Recent News

Meet Angel

Angel Barrios

“I was in the tenth grade at Western High School and due to some family problems, I couldn’t continue there. I ended up in a community placement from 2004 to 2010,” Angel Barrios shared. Angel began attending a local GED class but did not complete the program. She was mostly hanging out with friends, who were drinking and leading a negative lifestyle. Angel knew she wanted more out of life than that and really wanted to pursue her goal of being a nurse.

Meet Kendra

Kendra

While trying to keep up with school and a part-time job, Kendra was also about to age out of foster care.  She had lived at the Board of Child Care for 10 years and moved into an Independent Living program that provides support services to youth ages 14 to 21, designed to transition youth from foster care to self-sufficiency.  Between school loans and apartment needs, Kendra was struggling to make ends meet.

Meet Khadija

Khadija

“Even at the slightest bump in the road, I get nervous. And that gets me motivated,” Khadija Murray said.

In 2010 Khadija gave birth to her daughter – the year before she was supposed to graduate high school. This may have been a deterrent for some students but Khadija thought, “I had a pet peeve about being a statistic when I was pregnant. I didn’t want to be a statistic, so I had to finish school.”

 

Meet 1st Choice

On September 28, 2016,
1
st Choice Staffing held a recruitment event in the1st Choice
East Baltimore community at the Eastside One-Stop Career Center. Recruiters Kim Roane and Stanna Davis worked with Business Services staff from the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development to secure interview space, promote the jobs and assist job seekers with the 1st Choice application process.  

Meet Wandalee

Wandalee Spekis' Photo

Wandalee Spekis was unemployed and needed a fresh start. She always wanted to work in the cyber security field but didn’t have the training or knowledge of where to begin.   

YO Baltimore’s Pre-Adjudication Coordination and Training (PACT) Evening Reporting Center turns 10 years old

More than 1,400 youth were engaged in productive activities instead of being placed in secure detention while awaiting court date

The PACT evening reporting center annually serves 120 young men, between 14 and 17, who would otherwise be in secure detention while awaiting their court date. PACT provides them with youth development activities, creative learning projects, field trips and access to a workout center with a qualified fitness instructor. Participants are referred by the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore, a program operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development that serves 17-24-year-olds who are out of work and out of school.

Meet Talayiah

Talayia Bowen

Talayia has had to adhere to her own advice in order to get where she is today. After years of struggling, including bouts of homelessness, she has earned her GED and several certifications, attends college and is gainfully employed in the IT  industry.

 

Mayor Pugh Announces Baltimore Youth Offered Record Number of Summer Jobs

Several thousand of the 8,300 YouthWorks participants begin working during the first of two, five-week summer sessions

Today more than 7,000 Baltimore City youth and young adults, ages 14-21, will start working at hundreds of YouthWorks summer job sites. Operated by Mayor Catherine E. Pugh’s Office of Employment Development, YouthWorks has provided more summer employment opportunities in 2017 than ever before thanks to the impressive public-private support from government, businesses, foundations and individuals.

33 Baltimore City Students to Graduate from Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore Programs

Students previously disconnected from school and work earn diplomas and face a brighter future 

Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore will host a special graduation event for its 2017 class of 33 teens and young adults who chose to pursue alternative education after facing challenges in traditional school settings on Wednesday, June 21, 2017.

 

Meet Regina

Regina Webster Photo

After graduating from Morgan State University, Regina Webster got married, relocated to Florida and worked at various construction companies in her area. She later returned to Baltimore due to unexpected family circumstances and found herself out of work. 

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