October has been a wonderful month for Hopeworks. We are happy to share that we now have a full life readiness team! Life readiness is so critical to Hopeworks mission and with a full team of coaches, we’ll be able to be even more effective in helping youth address patterns, set goals, and enhance their skills and professionalism to earn jobs that will lead to a sustainable future!
Join us in welcoming our new life readiness coach, Lawrence Burden. Lawrence comes to us with an incredible array of experience in helping young people change their lives. As Coordinator of Residential Services for Youth Consultation Services, Lawrence managed all aspects of a high touch residential placement for youth. As the Fathers on Track, Program Coordinator for our friends at South Jersey Perinatal Collaborative, Lawrence mastered motivational interviewing and used that expertise to help fathers and families change their lives.
We are also extremely excited to bring Alia Sutton-Bey on board as our new Director of Operations and Youth Development!
Alia brings over two decades of community development and program management experience. Most recently, she led the JEVS AmeriCorps TechServ Scholars program, working directly with some of our own Hopeworks youth, as well as managing the program across multiple locations, including Philadelphia, Camden, and Harrisburg. Prior to working at JEVS, Alia led multiple recreation centers in Philadelphia, managing large, complicated teams and interacting with communities to build programs that support youth and families. Alia has also worked with several nonprofits and schools developing programs to meet the needs of youth they serve, including extensive experience in trauma-informed practice.
Finally, Alia is a strong supporter of cultural and performing arts. She is the founder of the Philadelphia based nonprofit, African Diaspora Arts Collective, INC (ADAC). ADAC is committed to the preservation and education of traditional and contemporary African art forms.
Needless to say, we are lucky to have Alia bring all of her expertise to Hopeworks to help strengthen our programs and create lasting impact!
Dan Rhoton, the CEO of the New Jersey-based job training nonprofit Hopeworks, firmly believes AI can help prepare underprivileged young adults to enter the workforce. Hopeworks utilizes AI tools to upskill Camden, N.J.-area residents over 17 and connect them with local employers. Rhoton sees the technology as a way to level the playing field between […]
This month has been incredible! In the month of April, Hopeworks has placed 20 young adults in full time jobs with an average starting wage of $42,861! This means over $850,000 in wages are going right back into our young adults’ families and communities. Check out a few other job placement stories and testimonials below.
Congratulations is in order for GIS team member Nyah Thompson who was recently hired by Connexus Technology for a full time position on the Data Imaging team! Nyah previously worked in the restaurant industry, but is also a versatile visual artist with a strong background and tons of talent. Nyah joined Hopeworks because she wanted to get into […]
