News - https://youthreconnect.org

A Look at Hartford Youth Population Indicators

January 19, 2020 by Summer Gomes

By Ron Schack, Ph.D., The Charter Oak Group, LLC

In 2014, The Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative began developing a Results-Based Accountability framework to guide and assess their work. HOYC identified a set of quality of life indicators for youth, which serve to measure the extent to which the community is achieving desired quality of life results, such as educational success, employment, and self- sufficiency.

Educational Success

The primary indicator of educational success is the percentage of Hartford residents with at least an Associate’s degree. While the data show a generally improving trend at the national, state, and local level, Hartford’s rate is almost less than half the rate in CT overall.

Source: 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS)

There are several additional measures of educational success that are worth examining, including the rate of chronic absenteeism, the English and Language Arts Performance index score, the Math performance index score, and the 4-year graduation rate. In all cases, Hartford is considerably lower than the overall state average. These educational challenges are clearly precursors to difficulties with achieving another important result, employment.

Employment

Source: 2014-2018 Five-Year ACS Averages

While there is a downward trend in unemployment at the national, state and local level, a closer look reveals some disturbing disparities. The unemployment rate for youth 16-19 was at 41.1% in 2018, while the rate for young adults 20-24 was 20.5%. This is much higher than the overall unemployment rate for the city, and substantially higher than the rate for 16-19 year olds (18.5%) and 20-24 year olds (10.5%) nationally. Keep in mind that these unemployment rates are for those looking for employment. Labor force participation stands at 30.7 percent for 16-20 year olds, and 66.4% for 21-24 year olds, compared with national rates of 38.9% and 74.6% nationally. Continued high rates of unemployment for youth lead to difficulties in earning enough income to achieve self-sufficiency, another important desired quality of life result.

Self-Sufficiency

The following chart shows the percent of residents earning at or below 200% of the poverty level, which has long been used as a proxy for self-sufficiency (although many argue this threshold is too long, and that 300 or even 500 percent of poverty should be used). Even so, the percentage of Hartford residents earning at or below 200% of poverty is 61.8%, more than double the average rate in US and even worse in comparison with the average rate in Connecticut. This trend is worsening in CT and Hartford, while improving slightly in the US overall.

Disconnected Youth

Youth not working or succeeding in school (and eventually not participating in school at all) is a clear driver of the above gaps in educational success, employment, and self-sufficiency. The Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative has focused on engagement of opportunity youth—those youth that are unemployed and not in school. While the number of disconnected youth in Hartford has declined slightly, there are still over 4000 disconnected youth that need to be re-engaged.[LD4]

Source: ACS PUMS 5-Year Data, 2009-2013 through 2013-2017

The Aspen Institute has recently developed a set of Equity Measures for Opportunity Youth.[1] These measures can help us understand different “dimensions of disengagement” and help us to develop strategies to reduce disconnection and help youth achieve these important quality of life results.

The following chart shows a comparison of the Hartford region (Hartford and surrounding towns)[2] with all 26 Aspen Opportunity Youth sites for which data were compiled. Four measures are presented: Community Disconnection Rate, High School Disconnection Rate, Post-Secondary Disconnection Rate, and Workforce Disconnection Rate. The data come from the 2017 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata (PUMS).

Source: 2017 OYF Common Measures and Equity Outcomes Data

The first rate, the Community Disconnection Rate, shows the number of young people not in school and not working, as a percentage of the number of 16-24 year olds in the community. Hartford is just slightly above the average of all sites on this measure. Of the 69,483 youth 16-24 youth included in denominator of the Hartford area measure, 9,456 were not in school or not working. That is a significant number of youth that need help becoming re-engaged. The disconnection rate for Hartford Black youth is slightly higher, at 15.1%, and significantly higher for Hartford Hispanic youth, at 25.1%. This is considerably higher than the average rate for Hispanics across all included communities. The disconnection rate is also significantly higher for males, at 18.5%.

The second rate, the High School Disconnection Rate, shows the number of young people not enrolled in high school as a percent of 16-24 year olds without a high school diploma or GED and not working. Hartford is considerably higher (20.6% vs 13.8%) than the average of all sites on this measure. Again the High School Disconnection rate for Hartford Hispanic youth is extremely high, at 43.6%. Unfortunately, the rate for Blacks is not available for this measure, due to limitations with the ACS sample. The high school disconnection rate is also significantly higher for males, at 31.6%. This is much higher than the average rate for males across all the sites, at only 15.4%.

