How to adapt your city's
Summer Youth Employment Program
The Youthworks program in Baltimore rapidly transitioned to a virtual earn-and-learn, digitally inclusive environment for Summer 2020 when the reality of canceling 8,000 youth jobs hit. The Digital Harbor Foundation stepped in with a Rapid Response team to tackle Internet access, access to devices, and the development of a Future of Work curriculum inclusive of digital literacy, financial literacy, and career readiness to be delivered in a virtual simulation of remote working. Baltimore’s quickly pivoted program serves as the prototype to glean best practices around funding, stakeholder management, employer engagement and most importantly the learn-and-earn Future of Work program design. The checklist below is intended to help your city replicate how Baltimore reimagined its youth opportunities for your future programs.
Establish the Right Relationships
Who? Identify who the key funders, influencers, and city officials are. Baltimore kicked off the project by generating a list of the top philanthropic people in their city, most impactful activists and influencers, and decision makers.
How? Develop a tracker or list of who could help raise awareness and generate buzz about the importance of this issue. In a short two-weeks, the team facilitated approximately 70 conversations via email and phone to assess interest and ability.
Get the Funding
With the potential loss of nearly 8,000 youth jobs as companies closed or moved to telework, Baltimore recognized to save any percentage of these jobs, they would need funding to simulate a teleworking learn-and-earn opportunity for these youth. Digital Harbor Foundation used the information from the conversations to draft a proposal for funding to pay estimated wages.
Equitable Access to Technology
To address the digital divide and ensure technology was not the barrier to entry, Digital Harbor Foundation proposed legislation for city government, the state, and the city public school system work together to provide access to technology.
Internet for All
In response to the large number of youth without access to Internet, Digital Harbor Foundation proposed a project to extend Internet access with Point-to-Multipoint Wireless Internet access nodes, referred to as a MESH network focusing first on the most in-need, neighborhoods surrounding four elementary schools. If this is your barrier, learn how we can help you!
Build Your Team
Assembling the Core Team. In order to quickly adapt the program, the team should consist of a steering committee inclusive of city employment development representatives, philanthropic leaders, and non-profit leaders, as well as a working staff inclusive of people with curriculum and program experience, employment management skills, and youth engagement and advocacy experience.
Additional Support for youth success. For the program to be successful, it is essential to build a coaching staff to manage youth cohorts with a ration of one to 15.