YPC meets the needs of the target population by providing services, supports, and opportunities which provide workforce development, literacy enhancement, and mentor support.

Workforce Development (in-school and out-of-school youth)

The workforce development component strives to address community needs through two focal points, out-of-school youth (disconnected) and in-school youth (after-school program) for youth in Wards 7 and Ward 8. The out-of-school youth workforce development program, STEP UP, is designed for disconnected youth ages 14 – 24 in need of job skill development and social development to facilitate a successful entrance to the workforce. The program runs weekdays 11:00 - 3:00 for 9 months. It provides computer training, career development, and GED preparation. The in-school component addresses the need for high school and middle school students to possess knowledge and skills regarding the workplace. The afterschool program, Developing the Pipeline for a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities (DPLOO), operates weekdays during the school year and summer months. YPC partners with the DC Department of Employment Services, District of Columbia Housing Authority, Anacostia Senior High School, Kramer Middle School, and Frank W. Ballou Senior High School. The partners provide referrals and allow YPC direct service members to work with the youth connected with the sites. Workforce development activities include training in resume and cover letter composition, job search methods, enhancement workplace competencies and decorum. To enhance participants learning experience, youth are enrolled in summer internships with YPC partner companies which also helps build their capacity to solve problems, enhance social skills, be effective team players, and build leadership qualities.  YPC utilizes a pre-employment curriculum entitled “Makin’ It” which was developed by the Youth Development and Research Fund. The curriculum is divided in units which are implemented over a 31 week time period. Some of the unit topic areas are Oral Communication / Public Speaking (Unit 38), Future Economic Opportunity (Unit 13), Typing and MS Word training: (GCFLearnFree.org), Networking (Unit 14), and Work Ethics and Values (Unit 29)

Literacy Enhancement

Literacy enhancement provides reading, writing, and math enrichment so that youth can perform at their grade level and above. From a year of experience in 2008, especially at Kramer Middle School, AmeriCorps members have noted a need for an education based curriculum that has been proven effective for youth who have low academic achievement. For example, YPC worked with 8th grade youths who could not read beyond the 2nd grade level. As a vetted and approved DC Public School (DCPS) partner, YPC will implement a literacy curriculum that   that is in line with DCPS standards. With the help of Howard University’s School of Education, YPC is implementing literacy based curriculums which will strengthen service delivery and ensure that the sessions are engaging and do not replicate school.

Mentoring

In January 2009, YPC was selected to be a regional host site for “Championing Our Students through Mentoring, Support, and Collaboration” (COS). COS is a mentoring program initiated by American Bar Association through the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention that will pair mentors from law related professions with mentees from high-needs areas. COS is unique because it is designed to expose youth to the world of law and sports. In addition, the program will utilize iMentor which is an internet portal that will connect mentors and mentees adding flexibility and structure to mentoring relationships. By project's end, COS will, in essence, strengthen a mentoring community with a unique law-related specialty which stands apart from other mentoring programs.

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