OBT Adds Two New Programs
OBT Creates New Programs
Public Speaking and Communications Component for Youth
Hear ye, hear ye! Trainees from Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) will spoke their minds on issues ranging from mandatory drug testing to human cloning at a public debate on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at the Brooklyn Marriott. How were they be prepared to participate in such an event? These trainees have been coached and advised via a new component of the OBT jobtraining program a Public Speaking & Communication Skills (PSC) course launched in April of this year. Supported by The Heckscher Foundation for Children and The Clark Foundation, OBT engaged InStep Consulting LLC to develop an interactive training curriculum with custom activities tailored for the youth. With the goal of reviewing the essentials of public speaking, concentrated areas of study included: The art of persuasion, Techniques for effective speech writing, Professional organization and outlining, and Debate techniques
OBT hopes that the PSC course will enable current and future trainees to present themselves professionally and effectively in any public speaking setting. Among other things, it emphasized the importance of body language and reinforced their confidence to support the trainees overall growth and professional development. OBT managers and job developers hope the course will equip trainees with skills to resolve on-the-job disputes by organizing their thoughts and preparing a course of action when presenting their opinions to a co-worker or supervisor.
The PSC course will conclude with a half-day Debate & Public Speaking event at the Brooklyn Marriott, during which trainees will demonstrate the skills they have acquired in the course. In addition to delivering persuasive speeches on a wide variety of topics, including US immigration policies and the war in Iraq, trainees from the Bushwick and Sunset Park locations will engage in a competitive mock trial debate.
According to Randy Peers, OBT Executive Director,
“we believe that PSC training will provide our trainees with more leverage as they job search in a competitive market, and provide them with more opportunities to advance professionally in the future.”Adult Literacy: Evening Classes at Bushwick Office
Through the awarding of a State Edudcation Department (SED) grant, in January, OBT was able to launch a new Adult Literacy initiative at Bushwick. Five new free afternoon and evening programs started in March.
The new adult classes include a GED preparation class and a Pre-GED class, the latter intended for those needing more work on basic skills before moving to the GED level. There are, also, 3 new adult ESOL classes, which together cover the beginning to advanced ESOL levels.
Program staff includes 2 P/T ESOL teachers, 1 GED/Pre-GED teacher who also serves as Coordinator, a P/T Enrichment teacher and one P/T Administrative Assistant. The new program primarily helps meet the educational needs of the underserved Brooklyn communities of Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant although students come from other communities as well. Community response has, so far, been tremendous! We have already surpassed our goal of enrolling 135 students.
OBT looks forward to continuing to meet the need for convenient and accessible Adult Literacy classes out of its Bushwick site well into the future! For more information or registration dates please call 718-387-1600.