The Post-Secondary Disconnection Rate shows the number of young people not enrolled in a post-secondary institution as a percent of 16-24 year olds with a HS diploma or GED who do not have a post-secondary credential and are not working, plus those that with a HS diploma or GED that do not have a post-secondary credential that are working. Hartford is slightly higher than the average of all sites on this measure. In Hartford, Hispanics have significantly higher rates on this as well (42.2%) while males have somewhat higher rates (at 27.6%). Unfortunately, the rate for Blacks is not available for this measure, due to limitations with the ACS sample. In Hartford, those who earn less than 200% of the poverty level also have a significantly higher rate of disconnection on this measure (49.6%, compared with 11% for those who earn more, and compared with 28.5% for those who earn less than 200% of poverty across all communities).

The Workforce Disconnection Rate shows the number of young people not working as a percentage of the number of 16-24 year olds with a PS credential, but not enrolled in a PS institution. Hartford is considerably lower than the average of all sites on this measure.

No further demographic breakouts are available for this measure due to limitation with the ACS sample.

A Progressive, Interconnected Set of Challenges

These data show a set of interrelated challenges that start with difficulties in achieving academic success, leading to youth disengagement (particularly for Blacks, Hispanic, and male youth). This disengagement leads to difficulties in finding employment, and continued challenges with further post-secondary preparation. Ultimately, this is reflective in lower rates of Post-secondary educational attainment, and lower rates of self-sufficiency. We need to ensure that we develop and enhance strategies to intervene early with youth struggling academically, to keep youth attending and engaged in school, to support those no longer likely to return to school, and to create viable paths to post-secondary education, employment, and self-sufficiency.

[1] Equity Counts: Tracking Opportunity Youth Outcomes. Equal Measure, September 2019.

[2] This was done to allow for important disaggregations of the data: Harford PUMS data alone was not sufficient for many of the demographic break-outs by measure; even with the other towns included there were still some omitted due to small cell size. But, the addition of these towns is likely to underestimate the disparities identified in the above analysis.

Ready, Connected, Supported: Northeast’s Major Cities Share Best Practices in Hartford

January 3, 2020 by Summer Gomes

Hundreds of youth, service providers and community members turned out for the Northeast Opportunity Youth conference in Hartford – sharing inspiration, resources, and stories and best practices.

Sponsored by State Rep. Toni Walker at the Legislative Office Building, the event highlighted work in Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia and Portland, Maine addressing the needs of Opportunity Youth—at-risk young people ages 18 to 24 not actively engaged in school or the workforce. The programs, including the Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative, are united in partnership as the Y.E.S. Project, a national initiative of America’s Promise.

“In supporting Opportunity Youth in the fullest way we will also have the greatest impact on gaining full youth employment,” said Alex Johnson, president and CEO of Capital Workforce Partners. “With over 4,000 of Hartford’s young people considered OY, the issues facing them are too big for a single organization to handle alone. This has been one of my highest priorities and CWP is excited to lead the convening of groups from around Connecticut and Northeastern cities to support this goal.”

The Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative (HOYC) is a cross-sector collaborative, chaired by Mayor Luke Bronin, working to engage organizations and systems throughout Hartford to address the needs of youth. HOYC and its member organizations embrace collective impact, joining together to make change, and support career pathways, youth leadership and data collaboration — leading youth to post-secondary success.

“My hope is that we can have a coalition that will build a vibrant and inclusive economy so there will be a job available for every young person who wants to work and be a productive member of our society. This is critical, particularly for our urban areas, where we have high levels of youth employment,” said Rep. Walker (D-New Haven.) “It is imperative that we work to provide job opportunities for our children, especially in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, IT and other sectors, so they can succeed and help ensure the future of Connecticut.”

America’s Promise project design is grounded in research, and in listening to youth from around the country, said CEO & President John Gromerts. The result is a clear focus of effective preparation for youth employment, and a practice of involving youth.

Other speakers included employers, youth leaders, lawmakers, and partners, with breakout sessions exploring each city’s work. Facilitators were Juan Colon and Aleena Durant, youth participants in Hartford’s Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) leadership program.

“This is a youth-led leadership conference here today,” said Jim Boucher of Capital Workforce Partners, the backbone organization for the Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative, and another event sponsor. “We are all here to learn from each other.”

