If you are a BIPOC do not seek employment at the attic. The attic is still racist. Their handbook has not been updated since 2014. There is no structure or policies. If (some folx have no job description) you have a job description it will be 3 pages and you will have to do other jobs. Their own ED admitted there is white supremacy rhetoric in the handbook and it's not meant to protect employees, “It's not people-centered”. In the last 9 months, 5 Black employees have quit and or were terminated. Their new White director of life skills, 3 months into their new role weaponized a black trans person's mental health and used it as “incompetence” and fired them and stated to other staff “they have a way they want their team to look”
The new Life Skills director also has a racist bias towards the youth. A white youth, was making both staff and fellow youth uncomfortable and there were incidents, instead of putting him on leave, the director advocated for him to stay to have “talks” with him. A black youth was in a situation where they made another youth feel uncomfortable and were immediately placed on leave there was no grace or understanding or “talks” given to them like the white youth. In the summer of 2022, a white staff searched the bags of black youth alone When items went missing. The director of life skills has made comments tokenizing brown people stating they can’t possibly contribute to gentrification cuz they “house 2 brown people”.
Black and POC staff met with the ED to discuss their uncomfortably with the life skills director about the racism and dictator leadership skills, He stated “they will have talks and coaching” for them. HR is a joke, it's “I don’t see color” so good luck. If you are having mental health issues, from all the extra work and toxic environment, you will be fired. Also If you have any disability you will not be accommodated.
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- EIN 23-3020071
- (215) 545-4331
- 255 S 16th St Philadelphia PA 19102-3303 USA
- www.atticyouthcenter.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Children & Youth, Youth Centers & Clubs
Mission: The attic youth center creates opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (lgbtq) youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community, and promotes the acceptance of lgbtq in society. Also, see attached accomplishments.
Programs: Introduction the attic youth center is philadelphias only agency exclusively serving lgbtq youth. Currently, the attic offers the following programs and services: 1) life skills center - provides individual and group opportunities for lgbtq youth to learn, practice, and master the skills they will need to successfully transition into adulthood. Youth participate in support groups, workshops, paid internships, individual life coaching, mentoring, case management, housing navigation, and hiv testing and counseling. Programming is offered in five concentration areas: - workforce development - academic achievement - health and wellness - homelessness prevention and remediation - leadership development and civic engagement 2) mental health programming - includes individual and family therapy as well as support groups. Counseling is provided by specialists in adolescent development. 3) the bryson institute of the attic youth center - provides training, outreach, and consultation to schools, social service agencies, and faith communities across the tri-state area on the best practices for creating safe and supportive spaces for lgbtq youth. Attic youth panelists also lead trainings, share their experiences, and open themselves up to questions and conversation. 4) additional supportive services - includes daily meals and access to food, access to computers and other technology, daily drop-in, and access to other basic needs such as personal hygiene supplies. The attic in 2017 1) the attic provided over 800 youth with an array of programs, including workforce development, academic achievement, health and wellness, homelessness prevention and remediation, leadership development, and civic engagement. 2) the attic's bryson institute provided training on diversity, inclusion, and the best practices in meeting the needs of lgbtq youth to over 75 organizations, reaching over 3,000 individuals in high schools, colleges, congregations, and social service organizations. 3)the attic completed its strategic plan, which includes focusing resources towards addressing the needs of homeless lgbtq youth. Using the existing structure of the attic, and the new strategic goals, the attic intends to fill the gap caused by family and community rejection, through developing an innovative program model aimed to prevent youth from ending up homeless. The attic also plans to strengthen the independent living skills youth need to secure and maintain housing. This model will be the first of its kind in a non-residential program. 4) forty-five youth participated in a paid summer service learning internship at the attic to learn to be political advocates, develop their work readiness skills, and explore entrepreneurship. 5) the attic was awarded a 100,000 grant from impact100 and was one of the five grant finalists and three grant award winners selected from 170 applicants. The attic will use funds to enhance its programming to best meet the needs of youth experiencing homelessness. 6) through the office of homeless services, the attic became one of philadelphia's first youth designated access points for youth seeking to gain entry to emergency shelters. This designation will provide youth with more age appropriate services in a more welcoming and accommodating environment. Youth outcomes in 2017, youth participated in the following attic programs and services: 1) 267 youth participated in workforce development services 2) 230 youth participated in academic achievement programming 3) 300 youth participated in hiv prevention programming and health and wellness activities, including hiv counseling and testing 4) 95 youth participated in homeless prevention and remediation services 5) 190 youth participated in youth leadership programming 6) 205 youth participated in civic engagement programming 7) 145 youth participated in case management services 8) 73 youth were connected to housing 9) 175 youth participated in mental health services, which included over 2,000 individual, couple, and family counseling sessions 10) over 75 groups or organizations and over 3,000 people received trainings and workshops on the best practices in meeting the needs of lgbtq youth. Programming outcome measures the attic consistently evaluates its programming in effort to assure that each youth who participates in attic services and activities grows and thrives. Over time, the attic has found that consistent participation in attic programming leads to: 1) increased positive behavior/personal and social responsibility 2) increased social and emotional competencies (e. G. Interpersonal skills, adaptability, teamwork) 3) increased leadership capacity (e. G. Public speaking, group facilitation, advocacy) 4) improved literacy, study skills, and academic competencies 5) improved job acquisition skills 6) increased 21st century skills (e. G. Information technology literacy, critical thinking, creativity and innovation, etc. ) 7) improved school attendance additionally, through trainings, workshops, and consultations led by the bryson institute of the attic youth center, schools, social service providers, and organizations: 1) increase awareness and understanding of the lgbtq youth population 2) increase knowledge of resources available to support the lgbtq youth that they serve 3) work towards creating more accepting and inclusive environments for lgbtq youth