Our Approach
The Three E’s
GOSO’s work is framed by our Three E’s: Education, Employment, and Emotional Well-Being. We believe that all three work together to form a foundation on which GOSO youth can build their futures.
When a young person walks through GOSO’s doors, they’re not handed a checklist. They’re met by someone who’s going to sit with them, listen, and help them figure out what they actually need.
Every participant is matched with a licensed clinical social worker who gets to know them through a one on one intake process. From there, they work with a Participant Success Manager (PSM), a trained social worker who stays in their corner, manages their care, and builds an individualized plan with them. Not for them.
Through GOSO, young people access education and career support, mental health services, and the practical help that makes everything else possible: SNAP and Medicaid benefits, housing assistance, conflict resolution, and leadership development. Because stability isn’t just about getting a job or a diploma. It’s about having the support to get there and people who believe you can.
Education
At-risk and justice-impacted youth face compounding barriers to education. GOSO removes those barriers so every young person has a real path forward. Participants can earn their high school equivalency diploma at GOSO’s on-site school. For youth who need additional preparation, GOSO created GOSOFoundations, a pre-GED program that builds the skills and confidence needed to succeed. For those ready to go further, GOSO helps participants explore trade school, college, and other educational pathways based on each person’s goals. Whether working toward a GED or a degree, GOSO provides the guidance and support to get there.
Employment
A steady job changes everything. GOSO has offered job readiness training since day one, giving participants the skills and confidence they need to enter the workforce. We know that people with a criminal record face real barriers when looking for work. So our GOSOWorks program was built to help level that playing field. Through internship-to-employment opportunities, we connect participants with real work internships and jobs that can lead to full-time positions.
Emotional Well-Being
Healing is part of success. GOSO’s licensed social workers provide mental health support to every participant, because we know that emotional well-being and long-term stability go hand in hand. More than half of our participants come to us dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or need help with other mental health needs. Through one-on-one counseling, group therapy, and psychiatric evaluations, at our on-site mental health clinic in partnership with The Child Center, we help participants work through these challenges – so they can thrive at home, in school, and at work.
Education
Small class sizes mean real attention and personalized support. Structured breaks every 45 minutes keep participants focused and engaged. Our Education program runs year-round in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. We prepare participants well, provide continued support after completion, and encourage them to pursue higher education and training. With this foundation, they become confident learners and achievers, ready for whatever comes next.
Many arrive without a high school diploma or equivalent. Our education programs team works one on one to connect participants to the credentials and confidence they need to pursue their goals—whether that’s employment, higher education, or both.
GED Foundations
GOSO’s education department meets participants where they are. For those who need additional support, our GED Foundations Program builds the foundational skills needed to succeed in our main GED program. Participants receive weekly instruction plus self-paced online learning to build foundational skills in reading, writing, and math. Many participants who start in GED Foundations go on to complete their diploma through our other education programs.
Pathways to Graduation
In partnership with the NYC Department of Education, we offer high school equivalency classes right at GOSO. State-certified instructors and dedicated education staff keep classes small, ensuring each participant gets the individual attention needed to succeed. 2026 is the second year in a row of record high GED completions for GOSO.
Next Steps Scholars
For participants 21 and older, this focused program combines GED test preparation with the structure and support needed to pass the GED exam and move forward. We screen, prepare, and support participants on their learning educational journey.
Clinical Services
At-risk and justice-impacted youth often carry significant trauma. GOSO’s Clinical Services team provides comprehensive, trauma-informed mental health support designed to help participants heal and build stronger futures.
A Relationship-First Model
Every participant is assigned a Participant Success Manager (PSM), a licensed social worker trained in trauma-informed care. PSMs serve as each participant’s primary point of contact throughout their time at GOSO, providing therapy, mentorship, and program navigation through one consistent relationship.
PSMs build trust first. Mental health support is introduced gradually, as that trust deepens. This approach works because it meets people where they are. When participants receive consistent mental health care alongside mentorship, they heal emotionally, rebuild self-worth, and gain the tools to succeed in education, employment, and life.
When participants arrive, PSMs conduct a thorough biopsychosocial screening that looks at:
- Each participant’s experience with the justice system
- Family background
- Mental and emotional health
- Medical history and previous diagnoses
- Social influences and support systems
GOSO also administers evidence-based assessments, including screenings for trauma, depression, and substance use risk, to identify what each person needs.
Therapy & Counseling
- Individual and group therapy
- Trauma-informed treatment approaches, including CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Psychiatric evaluations and medication management
- Family therapy
- Court-mandated programs, including anger management and relationship counseling
Holistic Support
- Weekly mentorship and case management
- Restorative justice programming to repair harm, rebuild relationships, and strengthen community connections
- Housing, food, and public benefits navigation
- Coordination with education and employment services
- Ongoing clinical supervision and trauma-informed care
Continuity of Care
GOSO’s on-site psychiatrist provides clinical oversight and medication management. GOSO also partners with The Child Center of New York to extend access to mental health services beyond our doors.
All PSMs receive weekly clinical supervision and ongoing training in HIPAA compliance, cultural competence, suicide prevention, and trauma-informed care. This investment in our team ensures every participant receives consistent, high-quality support.
GOSOWorks
Meaningful employment is critical to the success of our participants.