“Our youth are leaders, not observers,” said Hartford’s Vicki Gallon-Clark, speaking of her work with the Blue Hills Civic Association. “We are working with them to be accountable; they are expected to know how a law is made, they come here to the LOB and testify.” Each youth is assigned a Success Coach, she added, who works with the entire family, making sure “we are all speaking the same language” in support of the youth.

“It takes time,” added Paulette Cox, of New Britain’s OIC. “It is a lifetime transformation.”

Breakout sessions at the conference included:

A review of the Boston Launch Program, which supports the young adults of Boston, helping them go back to school, find long-term work, and pursue fulfilling careers. Launch connects young people to educational services designed to get them back on the road to college, as well as individualized career coaching to identify where they can best use their skills and experience. The presentation includes an overview of the model, a specific focus on on-ramps, training and career track employment – including the supportive coaching model. Click here for more information .

JobsFirstNYC, which leverages all available community, corporate, human, organization, private and public resources to bring out-of-school and out-of-work young adults into the economic life of New York City. JobsFirstNYC presented on “Transfer 2 Career Collaborative: A Pilot to Reimagine the School-to-Career Transition.” Click here for more information.

The Philadelphia Youth Network works to create coordinated systems that promote the attainment of academic achievement, economic opportunity, and personal success. Maintaining an ecosystem of diverse options is critical to creating a coordinated career pathway system. For 20 years the Philadelphia Youth Network has collaborated with key stakeholders to develop and sustain multiple pathways for opportunity youth. The PYN Career Development Framework organizes many strategies into a comprehensive system of services that support the skill development of youth and young adults. The session explored strategies to develop, enhance and expand a coordinated youth workforce development system. Chekemma J. Fulmore-Townsend, President & CEO was the lead presenter. Click here for more information.

The Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative, Our Piece of the Pie, Blue Hills Civic Association and Opportunities Industrialization Center of New Britain presented on several Opportunity Youth successful strategies. One of the topics for discussion was related to the successes of the Opportunity Works Program in Hartford. Presenters included: Jinelle Hooker, Our Piece of the Pie; Vicki Gallon-Clark, Blue Hills Civic Association; Paulette Fox, OIC-New Britain. Click here for more information and click here for more information.

In Portland Maine, The Youth and Community Engagement Team (YCE) at the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy, University of Southern Maine, has been working with individuals and community partners to create responsive policies and practices in Maine since the 1990s. YCE initiative and partnering organizations work to support Opportunity Youth in leveraging their leadership, connect to resources and build their skills as they transition into adulthood and independence. YCE staff Cheri Crossman and young leaders presented on the initiatives that enhance and expand Opportunity Youth’s engagement and attainment of post-secondary, career credentialing and meaningful work experiences. Youth spoke from their perspective and experience of key elements of leadership development and participating in state and national opportunities. Cheri shared strategies and an overview of each initiative as well as information about Maine’s adaptation and implementation of the Back on Track Model (JFF) as part of Maine’s Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative. Lastly, youth leaders shared and discussed their perspective of what is still needed to move toward increasing public awareness of how to best support and engage youth, so that youth have the opportunity to obtain their goals and dreams and our communities can realize the benefits of these young people gaining meaningful and gainful employment. Click here for more informatio n.

Youth Employment Programs Build the Future Talent Pipeline and Lead Youth to Future Success

November 19, 2019 by Summer Gomes

Written by: Alex B. Johnson, President & CEO Capital Workforce Partners

Youth Employment Programs Build the Future Talent Pipeline and Lead Youth to Future Success

The experiences of organizations working with Capital Workforce Partners (CWP) exemplify how a focus on youth employment has a lasting, positive impact on the lives of young people, as evidenced in the Capitol Region of Connecticut. That’s why CWP Is partnering with America’s Promise Alliance to host the Northeast Youth Employment Conference. As a part of America’s Promise Alliance’s youth employment campaign, the YES Project, CWP will convene and engage stakeholders and youth leaders from Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Hartford, and other Connecticut cities to present on-the-ground examples of successful youth opportunity programs. CWP is the North Central Region of Connecticut’s premier workforce development organization, with a statewide reach in helping businesses find, retain and grow the most qualified talent. One of CWP’s priorities is supporting a variety of youth employment programs, like the ones we’ll be spotlighting at this week’s action roundtable, which provided over 2,000 young people in the region in this past year with future workforce development services.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Programs

One such example of a positive youth employment program came through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which allocates WIOA Youth funds to CWP to support youth employment programs in the region to provide skills training, support services, and job placement. Several local programs provide WIOA Youth Employment supports including Our Piece of the Pie in Hartford, CT.

