• Social Need
• Program Overview
• Student Profiles
• FAQs

Organization

• History
• When was NYNY founded?

New York Needs You was conceived in 2008 and founded in 2009.

• Who founded NYNY?

The idea for NYNY was developed by Robert Reffkin, who currently serves as the NYNY Board President. NYNY was launched by Mr. Reffkin and 15 other dedicated founding board members in summer 2009.

• Mission
• What is the mission of the NYNY?

The mission of NYNY is to close the opportunity gap through an intensive career development and leadership training program that enables high-potential, first-generation college students to realize their career aspirations.

Program

• Structure
• Who designed the NYNY program?

The curriculum is designed and developed by our staff and volunteers and has been created specifically for the NYNY Fellows by leveraging our research on first-generation college students, existing career and leadership development models and the expertise of our team and our resources to develop the Fellow curriculum.

• What research or existing mentorship programs informed the structure of the NYNY program?

Our team conducted an informal survey of mentorship programs and we were surprised to discover that relatively few programs target college students. Most mentorship programs focus on high school students and are not highly structured. NYNY’s mentorship model will be rigorous and follow a structured curriculum, including Saturday workshops, with more than 200 highly accomplished professionals serving as mentors and volunteers to ensure that the mentor-mentee relationships effectively develop and thrive. The mentorship model will tailor to the unique needs of our target.

• Why does the program start after students have completed their freshman year?

The NYNY fellowship program engages students at the end of their freshman year. At this point, we expect that the students will have begun to acclimate to the college experience and student life and will recognize the value of the fellowship program as well as the required commitment of time and energy for success in the fellowship program. Many career and leadership programs engage students in their junior year of college; while we recognize this as the critical junction for a number of industries (particularly related to internships), we believe that students need more time to explore opportunities, fully develop skills, relationships and experiences. Thus the fellowship program is for students in their sophomore and junior years.

• What is the duration of the program for the fellows?

The fellowship program is 2 years in duration. During Year 1 of the program, workshops are generally held one or two times per month and in Year 2, workshops are held bi-monthly. Workshops are mandatory and during the sessions, fellows work with their mentor-coaches, and engage in life planning activities, skill development, industry exploration and leadership projects.

• What is the time commitment required of an NYNY fellow for the program?

The fellowship program is 2 years in duration. During Year 1 of the program, workshops are generally held one or two times per month and in Year 2, workshops are held bi-monthly. The workshops are generally 5 hours in duration and fellows can expect 1-2 hours per week of career development assignments and leadership opportunities.

• How is the program tailored to the ambitions of each fellow?

All fellows will have broad industry exposure and robust skill development opportunities designed to increase their options and opportunities and to build their confidence in themselves and their ability to attain their goals and dreams. Throughout the program, fellows will work closely with their mentor-coaches and other volunteers on individual life planning. In this portion of the curriculum, fellows will explore their interests and desires; assess their strengths and areas for development; learn more about their work style and what drives and motivates them. Through the workshops and their mentor-coaches, fellows will develop short-term personal and professional goals and test different career paths.

• Are all sessions held as a group or will fellows receive more personalized attention?

Giving and receive feedback is a primary tenets of the fellowship program. The workshops are designed to be highly interactive allowing Fellows to learn from their peers, mentor-coaches and other volunteers. All fellows will learn to effectively give and receive feedback. Every activity and engagement will provide a learning opportunity for the fellows to receive feedback on their performance and their ideas. This feedback will come from their mentor-coaches, volunteers and their peers and enables a supportive learning environment.

• How much influence do the mentors have over the path each student takes?

The mentor-coaches are one of many resources that the NYNY fellows will have. Mentor-coaches are successful professionals that we expect will freely share their knowledge and experiences to encourage and challenge the fellows. Through the program, the fellows critically assess and develop their own desires and goals.

• Are fellows evaluated during the program and at its completion?

Fellows are evaluated and receive feedback throughout the program from their peers, mentor-coaches and other volunteers. Every activity and interaction is a development opportunity for the fellows. Fellows are also regularly required to evaluate the program and the volunteers to enable NYNY to continue to improve the program.

• Are mentors evaluated during the program and at its completion?

Mentors receive feedback to improve their effectiveness as mentors, strengthen their relationships with their fellow. This feedback is intended to drive a positive relationship and experience for the fellow and the mentor-coach.

• Life Planning — Is there a formal life planning curriculum or is this completed on a more individualized basis for each mentor-fellow pair?

