Over 170 disenfranchised community members including a large number of formerly incarcerated people attended a multi-day soft skills job training program in Bedford-Stuyvesant last week, and more than 50 will end up with seasonal work at United Parcel Service (UPS) and 27 are expected to remain full-time employees of UPS after the holidays.
The Center For Nuleadership on Urban Solutions (CNUS), 510 Gates Avenue, held the event with plenty of help from Carver Federal Savings Bank, which had reps on hand to teach financial literacy, and UPS Supervisor Linette Townsley.
“Our mission is from criminal justice to human justice. We do innovative policy and a lot of training and technical training. We partnered up with Linette to hold this event with the idea of how to create a pipeline with an equity lens for folks who don’t know about it [job opportunities] but have support to get hired,” said CNUS Deputy Director Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee.
Rhee said it wasn’t a problem doing outreach to find disenfranchised community members needing work because the organization has been doing this kind of work for over 20 years.
“One of our staff members alone turned out more than half the people who came for the training with others coming from the mayor’s office, and from our folks we train at our 18 cure violence sites we have around the city,” she added.
Established in 2001 by Eddie Ellis, a formerly incarcerated professional, CNUS is the first and only independent public policy, research, training and advocacy organization designed and developed by formerly incarcerated professionals and staffed by people directly impacted by the criminal punishment system.
CNUS was formerly housed at Medgar Evers College, in the City University of New York, in both the School of Business and the School of Professional and Community Development.
“The Center for Nuleadership continues to invest in developing the communities most precious asset…its people. Today’s career fair is just one of many strategies to building wealth, by insuring that people can earn a living wage and stimulate economic activity through employment,” said Dr. Divine Pryor, CNUS Former Executive Director.
CNUS Chair Joseph Coello Sr. said he grateful and optimistic at the future for the organization’s youth building.
“This 5-day forum (soft skills training, job fair, UPS hiring) is just the beginning,” aid Coello. “While we were established as an interdisciplinary forum for policymakers, legal practitioners, law enforcement, civil society leaders, clergy and previously incarcerated academic professionals seeking to influence and impact urban contemporary criminal punishment, we have grown to commit and dedicate ourselves to our youth.”
Coello also thanked UPS, LT Ventures, Carver Bank, and EXALT for their continued support and commitment to the youth of CNUS.
To learn more about CNUS click here.
