integrated Services for the organization, he was able to provide information on the types of emotional issues discussed in department. Mr. Vogler stated that many of the issues that his department discussed was “overwhelming work load” with little time to complete tasks and deadlines and “decreased funding” due to a fifteen percent cut from one of their major funding sources (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). It was agreed that decisions made at New Futures came from the Board of Directors down to the Executive Director and worked their way down to front-line workers. Mr. Volger values the input from his department when it comes to decisions that affect them overall. Ms. Threet admitted that the staff do have some input in how decisions are made, but that the final decision will be made by the Executive Director and “regardless of the decision made the staff will have to go with the flow if wanting to remain an employee with New Futures” (Threet, personal communication, July 19, 2010). Both employees agreed that the organization does offer motivational programs and benefits to its employees such as team building activities aimed at increasing team cohesion; flex time; team luncheons; days off; and Mr. Vogler added, personal recognition for a job well done. III. Group Level As a majority of the positions at New Futures is responsible for providing some capacity of comprehensive and long-term services, leadership is vital and necessary role to assume. According to Mr. Vogler, “because advocacy is a very necessary and required part of our job, it is important for the social workers and program specialist to take on a leadership role” (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). Mr. Vogler further explains that it would do the youth and their families’ horrible disservice if their social workers/program specialist did not take initiative, but waited on the program director’s approval before making decisions. Ms. Threet and Mr. Vogler both agreed that Ms. Threet was one of the very ones who would make a sound decision to carry out and then inform Mr. Volger after the fact with the necessary information. With Ms. Threet taking the initiative to take action, it is apparent that they do not lack the capacity to take leadership roles. Again, both staff members agreed that trust and politics definitely influence those in leadership positions. However, the extent to which leadership is affected by politics and trust is where they differ. For instance, Ms. Threet believes that the decisions made by higher-management are heavily influenced by politics. She said that front-line workers just, “trust that the higher-management has made the best decision and continue carrying out the organization’s mission” (Threet, personal communication, July 19, 2010). Mr. Vogler however, expressed that he is aware of the politics surrounding higher-management, but his department does not understand some things that are just “out of his perimeter.” He has to “pick which battles are worth fighting for” (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). Denhardt, Denhardt, & Aristigueta (2009) state that, “an effective public manager is one who is able to identify which problems are within the scope of managerial decision making and then make an effective and responsible decision” (pg.116). It appears that Mr. Vogler adheres to this philosophy and practices this at New Futures for Youth. For the most part, it was agreed that communication within the organization and between the staff and supervisor is very good. Mr. Vogler expressed that, since we’re an informal staff and the majority of the staff have longevity with the organization, we use weekly staff meetings as a time discuss issues, as well as fellowship as a team. During our weekly staff meeting, it gives the staff opportunity to discuss any relevant information, along with any issues and/or concerns. Mr. Vogler would much rather his department deal with issues on the lowest level possible, before bringing it to his attention because their “small” issues detract from the “bigger” issues (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). Ms. Threet expressed that some of the problems she sees with the communication within the program are due to staff workload at the organization, with little time to complete assigned tasks. For instance, since staff are curious, yet are so busy, it is sometimes hard to keep up with all that is occurring on a day-to-day basis. In essence, some staff members have overlooked email communications, because of work overload and deadlines (Threet, personal communication, July 19, 2010). In terms of conflict, both NFFY employees agreed that whenever you have individuals from different religious backgrounds, ethnic groups, genders, and disciplines working together, conflict are inevitable. Fortunately, because the overall goal of New Futures is centered on providing the best possible service to youth and their families, the staff is generally able to set aside their personal differences for the sake of the population served and the overall unity of the team before it affects the overall operation of the organization. This is a plus for this organization because according to Kettner (2002), in order to be effective in serving people, human service professionals must understand cultures, gender issues, and how they affect practice. IV. Organizational Level The following organizational chart was adapted for fiscal years 2009-2010 (Vogler, personal communication, July 16, 2010). When asked whether NFY organizational structure is departmentalized by program or function, both Mr. Vogler and Ms. Threet have identified the organization as departmentalized by program. Though the organization appears to be departmentalized by function as first glance, there are several programs, each with their own department, under the program manager position. The Communications Specialist position also falls under a separate department heading. The Administrative Services and Research and Evaluation departments also fall under their own department headings and though both serve a specific function, do not operate within the others. Organizations that focus on program rather than function often have several departments that focus on a particular set of services or treatments, which are highly specialized. However, there is quite a bit of referral or cross functional treatment that occurs with many youth. This is one reason that organizing by function is not suitable for NFFY. “Under this very traditional structure, only formal authority was recognized as a source of power” (White, 2001). In an organization such as NFFY, in which there are several goals or objectives in the various programs provided, it would be difficult to rely only on formal sources of authority for decision making and for day to day service of the particular target group. There are so many different facets of the NFY that one or two formal sources of authority cannot