Work Opportunities Unlimited: Youth Services

Youth Services

Our community-based Youth Career Program helps young people learn to make positive decisions. Our individualized approach to career exploration and work experience assists with personal development and success in life.

We Provide An Alternative to removing youth from their families and communities.

We Work Directly with families, Juvenile Officers, employers, schools and other community members to help participants secure jobs with a future.

We Prepare Young People before beginning work by teaching them how to engage in constructive social behavior that helps them develop positive identities as workers and community members.

Youth Served

Any youth at-risk in their community. We serve any person between the ages of 13 and 21.

Success Stories

Read Jasmine's Success Story

Referral Procedure

The appropriate funding agency refers an at-risk youth. This process should include providing information regarding the youth/family background, history and education. We pride ourselves on having no waiting lists and strive to schedule an intake within twenty-four hours of referral receipt.

Program Outcomes and Components

Work is the major component of our program and we use a job as a modality for changing behaviors. We help youths make positive contributions to their community. Our Career Resource Specialists (CRS) support youth both on and off the job. We focus on an individualized, strength-based, client-centered approach to service delivery. The CRS meets with youth in both one-on-one and group settings in the community. Each youth helps develop their own Youth Development Plan with the use of the Youth Service Menu below. When the youth achieves their Development Plan they "graduate" from the program. Many youth have not been taught how to set goals and how to achieve them, which is the benefit of our outcome-based approach to services.

Personal Skill Development (All Ages)

____ Developing positive relationships
____ Making positive choices
____ Money management/budgeting
____ Goal setting
____ Time management
____ Communication development and skill building
____ Stress and anger management
____ Problem solving skills

Vocational Services

Career Exploration (All ages)

____ Career Plan
____ Identifying vocational goals
____ Interest and aptitude inventories
____ Company tours
____ Career Center orientation and registration

Employment Preparation Assessment (All ages)

____ Resume, references, pocket resume
____ Applications- paper and/or on-line
____ Interviewing (mock and actual, follow up: sending out thank you letters)
____ Job searching (cold calls, researching Employer's, walking in)
____ Employment eligibility
____ Working papers
____ CORI training (with youth +/or employers)

Job Placement

The choices below all include On-site Support, Identification of a Positive Adult Role Model, Retention Planning (work based learning plan) & Letter of Recommendation

____ Paid Work Assessment
____ Paid Job Placement (16 and older)
____ Volunteer Placement

Academic Support (All Ages)

____ Academic goal setting
____ Weekly check ins/meetings with school Personnel as needed
Tours and site visits of educational sites (training programs, alternative
____ education, post high school education options)
____ Financial aid exploration