Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow is a New York City nonprofit organization providing education, workforce training, internships, and support services for young people, adults, immigrants, and communities facing economic barriers.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, commonly known as OBT, is a New York City nonprofit focused on education, workforce preparation, employment access, and community support. It was established in 1983 by Sister Mary Franciscus, RSM, to serve at-risk young people in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The organization began in a modest storefront supported by a small government contract and gradually expanded its services as public and private funding grew. OBT’s central model combines academic remediation, practical workplace skills, personal discipline, and employment support. Its youth education and job-training program has traditionally operated as an intensive 20-week experience. Participants may receive high-school-equivalency instruction, business mathematics, business English, office procedures, computer training, public speaking, communications instruction, and preparation for the workplace. The program uses a simulated office environment in which participants follow schedules, complete assignments against deadlines, dress professionally, and are held accountable for attendance and punctuality. Graduates are prepared primarily for clerical and administrative roles in sectors such as financial services, legal services, government, and related offices. OBT has also provided continuing support after graduation and pathways toward college enrollment. Over time, OBT broadened its audience beyond high-school-age participants. In the early 1990s it introduced adult job training, expanded remedial education into daytime and evening formats, and developed graduate-support services. In 2001 it opened OBT North in the Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant areas of Brooklyn. Its later footprint included sites and programs in Sunset Park, Williamsburg and Bushwick, Jamaica in Queens, and Mott Haven in the Bronx. The organization’s offerings include a Young Adult Internship Program for New Yorkers aged approximately 17 to 24, medical administrative assistant training, technology-focused instruction, construction-trade preparation, immigrant-support services, and neighborhood-based violence-prevention and youth-development initiatives. The internship program combines classroom preparation with a paid work placement. Medical administrative assistant participants study medical terminology, customer service, communications, and basic bookkeeping, and may earn a National Healthcareer Association certification before interning in a healthcare setting. OBT has also developed programs targeted at particular communities and labor-market needs. Its Mexican-community initiatives in Bushwick support school retention, college exploration, and personal development. Its Leading to Success program, created in 2014 with community organizations and city partners, combined violence-interruption work with employment and college-access assistance for young people in East Flatbush. More recent technical training has included cloud-support engineering and digital marketing, with instruction in areas such as Linux, security, networking, databases, and cloud computing, as well as preparation for industry certifications and possible college credit. OBT’s masonry restoration training, delivered with preservation and construction partners, provides hands-on pre-apprenticeship experience and industry credentials. OBT also operates an Office for New Americans at its Bushwick Workforce Resource Center. The office provides free assistance or referrals relating to immigration matters including naturalization, green-card renewal, certificates of citizenship, and certain deferred-action applications. It has also offered entrepreneurship instruction in Spanish. The organization received a PEPnet Builder award in 2002 for its commitment to continuous improvement in youth services. After Sister Mary Franciscus died in 2006, Randolph Peers became chief executive officer. In 2013, OBT partnered with the YMCA of Greater New York to establish Y Roads Centers for disconnected youth, beginning in Jamaica, Queens, and later expanding to Mott Haven in the Bronx. In 2015, OBT planned a formal merger with the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center, which had been operating from OBT’s Bushwick Workforce Resource Center. In 2021, the board appointed Dr. Darlene Williams as president and chief executive officer. OBT remains an active New York City nonprofit whose work is centered on helping people gain credentials, employment, further education, and practical support.
History
Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow was founded in 1983 by Sister Mary Franciscus, RSM, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Its initial purpose was to help at-risk youth gain the academic and practical skills needed for employment. The organization started in a deteriorated storefront with limited government support, but additional public and private funding enabled it to move into a larger nearby facility by 1992. During that period OBT added adult job training, graduate support, and daytime and evening remedial-education programs. The organization expanded geographically and programmatically during the following decade. In 2001 it opened OBT North in the Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant sections of Brooklyn, strengthening its reach among young people in neighborhoods with significant employment and educational barriers. In 2002 OBT received a PEPnet Builder award recognizing its emphasis on continuous improvement in youth work. After Sister Mary Franciscus died in 2006, OBT selected Randolph Peers, formerly a vice president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, as chief executive officer. OBT’s later development emphasized partnerships and specialized pathways. In 2013 it began working with the YMCA of Greater New York to create Y Roads Centers for disconnected youth. The first center opened in Jamaica, Queens, and a second opened in Mott Haven, Bronx, in October 2014. In 2015 OBT planned to merge with the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center, which had operated from OBT’s Bushwick Workforce Resource Center since 2014. Its program portfolio has included intensive youth education and job training, internships, healthcare administration, technology, construction trades, immigrant assistance, college access, and violence-prevention services. The youth model combines high-school-equivalency preparation with business skills and a simulated professional workplace. The Young Adult Internship Program adds paid work experience after classroom instruction. Specialized programs have offered medical-administrative certification, technology certifications, college-credit pathways, and masonry-restoration credentials. OBT has also pursued neighborhood-specific initiatives. In 2013 it launched programs for Mexican youth in Bushwick in partnership with Churches United for Fair Housing and the Academy of Urban Planning. These initiatives focused on remaining in high school, exploring careers and college, and developing personal and professional skills. In 2014 OBT launched Leading to Success as part of New York City’s Cure Violence work in East Flatbush. The program connected violence-interruption and mediation efforts with employment preparation, job placement, and college-access assistance. The organization’s Office for New Americans provides free immigration-related assistance and referrals, including help with naturalization, green-card renewal, certificates of citizenship, and deferred-action matters. Spanish-language entrepreneurship education has also formed part of this work. In 2021, OBT’s board appointed Dr. Darlene Williams as president and chief executive officer. OBT continues to operate as a New York City nonprofit serving communities through education, employment preparation, internships, credentials, and supportive services.
