Beyond Poverty: Fight for the California Dream

The Youngstars Foundation shares booklets with young girls of stories about women who have succeeded in their careers to inspire them to find a new sense of confidence and establish their own ambitious career goals. Between 2017 and 2019, 5,000 booklets were distributed to 4,500 young girls across 36 states. The Foundation also has an online module for the program, which over 18,000 young women and girls have signed up for.

Clubhouse Atlanta provides "transitional employment" services to people whose mental health poses obstacles to finding and keeping a job. Clubhouse staff serve as intermediaries with employers, not only asking employers to hire Clubhouse members but also learning the job requirements in order to train the members themselves. Staff also fill in for members if they are out sick. By relieving employers of the risks of an unreliable or hard-to-train employee, the Clubhouse has helped members find jobs that can lead to a more stable, productive life.

Hopeworks is providing a paid job training program along with internship and employment opportunities in any of three businesses owned by the nonprofit. Hopeworks also provides living arrangements in a residential program where students, alumni, and interns can all live together. The nonprofit adopted a trauma-informed approach that allows participants to learn healthy coping mechanisms.

Digital Upskill Sacramento is providing 9-week paid training sessions to participants who want to enter the tech industry. The program is allowing people who didn’t have the time, resources, or opportunity before to get hands-on training in addition to potential employment opportunities. This initiative is a result of a collaboration between several organizations and funding from the city. The funds were allotted for job training in growing industries, especially as the pandemic resulted in the loss of many jobs.

A workforce development initiative, PowerCorpsPHL, pays participants to learn skills and gain hands-on experience for jobs that offer long-term career opportunity in the field of environmental sustainability. Participants generally have criminal records or have been in the foster care system. In addition to job training and education, PowerCorpsPHL also provides services such as mental health counseling, securing childcare, navigating SNAP and AmeriCorps tuition benefits and helping with paperwork. The program helps 92 percent of participants secure either a job or post-secondary education.

Companies who outsource often fuel the race to the bottom for global workers' standards. Two companies, Digital Divide Data and Samasource, offer a model for outsourcing which is profitable and also prioritizes social impact.

Nonprofits Manufacturing Renaissance and Youth Crossroads provide vocational training that Chicago's public schools have largely abandoned, particularly in disinvested communities. Manufacturing Renaissance runs free seven-week metalworking cohorts that include stipends, tools, job placement support, and an alumni network, and has trained more than 1,200 young adults since 1982. Youth Crossroads offers multiple workforce tracks, including HVAC certification and paid internships, and 88% of trade program graduates report feeling prepared to enter the workforce.

Electric Boat's "The Boat for NEXT GEN" program partners with Westport High School, CCRI and New England Tech to provide juniors and seniors with hands-on exposure to various trades through twice-weekly after-school sessions. Students who complete the program can apply for paid training positions that lead directly to full-time employment with comprehensive benefits at Electric Boat's submarine manufacturing facilities.

ACCESS Development Services trains women to drive electric auto rickshaws, providing them with marketable skills that help them earn a living independently. The all-women Pink City Rickshaw Company employs the women to provide tours throughout the city and has since trained over 200 women.

Floare de Cires addresses the employment barriers people with disabilities face by training them in culinary and hospitality skills that help them integrate into the workforce and build a sense of independence.