2026-10-28 - Common Council Education, HR and Community Advancement Committee

02:02Mhm.

04:05>> Mhm.

05:15>> [clears throat]

05:42[laughter]

05:44>> Good morning everyone. Blessings to all

05:46today. We are here to have a meeting

05:49with the organization that holds the

05:52exalt program. And but we're here with

05:54my other fellow counselors,

05:57President Helen Hunt.

06:00I mean,

06:01oh lord.

06:03It [clears throat] was that she's been

06:04the president so long, so she she still

06:06counselor. President counselor, how

06:08about that?

06:09>> [laughter]

06:10>> Um, we're here with Dana Moore,

06:12counselor Dana Moore, counselor Nave,

06:15um, myself Rashida Colwell, and um, my

06:19counselor uh

06:20Petronia Jones-Rowser.

06:22So,

06:23introduce yourself today, please.

06:27>> Good morning, everyone. My name is Jason

06:28Aline. I am the Chief Program Officer at

06:30Exalt.

06:31>> Good morning, everyone, and thank you

06:33for meeting with us. I'm Giselle Castro,

06:35the CEO of Exalt.

06:39>> Awesome, thank you.

06:41Is your mic

06:42>> Yes.

06:43>> Okay.

06:43>> Yes, it's recording.

06:44>> Okay, good.

06:45>> Thank you.

06:46>> Good.

06:46So, you guys have the floor.

06:48>> All right. Well, thank you so much for

06:50meeting with us, and we came in today to

06:53give an update on Exalt, the

06:55implementation process of the

06:56organization,

06:58and also uh to answer any questions, and

07:02we're so grateful for the opportunity to

07:04be here, and more specifically and

07:07importantly, the funding that has

07:10enabled us to garner various successes

07:13while here.

07:14I'm going to very briefly give an

07:17overview of the organization and the

07:19model, and Jason will walk us through

07:21some of the

07:23actual um processy of the organization.

07:26Then I'll discuss uh our implementation

07:28process and where we are today, and uh

07:31at any given point, you could go ahead

07:32and ask questions um

07:34of the organization. For some of you,

07:37you may know that in 2024, we started

07:40the implementation process understanding

07:43whether we could come into Syracuse, New

07:46York. Uh this is based on a board

07:48endorsed strategic plan to consider

07:51replication, and we deemed that Syracuse

07:54had the strongest alignment for various

07:56reasons. One is that there was a lot of

07:59similarities with the young people,

08:01where they are in their academic and

08:02expanding,

08:04also their history in the judicial

08:06system, and more importantly, you know,

08:09looking for opportunities to begin to

08:11think about the world of work. From that

08:14point, we gathered various convenings

08:16and we met with close to 80 of the

08:19stakeholders here in Syracuse, New York.

08:21Some of them came to New York City, met

08:24with some of our judges, internship

08:25providers, our board members, our

08:28funders, and we also met with back then

08:31Deputy Mayor Owens as well to really

08:34understand whether there would be

08:35alignment.

08:37And in 2025,

08:39we began

08:41working in terms of our eligibility

08:43criteria and working with our referral

08:46partners, the Department of Probation

08:48being one, some of your judges,

08:50Good Life.

08:52And in 2026, we implemented the first

08:55pilot class. Well, pause there so that

08:58Jason could walk us through the actual

08:59model and then what we have learned so

09:01far, what has been some of our

09:03successes, and then um open up, you

09:06know, to hear from from you all, from

09:08everyone.

09:10>> Good morning again, everybody. So, EXALT

09:12services 15-19 year olds who fall on the

09:15spectrum of criminal justice

09:16involvement, supporting them in three

09:18key pillars, which are academic

09:20advancement, uh increased employability

09:22through career exploration, and

09:23avoidance of further interactions with

09:25the criminal justice system. Uh we are a

09:27referral-based program. We receive the

09:30majority of our referrals directly from

09:32the New York City Judiciary and all the

09:33different players that encompass it. So,

09:35that is from all five borough DA offices

09:38as well as private attorneys, police

09:41officers,

09:42um

09:43independent independent legal uh serving

09:46nonprofits. Uh and so, we receive

09:49roughly about 1,400 referrals a year in

09:51New York City. In addition to the

09:53judiciary, we also get referrals from

09:54different CBOs and even individuals that

09:57have graduated the program, done well,

09:59and then are now referring friends and

10:01family who could benefit. Um so, our

10:03program, once a young person is

10:04referred, each individual goes through

10:06an exhaustive intake and interview

10:08process. This is done for a few reasons.

10:11So, one, to assess our young person's

10:13ability to commit to our program,

10:16as well as assessing the various

10:18potential needs that that young person

10:20may have that may need to be connected

10:22to resources to support their retention

10:24and progress through the program. So,

10:26this includes assessments such as an

10:28educational assessment, reading

10:29assessment, criminal justice assessment.

10:32Once a young person goes through our

10:34interview and intake process, which

10:35happens in person at our offices,

10:38they are assigned to one of our upcoming

10:40cycles. And so, the first part of their

10:42involvement once accepted is our

10:44pre-internship program, which is doubly

10:47focused on really through our curriculum

10:49reinvigorating our young people's love

10:51of learning while also giving them

10:52foundational professional development

10:54skills that many of them, given that

10:56they have not been introduced to the

10:57world of work,

10:58lack. And so, we're talking about things

11:00such as resume building, cover letter

11:01building, professional dress, managing

11:04up, fiscal responsibility. And all of

11:06this is in preparation for their

11:08internships with us. So, these are paid

11:11career exploratory internships, which

11:13have our young people immersed in the

11:15professional world for the first time

11:16for 8 weeks, being paid $18 an hour for

11:208 to 10 hours of work a week.

11:22These are high-level internships that we

11:24like to say are

11:26$18 an hour.

11:28Um high-level internships in high-demand

11:31sectors. So, we have young people

11:33interning at law firms,

11:36finance institutions, movie studios, art

11:38gallery. And again, reminding that this

11:40is all of our young people's first

11:42introduction to the world of work.

11:44They then proceed after those 8 weeks to

11:47a 2-week post seminar with us that has

11:50them both contextualizing their

11:51transformation and experience, and then

11:54also preparing them for the next phase

11:55of their involvement with us, which is

11:56our alumni program.

11:58Once they graduate from our core

11:59program, we commit to support for our

12:02young people for 2 years

12:03post-graduation. So, all in all, our

12:05support of young people lasts roughly

12:06about 2 and 1/2 years.