Shantal Miller is a Hartford youth who participated in the Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) program, and their Pathways to Careers Initiative Allied Health program. As part of the OPP program, Shantel enrolled at Asnuntuck Community College (ACC) and has been a rising star in their medical assisting program. Shantel shared that she is “thankful that OPP provided guidance and counseling, career competency development training, transportation, books, supplies, paid externship, tutoring, customer service, and CPR training”, which all accounted for her success. She completed her externship at Saint Francis Occupational Health, and she successfully obtained her medical assisting certificate at the end of 2018, and is continuing her education at Asnuntuck to obtain her phlebotomy certification and associates degree in medical assisting. Her long-term career goal is to become a registered nursing assistant.

Shantel is one example of thousands of youth and young adults that benefit significantly from youth employment programming.

Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP)

Other positive results of summer youth employment programs included a special pilot Summer Bridge Program in Hartford, Connecticut this year. The Summer Bridge Initiative led by Mayor Luke Bronin, Superintendent Leslie Rodriguez Torres and Alex Johnson, CEO & President of CWP, supported incoming ninth-graders with attendance challenges to gain additional educational supports linked to summer youth employment experiences, supporting their readiness for high school and future success. One of the organizations supporting the Summer Bridge Program was the Blue Hills Civic Association, which facilitated instruction and programming for 40 Summer Bridge scholars at the University High School of Science and Engineering in project-based experiences, career exploration, and competency development. The testimonials from the students and staff tell the rest of the story:

Student Testimonials:

This program has given me a great boost in my math and algebra skills. It is opening me up to new people and the chance to even get a good start on opening a bank account.”

— Noble Moody, Classical Magnet High School

This program has taught me how to think about different aspects in life, how to make good decisions and how to handle different situations.

— Shanine Smellie, East Windsor High School

I have become a better learner and listener, I learned how to communicate better with others, and I learned how to work through my issues in a positive way!”

— Trinity Greene, A. I. Prince Technical High School

Behavioral Staff Testimonial:

During my interactions as a counselor, I can tell that the students want to be here. They are good youth that work hard and with the mindful planning of staff, the afternoons are more interactive so the students can play hard as well.”

—Doug Howard, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School

Over 250 incoming 9th-grade students participated in the Summer Bridge program which will be replicated and expanded for next year. Altogether about 1500 young people participated in this year’s CWP SYELP program, which ranged from grades 9 through 12, and also included a number of Opportunity Youth. Substantial funding was provided by the State of Connecticut, City of Hartford and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and other public/private supports. CWP has a complement of career competency standards that all programs apply to their program design.

Hartford Student Internship Program

The Hartford Internship Program (HSIP) is another example of a youth employment program, which is a school year program in Hartford that links high school academic and career development competencies through career competency workshops and external internship experiences. About 200 Hartford students participated in the HSIP program this past year, which is also linked to SYELP activities and provides a year-round experience for youth.

One of the successful students, Casey Hill (UHSSE ’18) participated in both the Hartford Student Internship program after school and the subsequent Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program through the Center for Latino Progress. Casey developed an interest in the mechanical field, but had never truly had a hands-on experience resembling engineering or as he says “taking things apart and finding out how they work to make them better.” Thanks to HSIP, he was matched with New England Restorative Technologies, where he not only used his talents and fostered his passion for mechanical work, he also put them to good use in restoring medical equipment for the less fortunate. “I never really realized just how many people struggle with handicaps to their day to day life. Seeing someone take the motorized scooter that I fixed myself after working so hard on it and knowing that would change their life was one of the best moments in my life.” Casey learned how he can put his work in service to those who need it; and his mentor, Mr. Don Hoerman, also taught him values of hard work, which Casey took to heart. He completed his hours in record time.

“The program allowed me to get ahead and develop into a better person and have the confidence to go look for a job”. He used HSIP as a springboard to obtain employment at the Home Depot for the Summer. At the end of the school year, the opportunity came to take things to the next level. Through SYELP and the experience and confidence he had obtained thanks to HSIP, Casey secured an internship at Cesar’s Foreign Car, a mechanic in Hartford. These experiences helped cement Casey’s interest in mechanical engineering, a passion he has had since growing up. This program allowed him to surround himself with mentors in his chosen field and to get paid for doing the work he always wanted to do.

