Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) was founded in 1983 by the late Sister Mary Franciscus, RSM, to serve the at-risk, out-of-school, and unemployed youth of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Over the next decade, OBT established innovative employment and training strategies for young people and instituted new programs including support services for the newly employed, adult job training, and daytime and evening literacy classes. Due to the success of its programs, OBT opened a second full-service site in 2001, OBT North, to serve residents of Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg in response to a lack of needed services in these communities.The mission of OBT is to help disadvantaged populations recognize their own self-worth, and advance towards self-sufficiency and financial security through employment and training, academic reinforcement, improved life skills, job placement, and support services. Our approach has been described as “tough love,” with the goal being to expose students to the high standards and demands they will face in the workplace, while at the same time, offering counseling for those who are experiencing personal difficulties during their training.