12:08That alumni support consists of not only

12:11support for high school matriculation

12:13that includes one-on-one tutoring,

12:15school transfer support,

12:17um as well as connection to GED programs

12:19for our young people that are going to

12:20go that route, but also support for

12:22post-secondary pathways, uh which

12:24includes college access um and exposure

12:26support that has uh us with a

12:29scholarship program as well as college

12:31tours largely focused on SUNY and CUNY

12:34schools as well as one-on-one

12:35application and financial aid help. And

12:38then also support for our young people

12:39that are looking to go directly into the

12:40workforce. So, that includes connection

12:42to high-level workforce development

12:44programs in New York City as well as the

12:46opportunity to participate in our

12:47graduate internship program which has

12:49young people immersed in a second

12:51internship for 3 months and being paid

12:54$20 an hour for up to 15 to 20 hours a

12:56week.

12:58>> I have two questions for you because I

13:01hear you talking about the 15 to what's

13:03night 17 19?

13:05>> 15 to 19.

13:06>> 15 to 19 and I hear you talking about

13:09the youth but I never heard the family

13:10component because they have to go back

13:13to that same family

13:15that they came from.

13:16>> Yes.

13:17>> So, I haven't heard anything about that

13:19component.

13:22>> So, with our organization the model uh

13:25you know, based on work for historical

13:28work just to give some information, I

13:32have worked in the family court system,

13:34criminal court, supreme court uh for

13:36over 20 years now and what we found

13:39within our work is

13:42when we don't have

13:44uh

13:46a real focus on the youth and youth

13:48development um practices

13:52uh our experience has been that a lot of

13:54families they're still

13:56not supporting a young person correctly.

13:59There there has been in many points

14:01where a young person has not done well.

14:04So, we support families differently not

14:06like the traditional interventions that

14:08other organization can't provide. We

14:11have become very disciplined that we are

14:13a youth organizing

14:16organization. So, we do support the

14:18families in terms of engagement,

14:21specifically where the court process.

14:24You know, many of the families they are

14:26engaged in that process with the school

14:28transfer, but not like traditional

14:31therapeutic or a level of engagement.

14:35When we were meeting with the partners

14:37in Syracuse, that was one of the key

14:40areas that we were highlighting, making

14:42sure that everyone knew exactly what we

14:44do and identify what partners we can and

14:48should be collaborating with. Our

14:50experience in New York has been that if

14:52we collaborate, you know, correctly with

14:54other partners, then we really are

14:56enhancing so many people. But overall,

15:00if a young person or a family is in need

15:03of a specific service or an intervention

15:06or an individualized plan, we're able to

15:09support them. But I just want to be very

15:11clear that one of our biggest requests

15:13has been, "How do we deeply collaborate

15:15with other

15:17practitioners in the field in the

15:18sector?"

15:20>> And my second question is, I hear the

15:22numbers that you're giving from New York

15:23City. What are the numbers here?

15:26>> In terms of?

15:27>> Of how many young people and you said

15:30you started the program in 2026.

15:33Right? You came in 2024.

15:36>> Mhm.

15:36>> You implemented in 2026.

15:38>> Yes.

15:39>> So, where are we at with Syracuse?

15:41>> we are at the moment we had many

15:43referrals coming in from the Department

15:45of Probation, from Good Life. Where we

15:48are right now, it's 19 young people.

15:50This afternoon we have a graduation.

15:53We're starting two classes this month,

15:56and one of the we started off by

15:59piloting the model.

16:02What we found in terms of increasing

16:04numbers, cuz that was the question that

16:06the collective had, we had and also

16:10here in Syracuse, safety became a number

16:12one question and issue for our young

16:14people. We have been addressing that and

16:17you could see it through our budget, our

16:19expense, through Uber transportation.

16:22And it still is a question, how do we

16:25quickly increase the number of youth

16:27served here in Syracuse?

16:30>> And what is your number goal?

16:32>> So, the number goal that that is

16:35another question. The number goal for

16:37me, you know, could be as quickly as 200

16:40young people. The question really

16:42becomes,

16:43what are the barriers

16:45in terms of their ability to get to not

16:49just the office we are renting space at

16:52EOC SUNY, but where they are interning.

16:55It's a financial question. You know, can

16:57we get all the way up to a number. The

17:01other aspect that we were considering

17:04and that we were exploring, we were

17:05working on, was referral from the

17:07Department of Probation,

17:09also from judges. We have been able to

17:13support two young people with open court

17:15cases where the judges

17:18vacated one sentence and then adjusted

17:20another case. What we knew and what we

17:23have learned is that we needed to go a

17:26little slower before we accelerate. And

17:29we did our examination in terms of what

17:32would be needed for us to, you know,

17:33quickly accelerate in terms of servicing

17:36young people.

17:38Jason and the team, they developed a

17:39strategy. We are now getting referrals

17:42from Hillside.

17:44We are still continuously getting

17:46referrals from the Department of

17:47Probation, from Good Life, but we and

17:50also, you know, from we're hoping from

17:52educators as well.

17:54>> You just One more quick question.

17:56>> Yeah, sure.

17:57>> If this is a part of your question,

17:59>> [clears throat]

17:59>> cuz you said up to 200, but can you just

18:02break that down to the cohort itself?

18:04>> Yes. Yes. So, so right now, we started

18:08off small. So, if we're going to do the

18:10comparison between New York City and,

18:13you know, in New York City we've been

18:14running that organization for 20 years.

18:16Here in Syracuse it's 10

18:19uh we've started. We were aiming for 15,

18:22but the average that a young a group of

18:24young people feel comfortable with each

18:26other. We're starting off small.

18:28Uh we're building out uh you know, with

18:31the goal to then have 15 per cycle.

18:35Uh but we want to be, you know, once

18:36again, thoughtful and um careful before

18:39we increase the number of young people

18:41in a class.

18:42The to to also add more information to

18:47your question, it was also giving time

18:49for the staff to onboard correctly

18:51before we bring in a class with a lot of

18:54young people with multiple

18:56uh you with multiple priorities.

18:59>> Onboard, do you mean staff to work with

19:01these people?

19:02>> Yes, what we mean we have hired we have

19:04hired two program coordinators and

19:07internship liaison, and we are in the

19:11process of interviewing. We have been

19:13interviewing for candidates for teachers

19:15and educators as well. Uh so, we have

19:18some staff from

19:20that are supporting with the core model.

