海角大神

Jim O鈥橲hea came to Brooklyn鈥檚 Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood as a priest. And as he looked at the community鈥檚 needs, he longed to have an impact that went beyond words.

Many of the young men he saw around him on the streets of 鈥淏ed-Stuy鈥� were disconnected 鈥嬧�� neither working nor in school. Often they fell into gang activity.

鈥淚f you preach something but give no alternative, that鈥檚 just setting up for failure,鈥� Father O鈥橲hea says.聽

The alternative he came up with is a project called Reconnect Brooklyn. For young people whose future is at risk, it offers a way up that starts with job skills, responsibility, and the paychecks that follow. 聽

Since 2011, Reconnect has been changing lives and building a healthier local community. It has employed more than 200 young men 鈥嬧�� often in the first jobs they鈥檝e ever had. Currently, the jobs are in T-shirt printing, with local nonprofits as the main customers. For each small cohort that comes in, it鈥檚 a chance to gain specific skills as well as a sense of their own value.聽

鈥淚n the neighborhood there was no real economy. They were small and family-owned businesses that were not looking to hire a guy on the corner,鈥� says Father O鈥橲hea. 鈥淭hat means kids were turning to an economy they can control, and that was drugs. That was the entry-level work. That鈥檚 where people were welcome and were taught the rules. It was setting them up for failure.鈥� 聽

鈥淭his was a start鈥�

At Reconnect the biggest goal is to help these young men feel like they are needed.聽

CJ McCoy says Father O鈥橲hea鈥檚 program has changed his life in a very short time. 鈥淚 needed to start somewhere, and this was a start,鈥� says Mr. McCoy.聽

Just a few weeks into their time here, the participants say it has already had a significant effect on their lives. 鈥淭he energy is good and everyone is working together to get things done,鈥� says Justin Monomatos, another member of the cohort.

At a basic level, it鈥檚 simply a place to learn. 鈥淣ow is the time for them to make mistakes on the job, so they can learn from them so that does not happen when they are employed by people who might not have their best interest at heart,鈥� says Father O鈥橲hea. 鈥淭he collaborative but forgiving environment is conducive to learning.鈥�

The entire program lasts three months, and when it鈥檚 finished the cohort walks away with skills they can take back to school or to an employer, from habits of teamwork to customer service.

Reconnect helps with job placement as well. 鈥淧rinting shirts is a whole other skill I can add on. It鈥檚 interesting,鈥� says Musa Pough, a member of the cohort.聽

Part of their recruitment process comes from the young men who go through the program. It鈥檚 a word-of-mouth situation. 鈥淭hese guys are doing their own vetting. I think it鈥檚 very powerful and helps build trust,鈥� says Father O鈥橲hea. It鈥檚 a sentiment members of the cohort echo.聽

Upward mobility

鈥淚 heard about it through friends. A lot of my friends came here, got on their feet, and got a job,鈥� says Mr. McCoy. 鈥淚t opened doors for them. I鈥檝e seen it.鈥� 聽

The program is modest in scale, and that鈥檚 partly the point. Like some other modest-scale nonprofits, Reconnect is trying to reinvent social mobility as a聽neighborhood-level undertaking. The program is by and for the community, and each participant is a player. 鈥淭he only 鈥榮creening鈥� would be a series of interviews ensuring that expectations are on the table 鈥� we say two essentials are a willingness to work at our social enterprise and a willingness to work on yourself and community,鈥� Father O鈥橲hea says. 鈥淐andidates cannot be in school or working elsewhere. We prioritize those who have the least current options.鈥� 聽

More than 80% of the young men who have been through the program are gainfully employed, he adds, describing one recent graduate who restored ties with his family and took a job at a CVS Pharmacy. Others have landed jobs in construction or retail. And some find work that directly applies their printmaking skills.

Father O鈥橲hea works alongside Peter McGouran, the production manager, who used to run a commercial printing business of his own. He teaches the young men how to design graphics and then use dyes and screen printers to put them on shirts.聽

鈥淚 teach the guys that every project that we do is their own. We are very much of the team mindset,鈥� says Mr. McGouran.聽

Customers include Southside United, an affordable housing advocacy group.聽

鈥淭he impact Reconnect has had on the community at large is massive,鈥� says Juan Ramos, director of Southside United. 鈥淧eople leave with skills and a support system that [they] did not have otherwise.鈥�

Challenges along the path

As a business, Reconnect has faced its share of struggles. Its studio is a block away from a Citi Bike station 鈥嬧�� one of New York鈥檚 clearest indications of blossoming gentrification. Reconnect used to also operate a coffee shop in the neighborhood, called Reconnect Caf茅, where the young men got a chance to work as well. But it was forced to close due to challenges with the landlord.

鈥淥n multiple occasions the ceiling would leak onto our countertops,鈥� says Father O鈥橲hea. When the landlord only patched up the ceiling, and plumbers said an actual fix would cost upwards of $20,000, he decided 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 worth the fight鈥� to keep the cafe open.聽

Although gentrification is changing the neighborhood, Reconnect鈥檚 mission here isn鈥檛 fading. In fact, quite the opposite. It is in talks to move to an expanded space, and the cafe may come back.聽

In coming months Father O鈥橲hea will depart for a full-time role at a Roman Catholic church in Manhattan. The Reconnect board is in the process of finding a replacement. It鈥檚 no easy task. But the group is committed to keep kindling promise in young lives.

And Father O鈥橲hea鈥檚 legacy will remain. 鈥淩econnect has already made a huge impact in my life,鈥� Mr. Pough says. 鈥淎nd Father Jim is a big part of that.鈥