About Us

Y.O.U. is a youth workforce development organization. We provide workforce preparation, job placement, and youth development programs to youth age 14-19 who live in families at or below poverty in Cuyahoga County.

We also serve employers. This year we will work actively with over 350 employers in Cuyahoga County.

Our programs are developed in partnership with school districts, employers, nonprofits, and government entities.

We are nonprofit. Since our founding in 1982, we have served more than 150,000 youth, helping them escape the cycle of poverty and transform their lives via the most direct and cost-effective route: academic and career success.

This year Y.O.U. will provide thousands of teens with services related to workplace success:

• workshops that teach employability and job-seeking skills;
• skills assessment and pre-placement testing;
• placement in internships in key career pathways in our region;
• placement in summer, part-time, and full-time jobs, and
• follow-up for one year after job placement.

About half of Y.O.U. teens are in a long-term program where they benefit from a comprehensive mix of mentoring, study skills, life skills, career exploration, and planning for post-secondary success, preferably college. Y.O.U. also connects youth to business volunteers who provide real-world experiences that show youth the connection between education and the world of work.

Y.O.U. services are provided free of charge to youth and employers. We are funded by government contracts, foundation grants, corporate and individual gifts, and United Way of Greater Cleveland.