Home > News > SBY to Host Youth Employment Exposition May 3
SBY to Host Youth Employment Exposition May 3
27th of April 2008
On Saturday, May 3, Deborah Shore, founder of Sasha Bruce Youthwork will join Vincent Schiraldi from the District’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and Yadea Williams from the Department of Employment Services at a special Exposition at King Greenleaf Recreation Center in Southwest to offer job interview coaching, employment and vocational opportunities to troubled youth in DC.
Sasha Bruce Youthwork, which operates the only open access, youth-specific shelter in the nation’s capital, will recruit to this Exposition approximately 100 “court-involved” young people who need summer employment. A wealth of research has shown that formerly detained youth have little chance of succeeding in the job market without significant, community-based support. And Shore’s work has shown that increased employment opportunities correlate with youthful offenders “aging out” of delinquent behavior as they reach young adulthood. In 2005, approximately 8% of DC youth between ages 16 to 19 were neither attending school nor working. This is about 1,000 disconnected teenagers. Clearly, employment gaps for disconnected and “system involved” youth are large and much more needs to be in place in the nation’s capital. This Exposition will bring attention to this issue and immediate opportunities for young people to become connected to summer jobs. At the Exposition, Ms. Shore will describe how programs which combine academic enrichment and afterschool activities with vocational training and employment opportunities have the best chance of improving the lives of disconnected and court-involved youth.
Where: King Greenleaf Recreation Center, 201 N Street in Southwest
When: Saturday, May 3 11 am to 3 pm