Volunteer Navigator Training is April 10th!  

In its effort to fight poverty, Opportunities for Otsego is seeking community volunteers to serve as Navigators. Navigators agree to be trained in the Opportunity Community model and commit to using their networks to assist Neighbors living in poverty to access resources and supports for moving and staying out of poverty. 

April Training: April 10, 2018 from 8:00 AM to Noon OR 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Once trained, Navigators will be paired with Neighbors that are struggling with poverty. Pairing will occur at the Opportunity Conference, scheduled for Saturday, May 12th in Oneonta.

The conference will be led by Dr. Donna Beegle, a nationally renowned speaker who broke free from a life of generational migrant-labor poverty. 

To learn more about types of Navigators or download the flyer, click here. 

Anyone interested in helping should contact Autumn Torres at 607.433.8005 or atorres@ofoinc.org.

Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI)

In his 2016 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo announced the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI); a community based initiative to combat poverty. Sixteen communities across New York State were selected based on their high rates of poverty. The City of Oneonta was one chosen community, as it has a very high rate of poverty, with 18% of youth under 18 years old living in poverty.

The City of Oneonta designated Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) to coordinate the City of Oneonta’s poverty reduction initiative.

Strategies will be implemented under the theories of Dr. Donna Beegle’s Opportunity Community Model. As one of the first Opportunity Communities in New York State, The City of Oneonta aims to help children and their families living in poverty break through barriers and access resources and support to move beyond and stay out of poverty.

Navigator Volunteers do not have to reside in the City of Oneonta.

April 10, 2018 is Navigator Training for community volunteers who agreed to serve as Navigators. Training sessions are 8:00AM-Noon or 1:00PM–5:00PM. To participate, e-mail: atorres@ofoinc.org. Other training dates will be scheduled if you miss the April 10 training.

Here is the link to the ESPRI page on the OFO web site. Donna Beegle’s videos are towards the bottom. http://www.ofoinc.org/find-program/espri/

Upcoming Events:

04.10.18 - Navigator Training: Half-day training to provide community volunteers, known as Navigators, with a foundation for understanding poverty and strategies to help Neighbors break through the "iron cage" of poverty and move forward. Training sessions are 8:00AM-Noon and 1:00PM-5:00PM. To participate, e-mail: atorres@ofoinc.org. Other training dates will be scheduled if you miss the April 10 training.

05.12.18 - Opportunity Conference: Neighbor training and pairing with community Navigators. Facilitated by Dr. Beegle/Communication Across Barriers.