Anchor Agencies Sought, Graduation Coach Campaign

Posted by on December 05, 2010

Graduation Coach Campaign
Request for Qualifications to be an Anchor Agency

Graduation Coach Campaign Overview:

Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s Office of Education and Office Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service are seeking organizational partners to help launch the Graduation Coach Campaign (GCC)—a new initiative that aims to provide adults the resources and tools they need to help young people succeed in high school and in their postsecondary pursuits.

In support of Mayor Nutter’s goals to increase the high school graduation rate to 80% by 2015 and double the City’s baccalaureate attainment rate from 18% to 36% by 2018, the Graduation Coach Campaign will foster more connections between adults and youth that are focused on education.

The Campaign creates an opportunity for individuals, organizations and communities to play a greater role in supporting more students to graduate from high school and advance to college and careers. This initiative will be launched in September 2010.

The Campaign will target adults who already have relationships with young people (e.g. through family and neighborhood connections, formal mentoring programs or as staff of youth-serving programs), as well as adults who serve as informal or potential role models, who can help deliver useful information to youth in their communities.  The ultimate goal of the Campaign is to ensure that these adults have access to a myriad of resources that best prepare them to support youth. The main conduit to these resources and other pertinent information will be the Graduation Coach website. In addition, every Coach will have access to trainings that help them navigate the website and access helpful resources.

Trainings and networking opportunities for Graduation Coaches will be made available in every region in Philadelphia. To bring this vision to fruition, the City is initiating partnerships with community-based organizations to host bi-monthly trainings and serve as hubs of resources within communities.

Anchor Agencies Qualifications:
The Mayor’s Offices of Education and Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service are requesting qualifications from community-based organizations that are interested in becoming Graduation Coach Anchor Agencies from September 2010 through June 2011.  A $1,500 honorarium and staffing support to manage logistics will be available to these agencies.

Agency qualifications must be submitted to phillygradcoach@gmail.com by December 15, 2010.

A list of organizational responsibilities and qualifications are listed below.

Graduation Coach Anchor Agencies agree to:

– Have a representative attend an initial planning meeting on MLK Day, January 17, 2011.
– Host about a dozen Trainings Sessions in a 7 month period; roughly equates to 2 sessions a month; ideally one session would be held on a weeknight, one session on a Saturday. Anchor agencies must provide adequate space for the trainings (described below); provide snacks for trainings; and work with the GCC Coordinator to schedule trainings.
– Ensure that the majority (65-75%) of agency staff attend a training within the year.
– Support recruitment efforts: includes posting GCC promotional materials within the neighborhood; conducting outreach; and liaising with other community organizations about the Campaign.

Anchor Agency Capacity Requirements:

– Space for trainings—room(s) that hold at least 25 people with adequate lighting and climate control. The room must have a computer/laptop with internet access and a projector.
– One staff member to act as a Graduation Coach Liaison throughout the year and attend one 2-hour training session in January.
– Regular hours of operation must include some evenings and weekends.
– Facility must be handicapped accessible.
– Child care availability during training sessions is preferred.

Graduation Coach Campaign
Request for Qualifications to be an Anchor Agency

Name of Organization:

Agency Address:

Mailing Address (if different from above):

Agency phone number:

Executive Director:

Contact for this proposal:

Phone number(s):                Email address:

If you are interested in becoming a Graduation Coach Anchor Agency, please respond to the following questions in a narrative not to exceed three (3) single-spaced pages.  Please number all responses.

1.    In what region of Philadelphia is your agency located?

2.

•    Central     •    Central East    •    North    •    Northwest    •    Southwest
•    Center City    •    East    •    Northeast    •    South    •    West

3.    Please describe the specific geographic boundaries you serve.

4.    Provide an overview of your organization’s community engagement strategy and your plans to incorporate the Graduation Coach Campaign into your strategy.

5.    Please check all of the languages frequently spoken in the communities you serve:
•    English
•    Spanish
•    Mandarin
•    Vietnamese
•    Cambodian
•    Other, please specify:   ___________________________________________

6.    What resources do you have available to engage members of the communities you serve who do not speak English?

7.    Who would serve as the Graduation Coach Campaign Liaison from your organization?  What is that person’s position in the organization?  Briefly describe their roles and responsibilities.

8.    Describe the room(s) available for hosting Graduation Coach trainings.  Please include information about size, lighting, heat/air conditioning, seating capacity, technology, etc.  What other regularly scheduled events or activities take place in the space(s) you plan to designate for Graduation Coach trainings?

9.    Please list your hours of operation:

•    Monday        ________________
•    Tuesday    ________________
•    Wednesday    ________________
•    Thursday    ________________
•    Friday    ________________
•    Saturday    ________________
•    Sunday    ________________

10.    Do you have the capacity to offer child care during training sessions?

Submit your response to phillygradcoach@gmail.com by December 15, 2010.