What We Do
Y.O.U. provides the services that youth need in order to achieve success. Our programs are based on national Best Practices and address the needs expressed by our region's employers and community's leaders.
Career Coach
The heart of each year-round Y.O.U. program is a staff Career Coach who provides a long-term relationship designed to foster academic, personal, and career success.
Employment Specialist
The link between teens and entry-level jobs is the staff Employment Specialist. He works with both the youth and the employer to ensure a positive work experience.
Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher
C.E.T’s use entrepreneurship education to link classroom work with the creation of practical business models and real-life opportunities.
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is central. The Career Coach provides a consistent long-term relationship, and demonstrates genuine caring, and firmly expects youth to take positive steps toward success. Mentoring enables youth to develop resiliency and motivation to overcome tremendous barriers in their personal lives and to develop the skills required for success.
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help teens overcome the barriers faced by youth in poverty, especially drugs, abuse, and violence. Youth learn respect for self and others, responsibility for one's actions, communication skills, conflict resolution, leadership, goal-setting, time management, budgeting, and the value of giving back to the community. Drug-refusal skills help our youth who are exposed to drug abuse in the family, neighborhood, and community.
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is emphasized. Youth are motivated when they learn that academic success is necessary for workplace success. Career Coaches persistently mentor youth to seek tutoring, to pass the OGT, and to graduate.
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are critical for the future success of at-risk youth and our economy. Teens need to explore, plan for, and pursue careers, including post-secondary education.
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or for industry-specific training is an essential step toward a real career. In families where dropping out of high school is the norm, youth need persistent mentoring to envision college in their future and to navigate a complex path: to identify a college, be admitted, and manage the finances. Once on track, youth can proceed to benefit from existing community and college services.
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shows youth how to give back. It also provides experience for a resume.
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is an integral Y.O.U. service. Teens rightly see Y.O.U. as the source of entry-level jobs; we work actively with over 300 area employers. The prospect of a job, in the summer or during the school year, motivates teens to take part in Y.O.U. year-round programs.
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prepare youth to qualify as job-ready. As they master employability skills, youth complete a Seven-Step Process, including a Mock Interview, to qualify for job placement.
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are a partner in the job placement process. The Employment Specialist recruits employers who are willing to interview and hire job-ready teens.
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help prepare the youth to become job-ready. They participate in activities such as Resume Workshops and Mock Interviews. They provide a real-world perspective on what can be expected in the workplace.
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the youth to jobs and referring youth to entry-level job openings is a key role of the Employment Specialist as it can significantly impact a youth’s success.
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helps to ensure that each youth is job-ready. The steps include: both a pre- and post-assessment of the teens understanding of job-readiness skills; a curriculum design to prepare youth for the workplace; at least one mock interview with a business volunteer; and a professional resume. Upon successful completion of the process, both the Career Coach and Employment Specialist will deem the youth “job ready.”
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takes place at the worksite in Week 1. The Employment Specialist talks with the employer to evaluate the youth’s Attendance, Attire, and Attitude: the crucial factors for job success. At the same time, he also helps youth address any job-related concerns that may prevent a successful workplace experience.
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by the Employment Specialist continues for up to 1 year. Building relationships with employers is what sets Y.O.U. apart.