possibly have a handle on all of them. Mr. Vogel mentioned the informal sources of authority that are utilized within the organization and a more project friendly structure that is similar to a “balanced matrix” structure, where staff management and program management share responsibility for effective services. This is often the type of structure that is used when resources limitations within the organization exist (White, 2001). In this type of organizational structure, there is frequent communication between programs, service providers and managers. This type of structure makes quite a bit of sense for NFFY, as youth can easily and quickly move from one program to another or participate in more than one program during the same time period. While this type of structure relies on effective communications among staff and managers, it is this communication that is utilized to ensure the highest quality in program implementation, which will more adequately meet the needs of youth clients. V. Environmental Level Then environmental level of NFFY relies on support from private funding sources, as well as public funds. There are limited public funds, as those funds are often spread out throughout the community, among various organizations and service providers. Even though there are many grants that NFFY has applied for, Mr. Vogel expressed that “many organizations are competing for those same grant monies and it is not possible to fulfill every grant application or need within a community or region.” It takes the combining of resources, both public and private, to keep a program like NFFY moving forward. It also requires creativity in the way funds are used. Finding new ways to provide the best service to the largest number of clients or creating some very specific criteria for program eligibility are some ways in which nonprofit organizations make the best use of available funding. While NFFY does not intend to turn youth clients away, particularly if they have unmet needs, there are some instances where youth may be referred to other organizations who may be better equipped to serve them or have the necessary resources available. The best way for NFFY to serve youth is to stay connected with other community organizations. “In order for children to do well, their families have to do well. For their families to do well, the community has to do well” (Hunt Institute, 2010). The community does a better job of serving youth when there are more positive influences and adult role models in their lives than negative. This phenomenon is known by many professionals and referred by Hunt Institute as tipping the scale. This is done through collaboration of many different organizations in a community. It has been proven to be effective in many urban areas, where youth are exposed to several negative influences of popular culture, street gangs and violence. While NFFY does not intend to take sole responsibility for tipping the scale in a more positive direction, it recognizes the value of this philosophy and aims to become a positive influence in the community, where youth are exposed to mentors with positive character traits. Leading a clean, productive life is not the only positive trait that social workers and staff at NFFY must have. They must also possess the ability to nurture and to collaborate effectively with many other service providers and professionals within the greater Little Rock metropolitan area. Social workers and NFFY staff must possess the skills to identify which programs and services will be most effective for each youth who comes through their doors and be ready to follow through on connecting youth with those services. They must also be able to understand the barriers or challenges in the lives of youth that may hinder effective service provision. Sometimes those additional barriers must be addressed first. This may require connecting youth with other agencies or service providers in the region, who are better able to help youth with specific problems or challenges. VI. Conclusion Overall, this writer understands the goals and objectives that have been established by NFFY, in terms of how it aims to serve youth in the greater Little Rock metropolitan area. It is a successful organization in that it has established specific guidelines for the various programs it provides. It has obtained highly skilled and knowledgeable staff, in program managers, social workers and administrators, to carry out its mission of serving and preparing youth for the future, by providing education, guidance and real world skills training. Staff members are kind and nurturing, which is most desirable when serving youth with many disadvantages. However, it is the informal communication and collaboration of the staff that make this organization run smoothly on a day to day basis. In speaking with Mr. Vogel and Ms. Threet, it is evident that staff members understand the purpose of NFFY and are committed to providing the best possible services for youth. They are able to put aside their differences for a common purpose, which is to better prepare youth for the future and help them obtain the necessary skills to do so. By putting aside their differences, staff members are setting a positive example for youth, that they may not see at home or on the streets. Gang fights or street wars often start over minor disputes. Though it is evident that NFFY still faces many challenges, such as securing ongoing funding for its programs and maintaining adequate levels of staffing, it is clearly heading in the right direction of fulfilling its mission. As long as it stays focused in the mission, the organization should be able to weather many storms. “A healthy nonprofit sets aside reserves, diversifies its funding sources and builds long term partnerships with community partners and donors. From each crisis it learns to operate more efficiently, to be prepared for the next storm” (National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, nd). In over 20 years of operations, NFFY has weathered many storms and has been reflexive enough to redirect its focus on efforts that are deemed more beneficial to youth. This puts NFFY in a good position to continue providing much needed services to the youth of the Little Rock community, through the many mentoring and preparation programs available. References Hunt Institute (2010). Tri State Summit: Meeting the needs of disadvantaged youth in after school hours. Retrieved from http://www.hunt-institute.org/elements/media/files/TriStateReport_v7web.pdf. National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (nd). Right on the money: How to keep the doors of your nonprofit organization open in good times and bad. Retrieved from http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/publications/pdf/sustainability_toolkit.pdf. White, K. (2001). The Functional to matrix transition: Common pitfalls. Project World. Retrieved from http://www.pmsolutions.com/uploads/pdfs/function_matrix.pdf Read More