19:22Two of them

19:24one of them is has led a full cycle. A

19:27second one is about to launch uh a new

19:31class. And then our internship liaison

19:34has been working very closely with Jason

19:38in terms of internships um placement.

19:43>> So, one more quick question that I have

19:45is

19:46when you talk about your budget because

19:48you did mention your budget.

19:50How do you plan to

19:52keep the budget moving? Are you looking

19:55for grants or how are you going to be

19:56funded?

19:57>> Yeah, so that's that's that's a great

19:59question. So, last year we were able to

20:02raise 1 million additional dollars.

20:05Uh for this fiscal year we have been

20:08able to raise an additional $300,000.

20:11That's the question of sustainability. I

20:13do know that when we were considering

20:17and this is part of scale and

20:18replication. This is at an

20:19organizational level. It's the real

20:22question of sustainability for Exalt,

20:24not just Syracuse, but Syracuse and New

20:26York. I consider Exalt that is in New

20:29York City and in Syracuse. So, uh you

20:32know, part of the work, which we know,

20:35is diversifying of funds. The CJS is our

20:39first state contract, the first state

20:41funding that the organization has

20:43received.

20:44But, we have been able to secure funding

20:47from foundations. We have been able to

20:49secure also um different dollars from

20:51the state. Uh we have been able to

20:54engage various donors. You know, I I

20:57would say that there is an interest in

21:00terms of philanthropy you know, to

21:02support this body of work. Um they were

21:05the ones who were also asking, "Can we

21:07replicate the model to reach many more

21:10young people?" So, I appreciate that

21:12question, which is our sustainability.

21:14>> Okay, cuz I I would like to see

21:16and then I'm going to be quiet.

21:17>> Oh, that's okay. That's okay. This is

21:19[laughter] why I came. This is why I'm

21:20here.

21:21>> But,

21:22um like you said, you want to differ

21:24differentiate from New York to Syracuse.

21:26But, my interest and I understand that

21:28you're statewide, but my interest is

21:30Syracuse. And I just want to know what

21:33the sustainability

21:35is for Syracuse, what the numbers are

21:37for Syracuse, and how are we like you

21:39said, how are we going to be able to

21:41keep this funding moving

21:42>> That's right.

21:43>> for Syracuse.

21:43>> That's right. You know, I I have no

21:45control of the state funding, you know,

21:47and and knowing that

21:49um which we are in in a good place, you

21:52know, that we're here today, you know,

21:53uh for the next um award, but in terms

21:57of sustainability, it always has to be

22:00and we're seeing it here in Syracuse

22:03where it is foundations, um different

22:06state, you know, funding for for to

22:09sustain. We are also are engaging other

22:12donors. Uh we had for last year, uh we

22:16had one donor. He is one of our

22:18anonymous donor, not from New York City,

22:20who

22:21made a pledge of $500,000.

22:23We were able to unlock that those

22:25dollars. So, that is towards the

22:28Syracuse, New York specifically. So, I

22:30just want to, you know, highlight that.

22:33Uh

22:34it was a question not just for the

22:35organization, but for every stakeholder

22:37that I met here in Syracuse.

22:39Uh one of the key and direct the

22:41question was, "How do we know whether

22:44you could remain and stay?" Which is a

22:46financial question.

22:49>> So, you have enough money right now for

22:522027. That's it.

22:56>> For for 2027. Yes, and we're we're

22:58continuously fundraising

23:00for 2027.

23:02And just to, you know, to reiterate, we

23:05have been able to secure for this fiscal

23:07year, our fiscal year starts July 1, uh

23:10an additional $300,000.

23:14>> So, I have a question. Um you said that

23:15you have 19 currently in the program

23:17ready to graduate or complete the

23:20program. Is that what you said?

23:21>> So, we have

23:23uh a class that graduated and a class

23:25that graduates today making up the 19

23:28young people.

23:29>> Okay. What happens to these youth after

23:31they graduate your program? Cuz I see

23:33that you have nine open You have nine

23:35positions in Syracuse and only three are

23:37filled. So, who's doing follow-up with

23:38these youth

23:40to keep their hands on them and make

23:41sure that they're

23:42>> I'll have Jason answer this question.

23:44>> That's um so, our internship coordinator

23:47and program coordinator work with each

23:48of our individual youth before they

23:50enter into the alumni program, what we

23:52call our IPP's, which are individualized

23:54program plans. So, these are specific

23:57road map of supports and goal setting

24:00with our young people um for their

24:02alumni engagement for the 2 years out.

24:04So, our current group will be worked

24:06with as well as uh from our cycle one

24:08with our internship coordinator as well

24:10as our program coordinator connecting

24:12them to different resources. We have a

24:14few that just went to OCC for their open

24:17house that are actually getting referred

24:18to Onondaga Community College. And so,

24:19we're organizing an info session with

24:21them, as well as connecting some of our

24:23youth through the workforce development

24:24opportunities, specifically Carpenters'

24:26Union, um as well as the workforce

24:29development opportunities at Syracuse

24:30EOC. And so, all of them have a specific

24:32plan and a point person that will be

24:34working with them.

24:35>> I have a quick question. I just want to

24:36ask you, right? Because I'm listening to

24:37what you're saying. You're saying that,

24:39you know, you're connecting them to

24:41like, and I get it, On Point and the

24:43Carpenters Union and these different

24:44places.

24:45There are programs that's working,

24:47that's moving already. Like On Ramp.

24:50They're connecting them to the

24:51Carpenters Union. They're connecting

24:53them to the Electricians Union. They're

24:55connecting in a lot of these young

24:56people to those same people you're

24:58talking about. So, what collaboration

25:01are you doing with these organizations

25:04that's moving that forward?

25:06>> Yeah, so, one, our staff members that

25:08are assigned to them, of course, are

25:09doing weekly check-ins as well as also

25:12organizing things within our

25:13organization such as other college

25:15visits, um, not only in New York City

25:17but for other campuses. Um, as you know,

25:19the workforce development programs also

25:21require a long and require a bit of

25:24support going through what is sometimes

25:266-month a year programs. And so, we

25:28believe that it's important for them to

25:30have someone connected to the

25:31organization that is not only moving

25:33them along with that, making sure that

25:34they're making their appointments,

25:36making sure that they're attending their

25:37classes, but also supporting them with

25:39other resources that they may need for

25:41things outside of their classroom

25:42involvement.

