PASE graduates its 6th class of Emerging Leaders in Child & Youth Services

Twenty-one of New York City’s best and brightest afterschool leaders graduated from the Emerging Leaders in Child & Youth Services program on Friday, December 14, 2007. These graduates are the up and coming youth development stars of today and the executive directors of tomorrow.

I In the near future, as executive directors and other leaders depart their agencies, the New York’s human services community will face a crisis if staff members are not ready and able to take on these roles. To this end PASE and Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs partnered again this fall to offer the 6 th annual Emerging Leaders program, a comprehensive, semester-long course in non-profit management.

The innovative Emerging Leaders curriculum includes lectures and practical discussions that combined the expertise of both PASE and Baruch by merging the knowledge of college professors with the experience of seasoned non-profit practitioners. The course covers all aspects of non-profit management including organizational diagnosis, strategic planning, financial management and accounting, human resources, fundraising, advocacy, board relations, government contracting, information technology, and performance measurement and evaluation.

The course aims to encourage these young professionals to stay in the field of youth services. “Thanks to the emerging leaders program I found interest in continuing my education in public administration,” said one student who will be moving on from the course to be a United Way Senior Fellow at the Baruch College School of Public Affairs. “I hope to remain in touch and continue to learn from you all as I continue on my path as a leader.”

Graduates of the course come from a wide range of backgrounds and from a variety of different organizations, but all share a commitment to bettering the lives of New York City’s youth and to helping steer their agencies into the 21 st century. 100% of participants in this year’s course received some scholarship assistance from PASE through the generosity of such funders as American Express and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. PASE congratulates the graduates and is proud to be able to offer these emerging leaders an effective, affordable way to increase their managerial ability right here in New York City.

ASE has also selected five outstanding scholarship recipients from this class to participate in the Ascent mentoring program. Through this program, PASE will match those five with high-level executives in the field of afterschool education, who will serve as mentors and advisors to the participants, helping them to achieve identified goals. Mentors and mentees will also participate in bi-monthly Mentoring Breakfasts, which will enable everyone to share progress and discuss challenges and highlights. PASE will also hold quarterly institutes which will provide participants with opportunities for skill-building in specific leadership areas. Each full-day institute will offer in-depth discussion.