Casey is currently attending the University of Hartford for Electromechanical Engineering and hopes to use this degree to get a job doing what he does best: “taking things apart and finding out how they work to make them better.”

These youth employment programs make a major difference in the future success of young people, yet unfortunately, we have thousands of young people who are on waiting lists for youth employment opportunities who cannot be served. We fully agree with the America’s Promise YES Project in encouraging a broader set of supports for these valuable youth employment programs.

The 5 Promises

The 5 Promises represent conditions children need to achieve adult success. The collective work of the Alliance involves keeping these promises to America’s youth. This article relates to the promises highlighted below:

Caring Adults Safe Places A Healthy Start Effective Education Opportunities to Help Others

Northeast Opportunity Youth Conference November 22, 2019

November 14, 2019 by Summer Gomes

This conference will bring together organizations from the regions of: Connecticut, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston & Maine. Participating organizations include: The Aspen Institute – Opportunity Youth Forum, National Youth Employment Coalition, Jobs for the Future and other communities/partners. This roundtable provides an opportunity to share, review and increase public awareness of Opportunity Youth/Youth Employment best practices.

North Hartford Promise Zone Receives $1.1 million to aid youth

July 26, 2017 by Kelly Fitzgerald

Our Piece of the Pie receives $1.1 million U.S Department of Labor grant to help young adults in the North Hartford Promise Zone to bolster job readiness and career placement efforts. This grant is focused on youth aged 18-24 who have recently been released from prison and live in the Promise Zone. For the full story, see here.

Hartford Receives $2 Million Grant for Promise Zone Youth

May 20, 2016 by Kim Oliver

Access to a job in the summer and beyond can make all the difference to a young person – especially those who don’t have access to many resources and opportunities.”
– President Barack Obama

Hartford has secured a federal grant to provide 275 youth with summer and year-round job opportunities and exposure to career pathways for in-demand job sectors. Capital Workforce Partners (CWP) is partnering with the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, and two employer partnerships – MetroHartford Alliance for Careers in Health Care and Advanced Manufacturing Employer Partnership – and leveraging its partnership with Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative and others to offer Promise Zone Youth Employment for Success (Promise Zone YES!).

“Connecting Hartford’s young men and women to jobs is the single most important thing we can do to build a stronger Hartford. Promise Zone YES! is a critical part of our effort to expand youth employment opportunities in Hartford, and I’m incredibly grateful to Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy, Congressman Larson and the Obama Administration for their support. I also want to thank Capital Workforce Partners and other community groups who are working hard to prepare to launch this program for Hartford’s young people.”
– Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford and Chair of Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative

Promise Zone YES! serves as a way to transform youth-serving systems and engage the North Hartford Promise Zone in partnership with Blue Hills Civic Association, unlocking the untapped talent of North Hartford as an engine for economic prosperity and investment in the future of the youth.

Promise Zone YES! will serve 275 in-school and out-of-school youth, with 190 placed in unsubsidized employment, 85 placed in post-secondary education or training, and 204 gaining industry-recognized credentials. CWP, the local workforce development board for North Central Connecticut, will partner with the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, and two employer partnerships.

Notably, Promise Zone YES! will engage Youth Leaders, including youth who have successfully completed HOYC’s Youth Leadership Development Training Program and/or WIA/WIOA youth programs to act as peer mentors to participating youth. Mentoring will be provided in coordination with project staff and, as appropriate, with other partners and community stakeholders. This may include one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring (including youth leadership clubs), and/or peer mentoring. The youth leadership clubs will offer group-based college and career search assistance, networking, and peer support groups, all centered in the NHPZ and integrated with the community. Youth Leaders will be eligible for stipends, which are reflected in the project budget.

News of Hartford receiving these federal funds is part of a larger U.S. Department of Labor announcement of $21 million in Grants to Connect Young Americans to Jobs. Connecticut’s capital city is one of 11 communities across the country will receive a portion of the $21 million to launch and expand innovative approaches that provide young people with summer and year-round jobs.

If you are interested in learning more about Promise Zone YES!, contact Kim Oliver.

Collaborative Meets on March 28

March 27, 2016 by Kim Oliver

Mayor Luke Bronin invites you to the next meeting of the collaborative which will take place on Monday, March 28th at 12 noon at the Hartford Public Library (Downtown).

Meeting materials are here. Presentations are here.

