Urban League of Essex County accepting applications for Youth Reentry program
Young people discuss their class work at one of Newark’s youth workforce development programs. (Courtesy of Newark Opportunity Youth Network)
Thanks to a $562,000 grant from the National Urban League (NUL), Urban League of Essex County is now accepting applications for its Urban Youth Reentry Program (UYRP), which focuses on enrolling young people into college courses, engaging in campus activities, and achieving an associates degree. Through a partnership with Essex County College (ECC), Urban League will offer justice-involved youth - ages 18-24 - access to career paths, financial education and a chance for a fresh start.
“Unfortunately, there’s not many opportunities for these young people when they’re coming home. It’s right back to the streets,” said Donnell Hill, Program Manager of Urban League’s Urban Youth Reentry Program. “Our goal is to completely cut off that recidivism pipeline and to offer a new pathway, a different direction.”
ECC will provide young people certifications in two workforce tracks: Introduction to IT and A+ Certification as well as Supply Chain Management, where youth learn the logistics behind managing warehouses, packaging, travel and customer service. They also provide academic classes like math construction and more. Students who complete the certificated Supply Chain course can apply to ECC’s Associates track in Supply Chain Management, which has starting salaries above $50,000 a year. Each course is limited to about 15-20 students.
Courtesy of Newark Opportunity Youth Network
“We’re giving these youth a chance to live their lives again, a chance to see that they’re not damaged goods,” Hill said. “And to see themselves become something greater than what they were.”
Urban League of Essex County is a member of the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative, a collective approach to creating a school-to-workforce pipeline. And as the backbone of the Collaborative, Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) works to support its partner programs with data, strategy and fundraising.
“New Jersey’s system of youth incarceration has been failing young people for decades, particularly young people of color, their families, and their communities,” said Robert Clark, CEO of NOYN. “Research has shown that the state’s youth incarceration system does not reduce recidivism or increase public safety. However, Urban League and other community-based organizations that provide justice-involved youth with quality education and job training routinely achieve positive outcomes at a fraction of the cost of operating youth prisons. We are excited for the return of the Urban Youth Reentry Program and look forward to supporting the Urban League in any way we can.”
In 2009, Urban League created its Employment Center, with a focus on creating a space where anyone in the community could come in and increase their skills set through job readiness training, skills training, skills enhancement and more. In 2015, the Employment Center combined workforce training and financial education to create the Employment and Financial Education Center.
Courtesy of Newark Opportunity Youth Network
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” said Patricia Sermon, Chief Operating Officer of Urban League of Essex County. “We’ve created a pipeline where people come to us, increase their financial literacy and create their financial goals.”
Vivian Cox Fraser, President and CEO of the Urban League added “Youth services have always been a part of the Urban League of Essex County, but the additional funding will allow for the program to be expanded to provide services to the older youth population.”
Hill hopes the Youth Reentry program will make college more attainable for justice-involved youth. In the years ahead, he sees Urban League as an education pipeline for Essex County College. “A college education is something they can never lose,” Hill said.
“There are programs out there for all different people, but I think this one is unique because it’s tied to post-secondary pathways at Essex County College. It’s really a chance for young people to change their lives,” Sermon added.
Urban League is actively recruiting young people for the Urban Youth Reentry Program. Email dhill@ulec.org to apply to the Reentry Program or visit ulec.org to learn more about Urban League of Essex County and its programs in the Employment and Financial Education Center.
NUL Urban Youth Reentry Program is 100% funded by the US Department of Labor in the amount of $4.5M. No other sources of funding support this program.
Courtesy of the Urban League of Essex County