25:44>> Yeah, I you know, I I just wanted to add

25:45this because I think it's great that

25:47you're pushing them towards On Point and

25:49such, but I think right now in our area,

25:52what we're seeing is advanced

25:53manufacturing and union, um, laboring

25:55jobs like welders. We need welders. We

25:58need, um, construction workers. And we

26:00do have programs in place. EOC is

26:02offering, um,

26:03manufacturing certifications.

26:06Um, the welders union is offering a

26:08welding certification right now. So,

26:10there's a lot of things out there for

26:12people that may not be college-oriented.

26:15Um, and I just want to make sure we're

26:17taking advantage of our local programs

26:19as my fellow counselor said because we

26:22do have a lot in place here right now

26:24because of the build of Micron and E1

26:26and all of that. And to miss those

26:28opportunities will be a shame because

26:30we're going to bring people in from out

26:32of our community.

26:32>> to say that

26:33>> is not just a college access. They're

26:35They're also They're a secondary

26:38opportunity. So, they also

26:41push people to trades as well. And

26:43that's their connection with

26:45with OCC as well.

26:46>> that's the point. So, how are we

26:48connecting? How are we collaborating

26:51with all of this? Because we have

26:52pathways. We have so many different

26:54programs that's basically

26:57kind of sort of Not kind of sort of.

26:59They are doing the same thing. They're

27:01connecting these folks to the different

27:03labor organizations that you're talking

27:05about. So, do you have a stronghold with

27:09labor? Do you have

27:10Do you know any of those folks?

27:12>> It's continuing to develop. You know, to

27:14your point, Councilor Moore, about

27:16really taking advantage of the different

27:17workforce development opportunities that

27:19are in Syracuse. This is also informing

27:21our internship partnerships and exposing

27:23our young people to different fields. We

27:25just brought in Huber Breuer that just

27:27completed their first internship of

27:28mechanical.

27:30And so, it is also about our young

27:31people when it specifically comes to

27:33some of these workforce development

27:34fields. They know what they know, they

27:35don't know what they don't know. And so,

27:37our internship opportunities have also

27:39been informed to your point by some of

27:41these workforce development

27:42opportunities and who we're building

27:44partnerships with.

27:45>> So, the welders right now is offering a

27:47$1,500 stipend for people to take their

27:50training program. And then they do an

27:51internship after. So,

27:54just just to put that out for you, but I

27:56think that connecting with our local

27:57union representatives would be really

27:59helpful.

28:00>> Yes.

28:00>> Um to make sure that they're aware your

28:02guys are aware so that the the

28:05students that are involved in your

28:06program are aware that these

28:08opportunities are out there and

28:09sometimes they're paid to take them.

28:11So, Yes. Yes. Yes.

28:13>> And that was a recommendation given to

28:15us early on when we were in 2024 meeting

28:18with about 80

28:20you know,

28:21stakeholders. One of the things that we

28:23wanted to learn, you know, was how

28:25academically behind our our young people

28:27are. We focused on three related um

28:30pillars, which is education,

28:32advancement, career exploratory

28:35opportunity, not job placement, and to

28:38resolve their court cases if they have

28:40an open court cases or to ensure that

28:43they complete with their probation

28:46um sentence.

28:47And in this, what we found is that many

28:50of our young people were not in schools,

28:51so that became the top priority. The

28:54other um area that we learned from the

28:5719 young people is that they had no idea

28:59they were not deeply aware in terms of

29:01what could be their career prospects.

29:03Their number one concerns was uh you

29:07know, their their court cases, resolving

29:09their court situation. So, that is the

29:11value that we bring in, you know, when

29:13we look at the continuum of work, uh we

29:16are reaching a group of young people,

29:18preparing them, exposing them to the

29:20world of work. So, our connection is

29:23uh you know, once that we provide what

29:25they need immediately, so that when they

29:27are referred to an on-point, when they

29:29are referred to a different pathway,

29:31that they're more prepared.

29:33We also uh met today with uh SUNY and

29:37that and and last night with Dr.

29:38Bragg's, and those are the questions of

29:41how do we more deeply strengthen? It is

29:44two classes, we did a lot of learning,

29:46but what we are still seeing is that our

29:50young people they have

29:52um a lot of other challenge challenge

29:54challenges, which is uh you know, some

29:57families, and you probably all know

29:59this, are housing insecure. So, the

30:01stability before they become successful

30:05in in a place, that's what we're our

30:07aiming for.

30:09Um we are going to continue to meet. I

30:12would welcome any recommendation of who

30:14else we should be meeting with, but I

30:16believe that the gap that we are

30:18addressing is to ensure that the young

30:19people are prepared, so when they enter

30:22these other programs and services, that

30:25they are successful. Uh we have been

30:27working you know, with Hillside, with On

30:30Ramps, and

30:32number one question always is, how do we

30:34collectively strengthen and you know a

30:3715 year old their priority has been um

30:41school and not necessarily you know

30:43thinking about work and our alumni

30:47component once a young person graduates

30:50from Exalt it's helping them then look

30:52at the pathways that you're indicating

30:55which is an actual job and we also met

30:58with Micron

31:00uh a few

31:012024 2025 and then that too was the

31:04question you know it's like do we are

31:06are we scaling up we had to be very

31:08clear that that's not our domain but it

31:11is a track that we are supported of and

31:14that we would you know find the right

31:16organization and if it comes that we're

31:19the ones who have to scale up what is

31:20the training that our staff will then

31:22need you know to then create a

31:24curriculum around that but we don't want

31:26to create

31:28um you know structures that other other

31:30organizations are doing extraordinarily

31:32well in.

31:33>> So do you think

31:34>> go ahead. No go ahead.

31:35>> I think it's important to note that um

31:38that as far as the collaborations that

31:41they were very intentional

31:43um with their location because the

31:46building that they're in EOC and OnPoint

31:49is in that building so that was a very

31:51intentional um when they first moved

31:53here um but I wanted to ask about the um

31:57out of the two groups what is the are

32:00you guys at 100% retention

32:02um with the groups that did uh come in?

32:05>> So we are have 12 graduates of the 19

32:09um and so seven will be graduating today

32:11and we had five graduates from the first

32:12class.

32:17>> Is it Okay. So um when it comes down to

32:21I heard you say your referral services

32:23Good Life Good Life who else are you

32:25getting referrals from?

32:26>> So we're getting referrals from Hillside

32:27Department of Probation we have also

32:30brought in new referral partners with uh

32:33fearless queens is another one um and

32:36currently uh just got first referrals

32:38for third cycle from SCSD directly.