SUGGESTED VIEWING

Aspen Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund

We All Start Somewhere

Road Trip Nation Says We All Start Somewhere from Get Schooled on Vimeo.

Who Do We Think We Are? (Starts at 21m09s)

America Needs Talent

100,000 Opportunities Initiative in Chicago

Hartford Youth Featured on National Webinar

January 20, 2016 by Kim Oliver

Jemuel East, a youth in Blue Hills Civic Association’s BHEST program, shared his story during a My Brother’s Keeper Alliance webinar.

Jem is a 23-year old native of Hartford and one of 17 young men of color being served in the BHEST program at Blue Hills Civic Association in 2015-2016 as part of Opportunity Works Hartford. The BHEST program is supported by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth funds and the Social Innovation Fund (as a subgrantee of Jobs for the Future).

The goal of the webinar was to help organizations engage workforce development boards to better serve opportunity youth and boys and men of color. Other presenters included Jennifer Kemp from the U.S. Department of Labor, Alex Johnson from Capital Workforce Partners, and Kim Oliver from Capital Workforce Partners and Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative.

The webinar was recorded, and a link will be made available shortly. For the presentation slides, go here.

For more on My Brother’s Keeper in Hartford, go here.

New Initiative Aims to Increase Job Opportunities for Young Adults

January 4, 2016 by Kim Oliver

The Annie E. Casey Foundation awarded $6 million in grants several years ago to increase job opportunities for young adults from low income families in Hartford and four other communities (Cleveland, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle). Hartford received up to $900,000 over the grant period for planning and implementation.

Through Generation Work, the Foundation combines building relationships with businesses, factoring in their needs in the local economy, with youth development strategies to prepare young people for work, such as mentoring and on-the-job learning opportunities. Ultimately, Casey works with Hartford Generation Work to support the Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative and other local efforts that serve young job seekers and have strong connections with businesses.

Locally, Hartford Generation Work is led by United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, working with five other community partners — Capital Workforce Partners, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative, Our Piece of the Pie and Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford. Hartford’s initiative will connect young adults, including those out-of-school or work or underemployed, with education, training and employment for careers in manufacturing and healthcare. The initiative also intends to improve coordination and collaboration among partners and youth initiatives.

“This investment in our future workforce is key to the region’s prosperity and economic health,” says Alex Johnson, president and CEO of Capital Workforce Partners. “We have been excited to be part of this initiative.”

“We’re have been proud to have been selected for this award, which furthers the work with our partners to assist young adults with the skills for employment,” said Paula Gilberto, president and CEO of United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

While the Great Recession hit many hard, teens and young adults have experienced the most drastic drop in employment, data show. Millions of young people — particularly young people of color, justice-system involved, or aging out of foster care and from low-income families — face obstacles to employment or education, and the percentage of young people ages 18 to 29 in the job market has steadily declined in recent years. At the same time, employers often struggle to find workers with the right set of skills for available positions.

“The strength of our future workforce is one of our nation’s greatest assets and is critical to our ability to compete globally,” said Allison Gerber, a senior associate who oversees the Casey Foundation’s investments in improving job opportunities for low-income individuals and families. “The next generation is eager to work, but we must create more avenues for young adults to develop the knowledge and experience they need to succeed in the job market.”

RESOURCES

Generation Work 2018 Report
Connecticut Kids Count
Hartford Data

National Evaluator for Aspen Visits Hartford

December 7, 2015 by Kim Oliver

Equal Measures, the national evaluator for Aspen’s Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund, is visiting Hartford on December 8th and 9th for a site visit. During the visit, Equal Measures will attend the Collaborative meeting on December 8th at 12 noon and meet individually with some organization members to learn about experiences, learnings, impact, and perspectives on the collaborative.

The site visit will focus on understanding how the collective impact model is being used to build education and career pathways for Opportunity Youth in Hartford. It aims to identify strategies for improving outcomes among opportunity youth, and to elevate and share those lessons with the Aspen Institute and other collaboratives participating in the Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund, as well as with the field more broadly. Equal Measure is not assessing the collaborative’s progress or judging site performance.

The goals of the site visit are three-fold:

To better understand the collaborative’s strategies for improving the education and employment outcomes of Opportunity Youth in the community
To identify factors that influence progress in the community and its efforts to enact systems change
To elevate promising approaches for using collaboratives to improve Opportunity Youth outcomes

The agenda is available here , the theory of change for the Aspen Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund is here, and the recording of the member webinar is here.

For questions, contact Kim Oliver.