A job is more than a paycheck. For at-risk and justice-impacted youth, it is a foundation for stability, independence, and a future. GOSOWorks makes that possible. Our employment program, GOSOWorks, connects job-ready participants to subsidized ten-week internship-to-employment opportunities with employer partners in a range of sectors across the city. When an intern is placed with an employer partner, GOSO provides wages up to the first 240 hours of work, after which employers can directly hire a participant. In partnership with New York’s Work Progress Program (WPP), private supporters, and corporate volunteers , we are able to provide intensive training, screening, and interviewing and are able place participants with select employee partners. A GOSOWorks internship is often the first employment experience for many participants, and it helps them use and develop the personal and professional skills needed to succeed in life.
To develop participants’ hard skills, GOSO offers referrals to partner organizations for one of six vocational training courses: 30-Hour OSHA Construction Training; 4-Hour Supported Scaffolding and Flagger Training; CPR and First-Aid; 8- and 16-Hour Security Training and Fireguard Exam Preparation, and CompTIA A+ through Per Scholas. GOSO also provides post-placement support, including therapeutic services, to ensure the participant’s success.
We prepare participants well for the workplace, provide them with continued support after they are employed, and encourage them to continue to pursue education and training. With this support, they become outstanding employees, ready to grow with the challenges of the job. We partner with businesses in a variety of industries: food service, construction, direct service care, retail, non-profit, and more. We’re proud of our extensive network, which includes businesses like Urban Design, Dos Toros Taqueria, the Horticultural Society of New York, and CitiStructures, to name a few.
Vocational Training & Certification
We offer free monthly vocational training on-site at GOSO, preparing participants for careers in industries like construction, maintenance, and warehousing. Offerings include Scaffolding and Flagging Training, OSHA 30-Hour Construction Training, General Industry OSHA Training, and OSHA 16-Hour Security and Fireguard Training. We also cover the cost of professional licensing, like the NYS Security Guard license and the Drivers License Pre- licensing training course.
Stand Against Violence East Harlem (SAVE)
“This is our community, and we got to have hands in saving it too,”
–Omar Mims, SAVE Violence Interrupter featured in The Trace
Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and neither does prevention. SAVE is a community-based violence prevention program operating in and around the Jefferson, Johnson, and Wagner housing developments in East Harlem. SAVE is part of New York City’s Crisis Management System (CMS), a citywide network of community-based organizations working to reduce gun violence through a public health approach.
Rooted in the Community
SAVE is built on a simple idea: the people closest to the problem are best positioned to solve it. SAVE’s outreach workers and violence interrupters are East Harlem residents, many of whom have personal experience with gun violence and the justice system. They work directly with young people at highest risk of involvement in violence, building trust, mediating conflicts, and stepping in before a situation escalates.
This is not a crisis response. It is prevention, happening every day on the ground.
What SAVE Does
Conflict Mediation and Violence Interruption
- Identifying and de-escalating tensions before they turn violent
- Preventing retaliation after shootings and incidents
- Keeping conflicts from spreading through social networks
Individual Support
- Connecting high-risk individuals to job training and employment opportunities at GOSO’s community programming and other local resources
- Linking community members to mental health services and legal support
- Providing ongoing case management and mentorship
Community Engagement
- Responding to shootings with community healing and outreach
- Organizing residents around safety and shared goals
- Shifting community norms away from violence and toward possibility
A Neighborhood-Wide Approach
SAVE works across Thomas Jefferson, James W. Johnson, and Robert F. Wagner NYCHA developments because safety is a key to community success. As part of the NYC Crisis Management System, which has contributed to a 21% reduction in gun violence in neighborhoods where it operates, SAVE addresses the conditions that make violence more likely in the first place, connecting individuals to housing support, employment, mental health care, and legal services.
Reentry & Transition Services
Court Advocacy
When a young person is facing court, GOSO shows up with them. GOSO works alongside participants who have upcoming court appearances, engaging directly with their attorneys, district attorneys, and judges to advocate for alternatives to incarceration. Each year, GOSO writes hundreds of letters to the courts sharing the participant’s goals and achievements in our program and in their communities.
Over more than a decade, GOSO has built a trusted reputation with New York City courts, defense attorneys, government agencies, and community providers as a program that offers real, effective alternatives to jail and prison. That reputation changes outcomes for the young people in our program.
Housing & Benefits
We recognize that success is not possible without a safe space to call home, food, healthcare, and other necessities. We connect participants to housing resources such as grants, stipends, and vouchers; advocate for those with housing court involvement; guide them through applications for affordable housing; and assist with identifying emergency shelter. We also link participants to benefits such as SNAP and Medicaid.
GOSO also helps participants apply for benefits like SNAP and Medicaid, so basic needs are covered while they focus on education, work, and their futures.
Everyday Resources
GOSO’s East Harlem offices are more than a program site. They are a safe, welcoming space where participants can access what they need, when they need it.
Participants can pick up newly donated and gently used clothing, and hygiene products from our donation closet, or take books from our library. Our communal kitchen is fully stocked, so participants can grab a meal or snack, take food to work, or bring it home. Computers, phones, and printers are available during operating hours. And because showing up matters, we provide vouchers for local barbershops so participants can look and feel their best before an interview or important event.
