Opportunities for a Better Bushwick

Here, our youth are investing in themselves to become the workforce of tomorrow,” said Councilmember Diana Reyna, looking out onto a crowd of elected officials, neighbors, program participants and community members. “OBT—Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow—lives its name each and every day.” No statement uttered at the grand opening of OBT’s brand new community resource center could have been truer than this.
Last Thursday morning, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow—a neighborhood non-profit that provides at-risk youth and disadvantaged populations with job training, youth and adult education opportunities, job placement, literacy programs and more—hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their newest campus, the Bushwick Workforce Resource Center, located at 280 Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick.

OBT, which was founded in 1984 by the late Sister Mary Franciscus, opened its first location in Sunset Park. Over the next decade, OBT continued to further develop their programming and innovative training, education and employment strategies for immigrants, young people and underserved populations, and opened a second site in Bed Stuy. The “tough love” approach that characterizes OBT’s programming is designed to expose students to the high standards and demands they will face in the workplace, while simultaneously offering counseling for those who are experiencing personal difficulties. The brand new site is dedicated to providing unemployed youth and adults with training, aid and job placement, and to serving their needs in any way possible.
“OBT is about access to education, employment and job training, but also to all necessary social services,” explained OBT Executive Director Randy Peers. “We want this to be a hub, a place where the community can access comprehensive resources and social services. There is space here for other organizations to meetings, and reach out to our clients. People walk in, tell us what they need, and we either sit down with them or tap into our community partnerships to connect them to the necessary services.”
While OBT is open to anyone and everyone who wants to take advantage of their services, they pride themselves on reaching out to low-income, at-risk young adults who have dropped out of high school. Angelica Flores was one such youth who, after enrolling in an OBT job training program nearly two years ago, has since landed a job working with Senator Martin Dilan as a neighborhood liaison.
“At 17, I had dropped out of school and was not on the correct path,” Flores said. “But, I picked myself up and went to OBT, and got my GED. They taught me how to work, to compose myself. I took typing classes and learned about business etiquette. And then OBT actually got me my job with Senator Dilan, and I love it.”

In addition to training and employment services and a variety of educational opportunities, OBT also offers health coverage and insurance for low-income clients. Evelyn Cruz, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez’ neighborhood representative, commended OBT for their efforts, and assured the crowd that Velazquez is doing everything in her power to secure universal health care on a federal level.
“I promise that the Congresswoman will continue working for health care in Washington,” Cruz said. “And we must continue to build America by building out neighborhoods, so thank you, OBT, for investing in Bushwick, and in Brooklyn.”
Similarly, Brooklyn BP Marty Markowitz congratulated Peers, and OBT, for investing time, energy and resources in one of Brooklyn’s most underserved communities—Bushwick.

“Brooklyn is judged on how well it’s going in Bushwick. That’s why this program speaks to the greatest need in our borough,” Markowitz said. “The future of those you serve is Brooklyn’s future. And Brooklyn is the envy of the world! And we’re going to get by, because we’re resilient, and nothing ever stops us!”