NYC Region at a Glance

• NYC has 13 schools:
  • Bronx: Bronx Leadership Academy II (BLA2), Marble Hill School of International Studies (MHSIS), Bronx Academy for Software Engineering (BASE), Bronx High School for Law and Community Service (HSLCS), The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology (LAB)
  • Brooklyn: Lyons Community High School at Lafayette (LYONS), International High School at Lafayette (IHSL) 
  • Manhattan: Union Square Academy for Health Sciences (USA), Business of Sports School (BOSS),  Academy of Software Engineering (AFSE),  
  • Queens: Info Tech High School
• Our New York City schools are part of the NYC Department of Education (NYDOE).
• Some of our NYC partnered schools have an educational focus such as software engineering, law, finance and international studies.
• NYC is on Eastern Time which is one hour ahead of Chicago.
• NYC has 2-year matches: 11th and 12th grade of high school. After the two years, an iMentor pair can opt into iMentor's Post-secondary program
• NYC mentor applicants are asked if their schedules will support a monthly meeting that can occur between Tuesday through Thursday from 6pm-8pm EST.
• During the interview, screeners need to confirm applicant’s home  as well as accessible train lines and weekday conflicts.
• NYC currently is running several different pilot programs:
  • Double Match: A mentor is matched with two mentees starting at their junior year of HS
  • Cross Gender Match: Matching Female identifying Mentors with Male identifying Mentees based on program need
  • Hybrid Match: When a mentor is matched with a student in the high school program and a student in the Post Secondary Planning program [iMentor college]

• NYC has two teams that work with mentors along with the screening team.
  • NYC Volunteer Engagement Team: Responsible for recruiting mentors and signing them up for orientation. Once a mentor has completed the screening process and await a potential match, the Volunteer Engagement Team will answer any questions and reach out to mentor about networking opportunities via a monthly email.
  • NYC Program Operations Team: Ensures that all preferences, Mentor Together info and other key points of the application that is included in consideration of matching is up to date. Will reach to the Associate Director of Mentor Screening for any clarification on applicants. Responsible for creating match lists and pools for each school that will allow Program Managers to have a set of mentors to match with students.

NYC Background Check Process 

• NYC applicants begin this process by completing  an electronic background check release form. Their information will be added into the Go Pass database PETS (Personnel Eligibility Tracking System). Applicants will then fill out one more form for Go Pass and schedule their appointment using the Identogo Scheduling Link.  This link is also provided via the invitation email from Go Pass after an applicant is added into PETS. IdentoGo are storefronts located all over NYC and the tri-state area where iMentor volunteers go for fingerprinting.
• Applicants will visit the one of the many locations Identogo provides for fingerprinting.  
• Once applicants are fingerprinted through Go Pass, it can take up to two weeks for their results to come back to us There are several statuses that we receive from Go Pass. Each status requires a different course of action.
  • Fingerprinted: This status is manually updated by the screener after they receive confirmation of fingerprinting from the applicant. No further action is needed unless the applicant has not completed their online forms. Our Volunteer Background Manager will reach out to you if this course of action is needed.
  • Reprint Needed: If an applicant receives this status, they will need to be rescheduled for the next available date to be reprinted. This status is manually updated by the Regional Screening Manager. the applicant is notified via Identogo if they will need to undergo a reprint. 
  • Pending Investigation: No initial further action is needed on the screener’s end. Go Pass will reach out to the applicant and provide them with next steps.  Screener action is only needed if the applicant has not responded to Go Pass. The screener will send an email template in the Salesforce widget (NYC: Pending Investigation Check in) to the applicant  three days after they have been in a status of Pending Investigation- this will urge the applicant to respond to the DOE with whatever additional information is required. This status is manually updated by the Regional Screening Manager. 
  • Background Check Approved: This status indicates that a mentor has cleared the fingerprint process and can volunteer with children.
• There are several background check contacts at the DOE. Screeners don’t email them directly but go through Stephanie Serrano, [email protected], NYC's Senior Volunteer Screening Manager, who compiles a list of inquiries about applicants each week. Screeners can add these inquiries to this Box document entitled GoPass Weekly Follow Ups.
• NYC Senior Volunteer Screening Manager  pulls reports from Go Pass daily. 
•  Screeners should check their open apps list views in Salesforce for updates on those days.
• If an applicant has been previously fingerprinted through the DOE, they will still need to be fingerprinted. Although Go Pass is part of the DOE, it is a different process than the general DOE fingerprinting. 
• If a mentor applicant has stated that they have been previously fingerprinted through Go Pass, they will still need to hand in a completed background check form. The screener will inform the NYC Senior Volunteer Screening Manager who will then update their status once it has been verified by a Go Pass representative.

NYC Daily Specific Checklist 

• Ensure that updates in an applicant’s background check approval, adjustments to definitions, preference and mentor together changes, and changes to contact information are updated in real time. 
• Record all key correspondence and status updates in Activity History or the Background Check Notes field in Salesforce with the date and your initials. This ensures that other staff can glance at an application and know exactly what’s happening with an applicant. 
• As interviews and references are completed, make sure that match notes, and are pasted in the appropriate fields on Platform in real time. 
• ASK QUESTIONS TO FELLOW SCREENERS AND MANAGERS AS OFTEN AS YOU NEED – IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO ASK! 

NYC Points of Contact

• Jacqueline Rodriguez ([email protected]) Senior Operations Manager, NYC
• Celeste Gonzalez ([email protected] ) Mentor Engagement Operations Manager, NYC
• Krista Njapa ([email protected]) Managing Director of Corporate & Community Partnerships, NYC
• Taylor Lewis ([email protected]) Associate Director of Corporate Recruitment Partnerships, NYC
• Rachel Hutt ([email protected])  Senior Manager of Recruitment, NYC
• Khalilah Baber ([email protected]) Manager of Mentor Recruitment and Engagement, NYC