“The idea was nothing new; it wasn’t as though no one had mentioned wanting to do this or something similar in the past. It just took enough willing young people to take the necessary steps to see it through. Hopeworks is a fantastic organization that, over the years, has provided skills and opportunities to youth, and for as long as it remains, it will continue to do so. As Hopeworks grows in size, it will also continue to improve how it impacts youth as they train and beyond. Thus, the implementation of an Alumni Advisory Board became a reality and members were selected to help lead and provide an “early career” professional perspective for Hopeworks. We want to help push the ideas that will benefit more Hopeworks youth and alumni and find a way to allocate the necessary resources that would support their professional progression.
Members were selected for their passion and desire to serve and recruited across multiple disciplines/fields so they could offer different perspectives on how to approach projects. We have in mind the idea to tackle the business aspects of helping youth as well as emotional and mental health challenges. It is essential to understand youth’s lived experiences, create more positive experiences and help reduce negativity moving forward for the individual and the collective community. In totality, we are here to represent and help significantly increase positive change in the lives of Hopeworks youth and alumni.”
Meet the Hopeworks Alumni Advisory Board Members:
In this series, Michelle Cheang, director of Catalyze, sat down with alumni and current participants of Catalyze-supported career-connected learning programs. Through in-depth conversations, Michelle and the learners discuss their experiences, growth and career goals. In the following videos, we'll hear directly from EJ Garcia, a learner at Hopeworks, about how he has developed his career […]
This episode of The Water Online Show focuses on the water industry's workforce shortage. Hopeworks, a training organization, is addressing this challenge by partnering with utilities like American Water. Hopeworks identifies employer needs, trains young professionals, and places them in well-suited roles. This innovative approach is helping to bridge the skills gap and ensure a […]
Grace Manning leads a program helping land young professionals work at companies like Subaru. Grace Manning is director of employer and alumni relations at Hopeworks, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia and South New Jersey, offering workforce development programs to young adults. Through training programs, paid internships, and placement services with local employers, Hopeworks helps young, diverse […]
