Workforce Challenge 

When Akkia Long returned to her hometown of Baltimore as a young teenager, she discovered that she would have to repeat the ninth grade at her new school – W.E.B. DuBois High School. She was disheartened, didn’t put her best effort forward and soon developed poor habits that led to negative behavior. She stopped coming to school regularly, didn’t complete her homework assignments, and became pregnant.

Workforce Solution

Fortunately, her school hosted a FUTURES Works program that employed an “advocate” who reached out to Akkia and formed an important bond. The advocate arranged for Akkia to attend coach classes and summer school. She was successful in earning the necessary credits to meet her freshman year requirements and get back on track to graduate with her class. But raising her young child while meeting her school requirements created difficult barriers to overcome. After making home visits to assess Akkia’s level of support, her advocate secured daycare assistance through social services. This allowed Akkia to fully participate in FUTURES Works activities, including sessions to build her life skills and improve her parenting skills. Her advocate referred her for mental health counseling, which helped her self-esteem and problem-solving techniques. Akkia enthusiastically participated in all activities, performed well in her classes, and was ready to move forward with FUTURES Works’ career exploration options. Akkia would like to pursue a career in child psychology and benefitted from a FUTURES Works sponsored, paid work experience at the Family League of Baltimore, Inc. She learned about the psychological impact of family dysfunction by recording interviews and processing family treatment plans. She also secured summer employment through FUTURES Works and worked in YouthWorks job sites, including Project Success. She gained valuable work experience as a camp counselor and teacher assistant learning class management skills.

Outcomes & Benefits

Akkia graduated on-time in June 2010. She is currently parenting full-time and plans to attend the Community College of Baltimore County in the spring semester. “The one thing that I have learned from working with the FUTURES Works Program is responsibility,” said Akkia. Responsibility keeps things organized, reduces stress, and prepares me for the real world.”