November 21, 2023 — Today’s youth will be tomorrow’s leaders.
PEF members at the Department of Labor (DOL) are preparing youth for the transition from school to work through a pilot program called Career JUMPSTART.
Pilot launched in 2021
Over the course of 12 days in the summer of 2021, 128 students spread across six faith-based organizations in New York City learned everything from dressing for an interview to creating a resume.
“It was a perfect trust triangle,” said Juie Deo, a workforce program specialist with DOL, who participated in the pilot program. “We had the organizations that could bring in the youth and young adults into one place. They did all the groundwork there. On the labor side, we were able to begin working with them and training them to seek autonomy and independence.”
Deo, a PEF member for more than a decade, said the youth learned a variety of skills, including career development and readiness, but there was also a “community and me” angle.
“The youth really care about those things,” Deo said. “There was a lot of peer teambuilding aspects, and some locations were able to travel for tours to other locations. At the end, the programs culminated in some sort of project or celebration to demonstrate the skills they learned.”
Michelle Cortes, a supervising labor services representative and 11-year PEF member, also had the opportunity in 2021 to work with some of the participants on site.
“I really enjoyed interacting with the youth,” she said. “They are very enthusiastic and thrilled to be there. I was really surprised; they attended every single day, and they were engaged and enjoyed every minute of it.”
Cortes said her group held roundtable discussions, created art projects and mock businesses that they would love to start, went over interview skills and how to present yourself to an employer, and learned how to write a resume for people without work experience, among other things.
“We also went over their digital footprint,” Cortes said. “How social media can impact employability, how they need to be careful what they post and lock down their accounts.”
The groups ranged from freshmen to high school seniors and when school restarted, many of those participants went right to their offices to ask for working papers or began volunteering in their communities.
“I walked away feeling very fulfilled,” Cortes said. “Feeling that the work we are doing is really making an impact.”
Working with often diverse groups, she recalled a special moment that showed the trust between the adults and youth.
“The kids were very into pronouns, and I brought pronoun pins,” Cortes recalled. “One of the students was trans and they were concerned about using the bathroom in the church, whether they would get in trouble for using their preferred bathroom. Just having that pin made them feel like they could come to me and ask me that.
“That made me feel great, that they felt they could trust me,” Cortes said. “It felt good to have that conversation with someone you just met, and it was empowering for them and for me.”
Deo said there was a synergy between the community organizations and the state.
“I didn’t know our community cared that much,” she said. “People were coming in as speakers, there was amazing food, some sports celebrities came and spoke, all different places in the community were coming, speaking, and sharing. That’s meaningful for the young adults. They felt like the adults were coming together for their future.”
One speaker was formerly incarcerated and had a unique view to share with the youth.
“They came in to speak to the youth about how easy it is to fall down the wrong path,” Cortes said. “They told them to take advantage of all the resources available to keep them on the right path. It was an emotional testimony and I think it really impacted them. We didn’t just show them job readiness, we also brought a speaker that gave them the flip side of this. It opened their eyes, and they had a lot of questions.”
Where does it go from here?
The modules used in the 2021 pilot program are now ready for other community groups to put to use in their towns, villages, and cities.
“We are hoping to encourage people to use the module lessons,” Deo said. “They have been tested in so many ways and they are now out there for groups to use.”
In a press release this summer, DOL Commissioner Roberta Reardon said: “Young New Yorkers will be the inheritors of our economic future. These career development modules and activities can inspire students to start exploring careers and set young New Yorkers up for a successful future in our workforce.”
Those interested in integrating the modules and activities in their youth and young adult programs can complete this online form to download the toolkit. Questions can be submitted to YouthTeam@labor.ny.gov.