32:41>> That's what I was going to say. Like,

32:43where were they at? You know, where

32:45where they sitting at with that? Cuz

32:46those are where

32:48kids are supposed to be registered.

32:50They're the first footprint. So, okay.

32:53Um the other question is how many staff

32:55are from Syracuse that you hired?

32:57>> Currently have three staff from

32:59Syracuse.

32:59>> Three staff.

33:00They're from Syracuse?

33:02>> They're from Syracuse.

33:04>> It's two from New York currently and

33:06then three from here.

33:08So, it's three from Syracuse and then um

33:10I am who has uh have oversight and

33:13fidelity of uh the program

33:14implementation up here. So, I am flying

33:16back and forth and for our first cycle,

33:19to continue our depth of knowledge, we

33:20had our director of curriculum and

33:22pedagogy leading our first class as the

33:23teacher and our director of uh core

33:26programs leading the program

33:27coordinators doing the interview and

33:29intake process for the referrals.

33:30>> Yeah, okay. So, one of the things that

33:32I'm going to ask you guys that everybody

33:34wants to know, right? So, you got a

33:36program called EXALT that came from New

33:39York City, right? And they're coming

33:41here to help support our young people to

33:43try to figure out ways to change the

33:46narrative of the way they're thinking

33:48when it comes to um

33:50a small group cuz I'm going to make it

33:52clear, we have some phenomenal young

33:55people in our community doing great

33:56things, right? There's a small snippet

34:00of kids that are going wrong, right?

34:02But, what makes you guys different from

34:04anybody else in your doing what they're

34:05doing?

34:08>> I don't know. I can't answer that

34:09question. Yes, we're learning, but I

34:11would say in terms of the model and the

34:14structure,

34:15what has distinguished EXALT um also

34:18like on a national level is a few

34:20things. Uh we're taking young people who

34:23are reading and we give them a star

34:25test. They're typically reading at the

34:26fourth grade reading level and they're

34:28making substantial academic gains. Uh we

34:31are ensuring that we are placing them in

34:35uh in appropriate academic setting. It's

34:38not that that's unique, you know, to any

34:40other organization, but it's

34:42accelerating the process where they will

34:44be able to go to school and remain in

34:46school.

34:48The other aspect is working with the

34:50courts, is working with the judges, with

34:52the DAs as I mentioned before

34:54from the two classes that we graduated,

34:57two young people receive a favorable

35:00outcome. That's understanding the laws

35:02of which is family court, criminal

35:04court, Supreme Court.

35:06The other one, you know, is working with

35:09a workforce that typically would not

35:12have a 15-year-old as an intern. So,

35:14what we bring in is what

35:18I believe is always a gap. Like, who

35:20gets to work as you identify the most,

35:22you know, the young people who need the

35:24most support so that then they are

35:26ready. So, that is what distinguishes us

35:29and I would say that we're additive. It

35:31is not necessarily that we are bringing

35:34anything that another group in a

35:36different age category is not doing, but

35:39we are actually reaching, unfortunately

35:42language that people use, the most

35:43difficult to serve because of lack of

35:46school engagement, because of court case

35:49they have to resolve, and also because

35:51most of our young people are working for

35:54a paycheck. They're not necessarily

35:56working to think about a level of a

35:59career and aspiration.

36:01>> May I ask questions? What is the

36:03youngest age group that comes to you?

36:07>> The youngest is

36:08>> The youngest?

36:09>> Like, the youngest. Is it like 14, 15?

36:12>> 15, 15.

36:13>> Okay.

36:14So, a lot of these children who come to

36:17you,

36:18uh

36:19they're swimming, gasping for air. You

36:22know, they want to survive.

36:25Uh they may have issues at home, at

36:28school.

36:29They don't know where they're going to.

36:32Where do you come in and where do you

36:34can you say at the end of the day, I

36:36just saved a child I just saved his

36:38life.

36:39>> We could say that. We could say that in

36:41in many instances. We saw that with the

36:44classes that we had.

36:45>> Okay.

36:45>> Uh many of the young people, you know,

36:48they're coming in with multiple

36:50challenges. We get to see it also in

36:52their assessment.

36:54Um giving an example of one, a young

36:56person who the mom is currently

36:58incarcerated. He has been arrested in

37:01and out since the age of 13, had

37:03multiple jobs, and from there it is a

37:07big

37:08gasp for air, but then also not a good

37:11orientation of what the future could

37:13look like. That individual, you know, at

37:15this point is, you know,

37:18working. The young person is

37:21pursuing their GED, and then that

37:22happened within 8 months. So, that level

37:25of an orientation from so many repeated

37:28challenges at a at a young age 13 and

37:31having a family dynamic that that

37:33becomes the experience, that is one

37:36prime example of how we have helped a

37:38young person. But, I want to be clear,

37:40we don't do this in isolation. We've

37:42never done this in isolation. It was

37:44working with our partners, which is our

37:47all the partners here, which was um in

37:49Sunni,

37:50the Department of Probation. But, I

37:52believe that the model itself it's what

37:55guided a young person not to enter more

37:59repeated um challenges, but then to

38:02shift. Um so, that is, you know, one of

38:04the the areas that we have supported.

38:07>> who you have have learning disabilities,

38:10have mental emotional difficulties from

38:13their onset.

38:14How are you able to navigate that? Are

38:17there resources available? Are there

38:19counselors? Are there medical

38:22professionals that you work with can

38:25work with these students?

38:28>> Yes. So, a few things about our model in

38:30terms of mental health, we do know that

38:33a lot of our young people they come in

38:35with a lot of needs. So, that's trauma,

38:36that's medical.

38:37>> Mhm.

38:38>> That could be a recent um homicide. That

38:41that is a lot of stressors. Within the

38:44organization, just to give some

38:46background, I'd like to talk now at the

38:48nuances. You know, we have a lot of

38:51other like theoretical frameworks that

38:53we operate. One of them is the stages of

38:55change. This Irish Shore, the balance

38:57possible self. We do conduct a series of

39:00assessments. Those assessment they have

39:04they are assessing, you know, the the

39:06chronic nature of a young person

39:10emotional need. From there, if a young

39:13person is in need of referral because

39:15we're finding other pathways for them to

39:17be connected. We are connecting, as I

39:19mentioned before, we were just at SUNY

39:21meeting with Linda. She was explaining,

39:23you know, the medical care, the lack,

39:26and people other people here in Syracuse

39:28are thinking about how to support young

39:30person medically.

