Y.O.U. Stories
What to do about rising poverty? Get disengaged youth back to school and/or work
Recently, the editorial board called attention to the horrible childhood poverty rate in Cleveland (“What to do about poverty that ensnares Cleveland-area kids,” Oct. 5). At Youth Opportunities Unlimited, we are part of a larger effort to break the generational cycle of poverty.
Y.O.U. Youth Help Turn Vacant Lot into a Storybook
Fifteen-year-old Diamond Bottoson, a Y.O.U. summer employee, helped create a pop-up storybook on a vacant lot in Slavic Village.
Y.O.U. Summer Jobs Program Helps Teens Thrive
Like a lot of teenagers, Cameo Moore would probably be working a job in fast food if it weren’t for the Summer Youth Employment Program, run by Cleveland nonprofit Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Instead, the 16-year-old high school rising senior is spending her summer dancing.
JOBS Act an Investment in Workforce Development
Y.O.U. President and CEO Craig Dorn supports the Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Tim Kaine. Read his Op Ed in Crain’s Cleveland Business.
Y.O.U. JOG Student Turns Passion into a Career
When 18-year-old Christopher Bonner, a John F. Kennedy High School senior with a passion for cars, enrolled in his school’s Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) program, an elective Y.O.U. offers to area high schools, he didn’t expect much to come of it…until he found a career.
Y.O.U. and Towards Employment Host Sen. Portman to discuss JOBS Act
Y.O.U. and Towards Employment co-hosted a roundtable with U.S. Senator Rob Portman and workforce leaders in our community, who serve young adults, on May 6 at Bloom Bakery, a Towards Employment social venture. The group discussed the “Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students” (JOBS) Act, legislation Sen. Portman introduced with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.
Students Learn Job Skills at Youth Career Olympics
ideastream’s Lisa Ryan followed students competing in this year’s Youth Career Olympics as they showed off the job skills they learned throughout the school year in the JOG program.
In Memory of Brenda Stark
It is with heavy hearts we share that we have lost our dear friend and colleague Brenda Stark. She was an important and cherished member of our Y.O.U. family for more than 20 years.
15th Annual Youth Career Olympics Showcases Excellence
The Youth Career Olympics, a culmination of everything the students learned in their respective Y.O.U. Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) courses, allowed them to demonstrate to Northeast Ohio employers their maturity, professionalism, dedication to community service, and knowledge of industries in the region.
The Cost of Youth Unemployment
Y.O.U. Participant Recruitment Specialist Toni Arnold-Spikes spends several hours a week connecting Cleveland-area youth with job training, tutoring, and employment opportunities. Here she speaks with ideastream’s Adrian Ma.