PRESS RELEASE: YO Baltimore Recruiting Out-of-Work, Out-of-School City Youth 18-24 for Unique Education and Career Training Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Contacts: Brice Freeman, Communications, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com
Ernest Dorsey, Youth Services, 410-396-6722, edorsey@oedworks.com
YO Baltimore Recruiting Out-of-Work, Out-of-School
City Youth 18-24 for Unique Education and Career Training Program
Baltimore One of Two Cities Selected for Federal Pilot Demonstration Project
Baltimore, Maryland (December 2, 2014) – Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore, a Baltimore City program operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, is currently recruiting out-of-school, out-of-work, 18-to-24-year-olds for an intensive one-year education and career training pilot program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.
YO is one of two programs in the country selected by the DOL to take part in this demonstration project researching how connection with a caring adult can improve outcomes for youth who are disconnected from school and work. The YO Baltimore project, which will operate in partnership with Baltimore City Community College, is called Youth Opportunity-Credential 4 (YO-C4) and will begin in January 2015. The program is limited to 25 young people, who will be able to concurrently earn their general education diploma (GED) and three health care credentials – certified nursing assistant (CNA), geriatric nursing assistant (GNA), and certified phlebotomy technician (CPT) – that will prepare them for immediate employment and a long-term career in Baltimore’s stable, high-growth health care field.
To be eligible for YO-C4, applicants must be:
- Residents of Baltimore City
- Between the ages of 18 and 24
- Out of work and out of school
- Without a high school diploma or GED
- Able to read and perform math at a 9th-grade level or above
- Drug free and without a criminal background
- Able to make a one-year commitment to the program
- Interested in health care/medical career
To start, students will spend three days per week (four hours per day) in academic/GED prep classes, and one day per week (four hours) in a medical terminology class that incorporates basic skills and prepares students for their later training. As they progress through the program, the focus will shift to medical skills training. One unique aspect of YO-C4 is that all programming will take place on a college campus. GED and life skills classes will be taught at BCCC’s Harbor campus, and medical skills training classes will be taught in BCCC’s new BioPark Lab, located on the campus of University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Teens and young adults who fit the eligibility criteria can apply for the program by contacting the Westside YO Center at 410-545-6953, or the Eastside YO Center at 410-732-2661. Both centers hold weekly orientation sessions – at the Westside Center (1510 W. Lafayette Street with entrance on Gilmor Street, 21217) every Wednesday at 10 a.m., and at the Eastside Center (1212 N. Wolfe Street, 21213) every Monday at 9 a.m.
At its two centers, YO serves teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24, who are disconnected from school and/or the workforce. Since its founding in 2000, YO has served approximately 7,000 youth, providing academic, career/job training, advocacy, mentoring, health and social support services. The demographics of the young people who enroll in YO Baltimore are:
- Average age of 19 at time of enrollment
- 53% female, 47% male
- 98% African American
- 94% unemployed
- 76% do not have a high school diploma
- Average math skills at fifth-grade level
- Average reading skills at seventh-grade level
Earlier this year, several members of YO Baltimore participated in a national study in which young adults who left high school without graduating spoke at length about their experiences and the reasons why they did not complete high school on time. The May 2014 report, “Don’t Call Them Dropouts: Understanding the Experiences of Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation,” issued by America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University, revealed that students who leave high school without graduating do so not out of boredom or lack of motivation, but because they are overwhelmed by serious challenges in their daily lives.
“Caring adult” program model
The study highlighted that youth who leave high school without graduating often have a strong need to be connected to other people, whether positive or negative. The “caring adult” program model that has been a central component of YO since its inception addresses this need, and is what the DOL is interested in researching through the YO-C4 pilot.
The YO caring adult model provides youth with supportive adult relationships and a network of beneficial resources. Following this model, YO staff members (advocates and navigators) act as partners to members. They provide a steady and reliable presence and build relationships with members that promote consistency and permanency; act as positive role models; help identify strengths, interests, talents, goals, and aspirations and clarify goals and aspirations; and provide guidance and support to the young person as he/she navigates any challenges or barriers to academic and/or career success – such as health/mental health issues, child care, transportation, etc.
Key YO partners include the Baltimore City Department of Juvenile Services, Baltimore City Public Schools, Civic Works, the Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition (HEBCAC), the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Adolescent Health, and Sinai Hospital.
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