39:32And then in terms of emotions, this is

39:34what we have seen for our decades of

39:37doing this work. When a young person is

39:39deeply desperate and who is in the

39:42judicial system, the number one reason

39:45why they really are desperate is the

39:47idea that they would be incarcerated.

39:49It's the idea that they may not live.

39:51>> a learning disability and that happens

39:53they don't realize it. They're autistic.

39:56>> Well, it yeah, it we have the spectrum,

39:59you know, like I would say that there is

40:00the spectrum. So this is where we have a

40:02very strong education,

40:04you know, working component. This is

40:06where our curriculum comes in, you know,

40:08to ensure that young person learns. Our

40:11staff, we are also going to be hiring an

40:13education staff.

40:15They're the ones in the organization

40:16does this now, the teachers in the

40:17program coordinator, assessing if they

40:20have an IEP, you know, whether they need

40:22to have that reviewed, updated. So it is

40:25a lot of coordination, you know, as

40:27you're highlighting, which is important

40:28and and and essential.

40:31>> Thank you.

40:32>> Can I um

40:33either Janet or Stephanie,

40:36can you give us a little quick overview

40:39how this process is working through

40:42our chain of command here at City Hall?

40:45One of you two.

40:48I'm sorry, Jen.

40:49>> [laughter]

40:50>> Jen is like, "Yeah, what's up?" She did.

40:52Um

40:53how can you Can you explain to us so

40:55that people know why exactly Exalt was

40:57here? Cuz we're not funding them, but

40:59just so that people understand how why

41:02they're here, how they came here, and

41:03where do we sit in with this, you know?

41:07>> It's okay. I'll start and then and you

41:09you jump right in it. I'm Stephanie

41:10Pasquale, chief strategy officer, um

41:12office of the mayor. Um so, my

41:14understanding is right before I um

41:16started with the city, um DCJS was

41:19looking to expand this program, and they

41:21looked at Utica, Syracuse, and perhaps

41:24another locality. And um as as Dr.

41:27Castro mentioned, um this is Exalt's

41:30first sort of expansion into another

41:31community.

41:32So, this opportunity was afforded to us

41:35a from DCJS to say, "Hey, we would like

41:37to invest in this program. Would

41:39Syracuse like to participate as a pilot

41:41to see, you know, can replication work?"

41:44Um so, this is we're in year one of that

41:46funding cycle. So, the funds did flow

41:48from DCJS to the city of Syracuse. Janet

41:52and her team are administering the grant

41:54in partnership with Exalt, and we've

41:56been approved for year two,

41:58um which would commence January 1, 2027,

42:01and I believe Janet submitted

42:03legislation um that I think will appear

42:06on your next agenda um for that um grant

42:09approval.

42:11>> All right, so the money is coming. I I

42:13wanted you to explain that because a lot

42:15of times when we're hearing we're

42:17talking, the first the first call I'll

42:18get is like, "The city is investing

42:20this, and

42:22we're actually not investing dollars.

42:24We're supporting, we're collaborating,

42:25but we're not actually investing dollars

42:28at this time for the program. So, I just

42:29wanted to make sure that um the

42:31community knew and the constituents know

42:33what was how this was going

42:34>> great point. So, there's no general fund

42:36dollars nor other resources from other

42:39sources. It's all through At least our

42:41administration of this grant is all

42:43through DCJS.

42:46>> They actually the city is receiving a

42:4810% administrative fee in order to in in

42:51order to to

42:53manage the grant, right? So, right.

42:55Thank you. Thank you, Stephanie and

42:57Janet. Thank you.

42:58>> And thank you for that clarification.

42:59Yes, because as I was, you know, saying

43:02earlier in the introduction,

43:04uh it was right after COVID, the

43:06organization did an analysis, and there

43:09was a big request from a lot of our

43:11funders. Exalt is

43:13still 85% funded through philanthropy.

43:17And this data point doesn't go through

43:20the state, it doesn't go through the

43:22city, and you know, they were asking,

43:24well, if you have these type of results,

43:26where else can you potentially go to

43:28then do a deeper collaboration?

43:30Uh it was the biggest request, but I

43:32thought it was logical. Don't go to

43:34Chicago, then go to California, then go

43:36to New Jersey, which New Jersey's across

43:37the bridge, you know, consider like

43:39going to upstate New York. And what we

43:42were doing in 2024 was understanding was

43:44there really strong alignment, because

43:46we know this, our young people, they

43:48deeply need this, and I have seen how

43:51our partnership, the collective

43:53partnership, has enabled us to

43:55accelerate rather quickly. And it is a

43:57testament to our collective work, and,

44:00you know, I I

44:02I'm grateful to DCJS. You know, they

44:04were asking, you know, to consider

44:06Utica, to consider Rochester, and it was

44:09all of you in the multiple convenings

44:12that we had, which it goes a long time.

44:14We wanted to be slow, we really wanted

44:16to understand, which we really deeply

44:18appreciate,

44:20um what were some of the gaps, what

44:22could be some of the challenges. So,

44:24we've experienced exactly what you've

44:26everyone has said, and this second

44:29cycle, we're asking the same question,

44:31which is what have we learned? What can

44:34we strengthen? What can we do better?

44:36Are there openings that we can then

44:39reconsider?

44:41I do have a request of the council.

44:42We're all looking for a teacher.

44:45Uh you know, also at the mayor's office,

44:46they have posted the job. We have it at

44:48Indeed. Um but [clears throat] this is a

44:50person who's carrying the heart of the

44:51curriculum, and as I said, they're

44:53teaching, facilitating, working with an

44:56ecosystem, and but then also working

44:59with the class, with every single

45:01individual.

45:02Uh that is I would say that is an actual

45:07profile of a person that could manage a

45:09class, and then also work with like

45:11individual like us to on support of a

45:14young person. So, if you have anyone uh

45:17that has been for us an area that's

45:19becoming a little slower. Uh that is

45:22what you begin to highlight. Like, why

45:24do we have some of our New York City

45:26talent here? Uh Jason will be here for a

45:29very long time,

45:30uh and I thank him.

45:32He is our chief uh you know, program

45:35officer, but it is for the

45:36implementation. Our teachers have been

45:38here.

45:40And I would you know, invite everyone,

45:44you know, to come into a class. I know

45:45that everyone's schedule is tight, but I

45:48will say what I say to everyone, we do

45:50welcome uh

45:53you know, recommendations, suggestions.

45:55You're here, you know more than I do.

