The SF YouthWorks 2010-2011 school year program has successfully launched! We have been busy, and are off to a great start. Over the past few weeks we were able to accomplish the following:
- Interview, select, hire and place over 150 youth interns for the school year. We have a strong group of youth interns this year, representing youth from every community in San Francisco. We are thrilled to be working with them.
- Provide Pre-Employment training for all youth participants, to prepare them for a successful transition to their new internship in city government. This 2-hour training session is designed to help youth prepare for their new roles as an intern and program participant.
- Implement the first of our mandatory biweekly workshops. This year, youth will be attending workshops every two weeks with their Employment Coordinator, to supplement their learning on the job. Formal workshop will cover topics such as money management, career exploration, resume writing, and transition planning. Skill enrichment sessions will provide a more informal environment for youth to share challenges and accomplishments and practice behaviors necessary for job retention and success.
- Launch our new baseline assessment process. Youth, worksite mentors and Employment Coordinators will work together to determine the intern’s initial level of competency on a number of job skills, and to create a development plan for the year. In hearing about this new program element, DPH mentor Margaret Fisher commented, “The new system of meeting with the students to evaluate their baseline starting skills level and then monitoring progress throughout their internship was clear and detailed. It is just what I need to feel prepared to help move my new intern along the continuum of skills needed to be successful in the workplace.”
We are also looking forward to exciting things in the next month or so. Our Job Readiness Goal Setting and Money Management workshops will take place in November, and our next worksite mentor training is scheduled for early December. Stay tuned!
Pictured: Employment Coordinator Camile Richard discusses internship openings with youth candidate.