- GOSO IN THE COMMUNITY
- Our integrated post-release support program offers help in three key areas-- education, employment, and social services.
GOSO provides post-release transitional services at our facility in East Harlem. Over the years we have built our reentry model around the three most essential needs of our participants: education, employment, and social service support. Our office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for all services, and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon for scheduled meetings.
Each year over 200 newly-released participants come to our office where they meet one-on-one with Career Counselors and Social Workers, and attend GOSO seminars and workshops. During office hours participants have unlimited access to computers, phones and fax machines that enable them to research and apply for jobs and educational programs. An additional 150 young men continue to visit the office after their first year for support services on an as-needed basis while they pursue their education and career goals. Many of the men in our program have told us that over the years GOSO has become like family for them. Participants pass through three stages as they progress through GOSO: Pre-graduate, Graduate, and Post-Graduate.
Pre-Graduates: For every participant, his first month in the community-based program is a stabilization period, during which his most pressing needs are addressed. During that time, he is expected to complete the GOSO GPS to Success curriculum, an intensive series of workshops that will prepare him for employment and education. The curriculum includes an Orientation Workshop; Resume Writing; Job Search Techniques; Interview Skills I & II; Career Exploration I & II; and the Know Your Rights – Youth Represent Workshop. At the conclusion of the workshop series, a participant must also successfully complete a mock interview with GOSO’s President & CEO Mark Goldsmith. GOSO Graduates receive a certificate of completion and $100.
Visit our Seminars page for a more detailed description of individual classes.
Graduates: Graduates are eligible for all GOSO services and programs including onsite GED classes, tutoring, mentoring, internships, employment counseling, and referrals to job interviews and education/training programs. Graduates attend workshops designed to help them thrive in school, the workplace and in their personal lives. Workshops include the GOSO Grad Workshop; Futures in Focus – GOSO Men's Group; Financial Planning I & II; Navigating Parole and Probation; Intro to Acting and Improvisation; and Fatherhood.
Visit our Seminars page for a more detailed description of individual classes.
Post Graduates: GOSO Post Grads are participants who have completed two or more semesters of college or vocational training and/or have worked at the same job for more than one year. We require post-graduates to visit the office or contact their Career Manager at least once a month.
- Services in the Community Program include:
- Intake: During their first day in the office, GOSO enrollees meet with a Career Counselor to complete a resume, discuss short- and long-term reentry goals, and receive a full mental health evaluation and assistance with immediate social service needs. He also receives a Reentry Toolkit that includes an alarm clock, day planner, notepad and pens, MetroCard and subway map.
- Education: Career Counselors assist participants in applying for GED preparation classes, college, or vocational school, and monitor their attendance and performance after they enroll. GOSO pays application fees, provides MetroCards for transportation, and covers the cost of books. GOSO volunteers provide tutoring to participants at any educational level.
- GED Plus @ GOSO: In collaboration with the DOE, GOSO has established a GED Plus school at our East Harlem facility. Our onsite class makes GED education more accessible to our participants and our staff are always available to support our students' efforts. Students receive breakfast, lunch and MetroCards for transportation to and from class.
- College Preparation at GOSO: The GOSO Education Coordinator works one-on-one with participants with an interest in attending college to help them apply for Federal aid and fill out college applications. For students attending our GED Plus class, a College Counselor from the Department of Education also provides guidance and assistance for college bound students.
- Employment: Career Counselors work one-on-one with participants to evaluate their degree of job readiness, and help them research job prospects, submit online job applications, and prepare cover letters and resumes. Clients have unlimited access to computers, fax machines and phones, and receive MetroCards, appropriate clothing and haircuts for job interviews.
- GOSO Paid Internship Program: All participants who complete the GOSO GPS to Success are eligible for our paid internship program. Twelve-week internships provide hands-on job experience in a participant's area of career interest and provide a small living stipend while he works.
- Health and Wellness: All GOSO participants are encouraged to attend two important health and wellness seminars that we offer on a regular basis, the Project STAY HIV and STD Awareness Workshop, and Nutrition, Health and Performance. In addition, we provide referrals for full health care services at the Young Men's Clinic of New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Visit our Seminars page for a more detailed description of individual classes.
- Mentoring: Our mentoring program carefully matches participants with trained volunteer mentors who share their interests and experiences. Mentors can provide the empathy, guidance and support participants need as they take on the many challenges of reentry. Mentor/mentees meet twice a month for a minimum of six months.
- Social Services and Supportive Counseling: GOSO Career Managers and Social Work Interns are trained mental health professionals who provides onsite group and individual counseling to those who need it. We also provide psychiatric evaluations and counseling, and referrals to offsite mental health and substance abuse programs. In addition, GOSO provides family and crisis counseling, housing support and referrals, and assistance with IDs, Driver's Licenses, Medicaid and Food Stamp registration.
- Year-round financial advice and tax services are provided on request by a GOSO volunteer with many years of experience in tax preparations and financial advising.