- 2021
Darlene Williams appointed president and CEO
[1]OBT’s board appointed Dr. Darlene Williams as president and chief executive officer.
- 2014
Mott Haven Y Roads Center opens
[1]A second Y Roads Center opened in Mott Haven in the Bronx.
- 2013
Y Roads partnership begins
[1]OBT partnered with the YMCA of Greater New York and opened the first Y Roads Center in Jamaica, Queens.
- 2006
Randolph Peers becomes chief executive
[1]Following Sister Mary Franciscus’s death, Randolph Peers was hired as chief executive officer.
- 2002
PEPnet Builder award
[1]OBT received a PEPnet Builder award for its commitment to continuous improvement in youth services.
- 2001
OBT North opens
[1]The organization expanded its youth services with a second Brooklyn location serving the Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant areas.
- 1992
Expansion into a larger facility
[1]Growing public and private support enabled OBT to move into a larger building and add adult training, graduate support, and remedial education.
- 1983
Organization founded in Sunset Park
[1]Sister Mary Franciscus, RSM, established OBT to provide job training for at-risk youth in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Products and positioning
A community-based nonprofit workforce and education provider that combines rigorous workplace simulation, job training, academic support, internships, credentials, and wraparound services for underserved New Yorkers.
Youth workforce development
Youth Education and Job Training
An intensive program combining high-school-equivalency preparation, business English and mathematics, office procedures, computer skills, communication, public speaking, and workplace expectations. Participants work within a simulated professional environment with schedules, assignments, dress standards, and attendance requirements. The program prepares graduates for entry-level clerical and administrative positions and may support subsequent college enrollment.
Internship and employment preparation
Young Adult Internship Program
A 14-week program for New York City young adults, generally ages 17 to 24. It begins with intensive business-skills instruction and continues with an 11-week paid internship. Placement sites have included public agencies, cultural institutions, healthcare organizations, education providers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
Healthcare workforce training
Medical Administrative Assistant Training Program
Training for young people interested in medical-office careers. Instruction covers medical terminology, communication, customer service, and basic bookkeeping. Participants may earn a Medical Administrative Assistant certification through the National Healthcareer Association and complete an internship in a hospital or physician’s office.
Technology workforce training
Cloud Support Engineer and Digital Marketing Program
A 12-week technology program covering Linux and security fundamentals, networking, relational databases, cloud concepts, digital marketing, and related professional skills. Graduates may pursue certifications associated with Amazon Web Services, Google, and Facebook, and may receive guidance toward internships, employment, or CUNY study pathways.
Construction workforce training
Masonry Restoration Technician Training
A hands-on construction and preservation pathway delivered with Green-Wood Cemetery, the World Monuments Fund, and the International Masonry Institute. The program combines classroom education and pre-apprenticeship experience and can lead to industry-recognized credentials.
Immigrant support services
Office for New Americans
A Bushwick-based service providing free assistance with or referrals for immigration applications and related matters, including naturalization, green-card renewal, certificates of citizenship, and deferred-action applications. The office also offers entrepreneurship classes in Spanish.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Leading to Success
East Flatbush · Brooklyn
Created within New York City’s Cure Violence framework, the program combined violence interruption and mediation with job-skills training, résumé assistance, employment placement, and college-access support.
- 2013Y Roads Centers
Jamaica · Queens · and Mott Haven · Bronx
OBT partnered with the YMCA of Greater New York to provide disconnected youth with education, job training, and supportive services through neighborhood-based centers.
Outcome. The first center opened in Jamaica in 2013 and a second opened in Mott Haven in October 2014.
- 2013Anchoring Achievement in Mexican Communities
Bushwick · Brooklyn
OBT launched the GROW and Anchor Up initiatives with community and education partners to support Mexican youth in high-school retention, college exploration, career development, and personal growth.
Brand decisions
2015
Planned merger with the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford CenterM&ABackground
The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center had been operating from OBT’s Bushwick Workforce Resource Center since September 2014.
Action taken
OBT intended to formally merge with the center in July 2015.
Sources2 sources
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