There is a formal life planning curriculum. Throughout the program, fellows will work closely with their mentor-coaches and other volunteers on individual life planning. In this portion of the curriculum, fellows will explore their interests and desires; assess their strengths and areas for development; learn more about their work style and what drives and motivates them. Through the workshops and their mentor-coaches, fellows will develop short-term personal and professional goals and test different career paths.

• Career Development — Do mentors advise fellows on which career fields to pursue or only provide training and guidance on career development skills?

The mentor-coaches are one of many resources that the NYNY fellows will have through the NYNY fellowship program. The Fellows and mentor-coaches will have open dialogue about career paths and fields. Mentor-coaches will also help the fellows improve their skills through the structure workshops.

Recruitment

• What are the criteria for fellow selection?

Performance - Applicants should have a strong academic record, reflecting a commitment to hard work and excellence. We recommend that applicants have a college GPA of 3.25 or greater.

Leadership - Applicants must demonstrate leadership and a commitment to communities in need through work experience, campus organizations, athletics or other extracurricular activities.

Ambition — Applicants must clearly articulate their professional goals and possess a passion for achieving their professional goals. The fellowship is open to students from all disciplines and interests.

• Do fellows have to be from New York originally?

Fellows do not have to be from New York originally. We expect that most fellows will have attended NYC high schools and remained in New York for college, but this is not a requirement.

• Does the program only seek fellows who attended public school?

Students from all NYC-area schools, public and private are eligible for the NYNY fellowship program.

• Will you consider candidates that have below a 3.25 GPA?

All candidates that apply to the NYNY fellowship program will receive full consideration. There is not a GPA requirement. If you are applying to the program with a lower GPA (below 3.0), please briefly describe to the fellowship committee in the optional essay how you are addressing your academic performance.

• Will you consider students who don’t know what they want to do professionally?

We expect that many fellows will either not know what they want to pursue professionally or that their goals will change during the program. In applying to the program, we ask that you tell us, based on what you know now, what your goals and aspirations are and how NYNY can support you.

• From which colleges are fellows recruited?

Students from all NYC-area schools, public and private are eligible for the NYNY fellowship program. NYNY has a robust partnership with CUNY and hope to source many of our students from their senior and community colleges.

• What does it mean to be a first generation college student?

For purposes of the fellowship, we are targeting those whose parents did not graduate from college (they may have attended for a semester). We also have a strong preference for first-generation college students who are from low-income backgrounds.

• Is a gender or ethnicity a factor in the fellow selection process?

Gender and ethnicity, as well as college and borough of residence, will only be considered in final selection of the fellowship class to ensure that the participants represent the diversity of New York City.

• Is there a cap on the number of fellows that will be accepted?

Yes. Only 50 Fellows will be accepted into the inaugural fellowship class.

Mentorship

• What is the distinction between a mentor and a mentor-coach?

We use "mentor-coach" to denote the structured nature of the relationship and the guidance. Mentor-coaches and Fellows will have goal-oriented, purposeful relationships supported by robust feedback. The use of "coach" denotes an inspirational and encouragement component of the relationship as well.

• What are the criteria for mentor-coach selection?

NYNY engages mentor-coaches that exemplify the same traits that we require of our fellows — leadership, ambition and success in their chosen career path.

• From which industries and companies are mentors recruited?

We seek mentors that represent a broad range of industries and professions. We will have strong representation from the financial services, law and health professions due to our New York City location.

• How are mentors paired with fellows?

Mentor-coaches and Fellows are not initially paired. We want relationships to begin more organically and also we want to use the relationship building and matching process as a learning opportunity for the Fellows. This is not a "free-for-all" — initially, mentor-coaches and Fellows are assigned to one of four cohorts (of 12 Fellows and 12 Mentor-Coaches). The Fellows and mentor-coaches will participate in a series of networking activities before the matching takes place before the fourth session. There will be more than 150 other volunteers that engage on a rotating basis throughout the program.

• Do fellows work with the same mentor for the duration of the program?

Fellows have a one-on-one relationship with the same mentor-coach during the fellowship program. Fellows also benefit from relationships with the other 12 fellows and their mentor-coaches who are in their cohort. Finally throughout the program, more than 150 other volunteers will serve as speakers, advisors, judges and evaluations, panelists and industry experts to support the fellows’ development and growth (4:1 volunteer-mentor ratio).

Economic Model

• Does NYNY generate revenue or charge for its services?

NYNY does not charge fellows to participate in the fellowship program. The program is funded by the generous support of our board of directors, individual donors, foundations and corporations.

• Do you expect to expand beyond 50 fellows?

NYNY expects to grow the fellowship program beyond fifty fellows in the near future though the organizations first priority is to provide transformational programming to its fellows and deliver an exceptional experience for each volunteer and donor.

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