At the end of every program cycle,
UPNEXT selects some of its most dedicated and hardworking fathers to
participate in a six-week fellowship. The fellowship roles are highly coveted
and many of our promising candidates compete for them. The fellows are hosted
at Bronx Community Solutions (BCS) and the Midtown Community Court (MCC). The
positions entail providing support to the facilities department, general
maintenance, and supervision of community service mandates. While they work,
the fellows also attend UPNEXT’s Advanced Job Search workshops so that they may
search for permanent employment
 |
“I feel valuable and appreciated.
I
now work harder than I did before”
–Dhavon, MCC Fellow
|
The fellowship offers its participants—with little to no work
experience—the chance to build-up their resumes, as well as apply some of the
things they learned during the UPNEXT program cycle like: active listing,
understanding the feelings of others, setting a positive environment and public
speaking.
As a result
of learning and adapting these skills, the fathers become key members of the
teams that keep MCC and BCS clean and functioning. The fellows show growth in
their work throughout the six weeks, becoming more integral to as they near
completion. Without the work and growth
of these outstanding UPNEXT graduates, MCC and BCS would not be as clean,
functional and safe as they are.
