Our Piece Of The Pie, Inc. (OPP)

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Last updated on November 10, 2008

The mission of Our Piece of the Pie, Inc.® (OPP®) is to promote independence and economic success by helping young people, aged 14-24 become successful adults.

Description:
OUR PIECE OF THE PIE (OPP), formerly known as Southend Community Services (SCS), has been addressing the needs of Hartford's residents since 1974. Today our mission is to promote independence and economic success by helping young people, aged 14-24, become successful adults. The fundamental goals to do this are the same for all youth--through long-term education or employment outcomes:

• Education: To obtain vocational certification or graduate from a 2 or 4 year college program
• Employment: To move into full-time, unsubsidized employment, military service or national service

Our current programs and services

• Pathways to Success
• Youth Businesses
• Youth Employment & Placement Services
• Academic Support and College Planning Services
• Hartford AmeriCorps
• Childcare Services
• Pathways to Success - With a continuum of innovative services and proven strategies now squarely focused on improving outcomes for Hartford youth, coupled with researched models and best practice in the youth development field today, OPP is implementing a unified, long-term approach to help youth access and attain a mix of educational, employment and personal development opportunities that lead to success. We are focused on two core elements of youth development practice: first, each youth should have a plan - individualized, and based on an understanding of his or her dreams and aspirations, and mapping a realistic path from where they are to where they want to go; second, every young person needs a caring adult in their lives who can advise them along their journey. OPP' Youth Development Specialists actively engage youth in the community, providing practical guidance and motivation to help youth attain and persist towards higher goals.
• Youth Businesses - our award-winning "youth business" program engages younger youth, generally age 14 to 18, in five youth businesses - work experiences - that are designed to provide youth with opportunities to learn while they earn modest stipends based on attendance. Currently, OPP operates five youth businesses with work activities that are of interest to youth that provide occupational skill training, life skill training including basic personal finance, and opportunities for personal development and leadership. The youth businesses include: Echoes Youth Newspaper, River Wrights Boat Builders, Junior Art Makers (JAM), CrunchTime Youth Recording, and City Scan.
• Youth Employment & Placement Services - For youth who are ready for the workplace, OPP coordinates and develops employment placement opportunities for youth that includes job search skill training, job placement and job coaching, working in partnership with community partners, the regional workforce board, and collaborating with area employers to develop job opportunities. For youth with pre-employment training needs, OPP provides a "Young Professionals Academy" to develop awareness of workplace ethics and employer expectations in workshops on topics such as effective communication and self-awareness followed by placement into a 6 to 8 week work internship experience where new workplace skills can be fostered in a supported environment.
• Academic Support and College Planning Services - OPP offers tutoring assistance after-school and works closely with Hartford Public Schools to support the academic goals of youth at critical transitions. OPP Youth Development Specialists engage youth and their families to help them prepare for college. Planning activities includes review of high school coursework in preparation for college entrance, SAT preparation, college application guidance, assistance with financial aid applications and scholarship applications, college tours, maintain contact with youth once they are enrolled in college, and help college youth overcome barriers in order to attain their degrees. OPP seeks summer internships for college youth with area corporations that lead to careers in the region, seeking to retain, and sustain, local talent within the community.
• Hartford AmeriCorps - OPP also implements one of the most successful AmeriCorps program in the state. This year, the Hartford AmeriCorps national service program managed by OPP will engage 47 Members who are placed in six elementary schools in the city to provide reading tutoring, homework help, and implement community service projects, serving young school children deemed at-risk of low academic achievement.
• Childcare Services - The OPP Childcare Program is a nationally accredited childcare program that currently serves low-income families with high quality day care services for children age 3 to 5 in Hartford. The OPP Childcare Program is in the process of prioritizing available childcare slots to serve the children of youth who are OPP program participants.

OPP is recognized as a leading youth services organization in the city, an established community based organization that effectively collaborates and partners with schools and colleges as well as the federal, state and city agency's responsible for youth education and employment implementation.

History:
OUR PIECE OF THE PIE (OPP), formerly known as Southend Community Services (SCS) has been responding to the needs of Hartford residents for over thirty years. It has grown from a small, neighborhood-based organization into a city-wide, even regional one that responds to the persistent and growing needs of an increasingly diverse and poor population. In 2004, OPP directly served 2800 Hartford residents with services in youth development, elder programs, and child care. More than 2000 youth were served by OPP through a variety of programs designed to engage them and build long-term relationships that help youth make successful transitions to adult life and responsibilities. A recent, in-depth strategic and business planning process assisted both by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation has helped us refine and focus our mission. The result redefines our mission: To promote independence and economic success through helping young people, aged 14-24 become successful adults. OPP serves Hartford's young people through a comprehensive set of services referred to as Pathways to Success. We have significant ambitions for these young people, who will enter OPP programs at any point in that age continuum, and stay involved with OPP youth specialists through direct and referred services - their "pathway" -- for as long as it takes for them to achieve their individual goals (expressed in a success plan). The fundamental principle is that the long-term education or employment outcomes we seek are the same for all youth:

• Education: To obtain vocational certification or graduate from a 2 or 4 year college program
• Employment: To move into full-time, unsubsidized employment, military service or national service



Contact people:


John Thomas, Senior Program Director, (phone), (email) Donna Cathey, Director Of Experiential Learning, (phone), (email) Hector Rivera, Director, Employment And Training, (phone), (email)


Office fax number: (860) 296-3477

Address:


427 Franklin Ave. Hartford, CT 06114 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.OPP.org

Directions:

From Interstate 91, North: Exit 27, Brainard Rd. Left off exit to next traffic light. Left at light onto Airport Rd. Proceed through four lights. Airport Rd. becomes Brown St. Next light is Franklin Ave. Right onto Franklin. SCS is on the left next door to Rite Aid. From Interstate 91, South: Take Airport Rd. exit. Right onto Airport Rd. Proceed using directions above.   Nearest Bus Stop: In front of SCS, 1 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.cttransit.com/

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