45:58Um

45:59it's I welcome it. You know, it's like

46:01just just give us a call, let us know,

46:03you know, how can we do this year over

46:05year um a lot better.

46:07>> How many hours do you typically have in

46:09a day?

46:10>> For me?

46:10>> No, not you.

46:11>> Not [laughter] a program.

46:12>> Not you, but like

46:14>> What's the

46:14>> Yeah, yeah.

46:15>> What's the operation?

46:16>> [laughter]

46:16>> Yeah, hours of operation that you have

46:18with the kids, yeah.

46:19>> So, we operate classes for our

46:21pre-internships [clears throat]

46:224 days a week, typically from 3:30 to

46:235:30.

46:25Uh that's some extended classes till

46:266:00. Um but typically about 2 to 2 and

46:281/2 hours a day for 4 days a week. The

46:31internships

46:32uh will go from 8 hours a week over the

46:35course right now with our Syracuse

46:36implementation for 4 weeks.

46:39Um so, Monday through Thursday, uh 2 and

46:421/2 hours. The internships the same,

46:44about 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours a week.

46:45>> Yes, and then there are other work being

46:47done on their behalf. So, depending on

46:49our young person, that could be going to

46:51a court hearing, working with the

46:52judges. So, there are other things, just

46:54developing their internship. If there

46:57and in a lot of one-on-ones, I mean,

46:59they're calling the young people all the

47:01time. If you if anyone is going to

47:03graduation, ask them how many phone

47:05calls a day do you get? Um but it is

47:07that intensive, you know, one-on-one

47:09that they receive. And we are are

47:13planning, you know, thoughtfully about

47:16their alumni, you know, particularly

47:18uh in the summer, you know, what can

47:20they do? So, our young people will be

47:22with us uh is the core for 5 months.

47:26But the duration of the entire program

47:28is 2 years and a half. So, a young

47:29person is actually with us for 2 years

47:31and a half. And it's exciting, you know,

47:33to me because if in 8 months we got to

47:36see some success, just imagine what we

47:38could do um in the next, you know, um

47:42year and a half that they have with us.

47:44>> Have you had any of the young people go

47:47back in systems?

47:49I get in trouble. Thank you, Adam.

47:51>> Yes, so we we had we had one young

47:53person. Unfortunately, there was

47:55re-arrested.

47:57Uh however, within that his experience,

48:01um he did very well. He was offered a

48:04second internship. The internship

48:07providers, they started to write letters

48:10on his behalf, you know, so then the

48:12community, I think that you were raising

48:13the question about perception.

48:15Um the community perception started to

48:17change, but this was a young person who

48:20had a lot of arrest. Uh you know, so

48:23it's unfortunate, but

48:26there is always, you know, in the 95%

48:29that we get to see in New York, that

48:30means that there's always a percentage

48:32that would go in.

48:34Um

48:34but, you know, the young person is still

48:38um you know, trying to be connected. And

48:41I would say that one of the biggest

48:44um

48:45points of lesson learned, not

48:47necessarily for Exalt, but for the

48:48community, was that then people began to

48:51understand by being proximate what does

48:54it mean to be a justice system-involved

48:56youth. And that means that that's a

48:57young person who for years had had

48:59chronic needs and family needs and then

49:02not to have them

49:04uh be the one advocating, I think that's

49:06powerful and that's a testament once

49:08again

49:09um to Syracuse and to the community.

49:12>> So, my last question and I'll ask

49:15So, how closely I know you said you just

49:17met with SCSD. How close are you guys

49:20working so that they know that you have

49:21these children that are in high need cuz

49:25I know there's several alternative

49:27learning programs that they have in the

49:28city already for children that are, you

49:32know, going through difficult times.

49:34How close are we so we know that like

49:36that that information should be like you

49:39guys should be like best friends. Right?

49:41Making sure that we know you know where

49:43the kids are and following that course

49:46so that you you know we're on one page.

49:48>> So,

49:49>> before you answer that for me, I was

49:51going to ask that question. Do you work

49:53with the Syracuse City School District

49:54Home Bound program?

49:56>> Uh is that the program that Antoine

49:57Dixon currently runs?

49:59>> Yes.

49:59>> Yes, so Antoine is one of our closest

50:01collaborators. Um we'll be at graduation

50:03attendance today, but we've met with

50:05multiple stakeholders within the

50:06Syracuse City School District starting

50:08with the current superintendent a few

50:09months ago. Of course, as we know to get

50:11directly to the students you have to go

50:13from macro to micro. So, we met with the

50:16superintendent, then got us connected to

50:18the individual principals at the high

50:19school and just recently last month we

50:21got connected with the individual social

50:23workers and identified staff members

50:25that will be making the referrals and

50:27all making the referrals to programs

50:29since they're most proximate to the

50:30students.

50:33>> I wanted to ask um

50:34because you mentioned the um

50:36rideshare component um and I know last

50:40year there was um

50:43some conversation around the possibility

50:45of individuals

50:48within the I call it a cohort within the

50:50cohort having issues. Um have you seen

50:54that at all and is

50:57what is the number of the people who are

51:00in need of the rideshare? Like does it

51:02everybody or is it

51:04>> So we've committed one of our learnings

51:06as we continue to learn and I've

51:08continued to learn about Syracuse is of

51:09course transportation being a barrier

51:10for our young people to access services.

51:13Being new into the community, we wanted

51:14to make sure that this did not serve

51:16during implementation as something that

51:18would prevent our young people from not

51:19only taking advantage of our core

51:20program, but also our internship

51:22opportunities which are spread out over

51:24the city, but also on the outskirts.

51:26So we commit to Ubers each and every day

51:29for our young people to attend program.

51:31>> Everyone? Everyone as well as to and

51:33from their internship sites and as well

51:34for our alumni for any of them that are

51:36in GED programs, we also provide Ubers

51:40for them to get to those as well. And

51:42for any of our graduate internships,

51:43they also receive ride shares from us to

51:45get to and from their work sites. I

51:48I do appreciate that. However, I think

51:51that we kind of stifle people just a

51:53little bit if we are providing

51:56everything.

51:58If we're if we're offering door-to-door

51:59service, you know, later on in life when

52:02they're no longer in the program, but

52:04and I hope that you might have a model

52:06like on point once on one once on point

52:08always on point. So

52:10>> [laughter]

52:11>> the um

52:12the

52:15intent is to kind of raise them to the

52:18point where they're independent. And so

52:21you know, them being able to wake up on

52:23time, you know, get to where you have to

52:25go.

52:26You're not going to always have that

52:28door-to-door service. I think it's

52:30important that I I don't know. I thought

52:32that the ride share was more or less for

52:35individuals who would have to pass

52:36through certain neighborhoods that they

52:38weren't comfortable for

52:40of, but if that wasn't the case, then

52:43they could, you know, possibly take the

52:44bus, but

52:46um

52:47that's not the case. So I just, you

52:48know, I I think that that is a

52:50slight hindrance, but I do appreciate

52:53the fact that, you know,

52:55that, you know, you do offer it.

52:58So something like that.

52:58>> Yeah, and that's also part of our

52:59individualized performance plan. And so

53:01when we talk about the goal setting for

53:03the alumni program, which again to

53:05remind everyone this is a two-year

53:07two-year post-graduation. And so in

53:10terms of working on independence, what

53:12it is to build into that plan for them

53:13to get their license, for them to

53:14understand what time management is. This

53:17is why the IPPs that we call them are so

53:19important because they all goal setting

53:21for increased independence as our young

53:24people begin to navigate adulthood,

53:25whether that be through their schools,

53:27getting to school on time, getting up

53:29for 9:00 a.m. classes, or to getting to

53:31their part- full-time job.

53:32>> and money management

53:34>> exactly.

53:35>> I mean my nephew alone, he he

53:38works, but he's Ubering. So you all the

53:41money you make is going to the right

53:42share.

53:43>> And and buying food because they're

53:45always hungry.

53:46>> Yeah, they're always hungry.

53:47>> Yes, yes, yes. And and this is great but

53:49but you

53:50to to highlight a little bit more when

53:53the question about what was safety and

53:55then the young people were beginning to

53:56express it. And you know, they said that

53:58they couldn't go to certain bus stops.

54:00We really wanted to learn and and those

54:02are the things that we wanted to

54:03understand. Time management, our teacher

54:06Chanel, you know, she says like they're

54:07anxious if they're if they're late. So

54:09then the question is how do we then um

54:12wean them off, you know, and then have

54:14them gain their independence?

54:16Um and it's the next year that we did

54:18not want to do with the

54:20brand new young people. We wanted then

54:22bring this on when they're alumni. And

54:25we will report out, you know, and and

54:27let you know how how they're doing.

54:30>> And as alumni

54:32the

54:34after the um grad internship

54:37or is that the grad internship?

54:38>> Grad internship is part. So grad

54:40internship is select alumni who have had

54:42an amazing core experience who want to

54:44go deeper into their identified uh area

54:47of professional exploration. So it's a

54:49part of our alumni program.

54:51>> Okay.

54:53Any other questions?

54:54>> Is there a possibility that I heard I

54:56think I heard you say you work with 80

54:58partners?

55:00>> That we we met with that we met, yes.

55:02>> Okay, is there a possibility we can get

55:04a list of those partners?

55:05>> Yes.

55:08You can. You can.

55:10Yeah, we met with so many people from

55:12the very very beginning.

55:14Um we also met with your uh chief of

55:17police. We've met with police officers.

55:19We've met with your DAs, with your

55:21judges, with community leaders,

55:24um with your school systems,

55:26uh with with so many people in the past

55:28few years and the first

55:31few sessions really was like is there

55:34compatibility? Is this doable?

55:37Um were we going to come in to do

55:39something that already exists?

55:41Uh you know, so then within that needs

55:43analysis and we could also share a

55:45little bit more information in addition

55:46to the list.

55:47>> There is a broader group than just SUNY

55:51and I know and I know and there's a

55:53broader

55:53>> I know. I know and this is where, you

55:55know, where

55:57um we want also want to know who else we

55:59should meet with. So, when we we share

56:00that list with you, it would be great if

56:02you could tell us. I mean, most likely

56:04you probably will tell us like who else

56:06we're missing and um introduce us

56:09because it's a process, you know, being

56:11the new the new group in the block, um

56:14you know, which is ensuring that, you

56:16know, I call it like the we're being on

56:18board it correctly as well um and

56:20getting to meet everyone uh to really,

56:23you know, strengthen because we we still

56:25don't know we still don't know a lot and

56:27we're not assuming that we do. So, this

56:29is where I did say and I thank you all

56:31for taking time of your busy schedule. I

56:34want to meet with people because the

56:35more proximate that we are, I I would

56:38say that the benefit is that then you

56:40could clearly see what are gaps, what

56:42are areas to strengthen, and what are

56:44areas that we need to refine, uh which

56:46is all part of the process. So, thank

56:48you.

56:48>> So, Giselle, um

56:53I attended you guys's um event in New

56:56York City and I was blown away.

57:00I know that you probably won't be having

57:01anything like that soon, but is there a

57:04opportunity that the downstate alumni

57:08interact with the

57:09>> Yes.

57:10>> students here.

57:11>> Yes.

57:11>> Um because I think that that

57:13peer-to-peer um relationship is is good

57:17for for the ones here to see, you know,

57:20[clears throat] where they were, that

57:21downstairs students were, and where

57:23they've gone, and where they're going.

57:25Um just to give some, you know, a little

57:28>> I love that. I love that cuz we were

57:29thinking we're not only we're thinking,

57:31we're going to start planning. So, with

57:33number one recommendation is, can our

57:35alumni come visit New York?

57:37>> Mhm.

57:37>> The other one was, can our New York

57:40alumni come over and visit?

57:42>> Yeah, both of them.

57:43>> and uh the other one was, can we have a

57:46gala here in Syracuse and bring in our

57:48ecosystem? And you know, just to share

57:51that in the first class we did have,

57:53like on the virtual monitor, our staff,

57:56and then also some of our alumni, you

57:58know, come in and welcome and

57:59congratulate them. One young person from

58:02here in Syracuse is just like, my

58:03goodness, you're all congratulating, you

58:05know, us, you know,

58:07uh but I appreciate that, and we will,

58:09you know, definitely uh really, you

58:11know, find ways to integrate and not

58:13just the young people, but also all of

58:15the adults in their lives, which I you

58:18got to see at our gala, the amount of

58:19people that are invested and are like

58:23us, you know, really asking the most

58:25difficult questions, which is, how do we

58:27then make improvements with what we

58:28have?

58:30Do we have any more questions?

58:32Anything else?

58:33>> Thank you.

58:33>> will say thank you um for showing up and

58:37giving us a good presentation. And I

58:39would say the meeting is adjourned.

58:41>> Thank you. Thank you.

58:43>> Congratulations to you.

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