We are ecstatic to announce that we have been named a Community Redzone Sponsor by our friends at the Philadelphia Eagles Organization, in partnership with Philadelphia Insurance Companies! It is an honor to have a new found partnership with our hometown team, especially with the recent opening of our Kensington location.
Three of our young professionals recently got the chance to attend the Eagles vs. Giants game where we were recognized on the field, and set up an information booth for attendees and fans to learn more. This recognition brings more awareness to our mission of placing young professionals in permanent jobs - in Camden, Philadelphia, and beyond.
Timothy, who is one of our first Kensington trainees to successfully complete training and begin an internship, was in attendance and said the experience was everything.
“I’ve never been in the stands for an Eagles win, not to mention, we were working with the Birds for a good cause. Hopeworks made that happen.”
Thank you everyone at the Philadelphia Eagles Organization for your support - let’s continue to make history!
Here at Hopeworks our mission is to train young professionals in tech and help them become ready to thrive in the professional world. Many of our young professionals face circumstances in life that do not allow them to successfully graduate or earn a diploma.
Our ABS program is in place to assist with HiSet testing and other educational support so we can remedy this. Earlier this month, both Ra’San Lindey AND Henessey Colon completed their testing and received their diplomas!
“Hopeworks is a family that accepts all of me for who I am. There have been times when I didn't know what to do with my life and I have found myself and my voice here.” I am thankful for everyone who helped me on the path to receiving my diploma.” - Ra’San
“Thanks to the support at Hopeworks I have finally been able to receive my high school diploma! Accomplishing this goal is a dream come true. My future has never seemed brighter, and my possibilities are endless, I could not be any happier.” - Henessey
Congratulations to you both, you are well on your way to building the future that you want!
Earlier this month, our GIS Team attended the 2022 ESRI User Conference in San Diego, CA and was awarded the Special Achievement in GIS Education Award!
Our GIS team has provided consistent, quality, work for years to huge clients such as American Water and Comcast. Receiving this award just shows that their hard work has not gone unnoticed and is appreciated by other industry leaders.
“Hopeworks is honored to receive the Special Achievement in GIS Award from Esri at this year’s conference in recognition of our groundbreaking work in using and providing GIS data to create new and more data-driven decisions for businesses,” said Luis Olivieri, the Hopeworks GIS team manager.
Congratulations to all GIS Team managers, leads, and interns! We know there will be more awards to come in the future.
Graduation season is in full effect! Over the past few weeks we’ve had a ton of Hopeworks alumni graduate from College and we want to take the time to recognize them. We also want to acknowledge the graduates that may not have been highlighted during the pandemic.
Congratulations to Corey Thorpe, Monica Perez-Reyes, Brandon Rodriguez, Daniel David, Kayana Clue, Tianna Coleman, Luisa Lechuga, Marcel Njighe-Tezeh, Rhys Okun, and Ashlee Alexander! You have all worked incredibly hard for this achievement!
With another exciting announcement, last month Youth Healing Team lead Jase Elam (they/them) was presented with a prestigious award from one of the top news stations in our region! Jase was named as one of KYW News Radio’s 2022 Game Changers!
During Black History Month, KYW Newsradio’s Game Changers honored 10 individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region.
Jase was recognized as a leader in their field by helping youth find their power. They are passionate about making mental health resources accessible to marginalized people and breaking the cycle of poverty. Jase talked about how rewarding it is to watch our young professionals evolve.
“Watching people grow and blossom just from the support of being there and of caring — that’s been an incredible thing for me. And that’s something that I always hold with me.”
Congratulations Jase, keep doing amazing things!
Hopeworks is so proud to share that Youth Healing Team intern Rose Nunes has graduated from Drexel’s Community Health Worker Peer Training Academy, an impressive accomplishment that prepares Rose for a career in public health as community health worker!
The Training Academy is a nine-week, 165-hour, trauma-informed, mutual learning environment for young adults with lived experience of violence to become Community Health Worker Peers and Certified Peer Specialists. The Training Academy helps young adults grow into trauma-informed, human services professionals who share life experiences with their clients, break down stigma, and walk alongside people to help them access services.
For Rose, this is just the beginning. This program has prepared her well for her dream job in public and community health, really working to make a difference in communities across the region!
On Friday, December 3 at 10:30 AM, New Jersey American Water will host a graduation for the Water UP! program. In partnership with non-profit Hopeworks, APEX Solutions Group and Jingoli Construction, the 11-week workforce development program offered water utility and other essential business training to equip young Camden-based participants with the skills required to successfully enter the industry upon graduation.
“It’s important for the sustainability of our company and the water utility industry to invest not only in our technology and infrastructure but also the talent behind it,” said Mark McDonough, president, New Jersey American Water. “This is why we created Water UP! We hope this new program will inspire a new generation of qualified and diverse water utility workers.”
Water UP!’s pilot class features young adults from Camden, selected by Hopeworks through an application process. Over the 11-week course, the group experienced hands-on field training facilitated by New Jersey American Water and classroom-based lessons administered by Jingoli and APEX Solutions Group. With completion of the Water UP! program, participants are uniquely qualified for open roles within New Jersey American Water, as well as roles with American Water and its utility industry partners.
This training proves yet again that Camden and Hopeworks young people are the best solution to making sure our technology and infrastructure is prepared for the future!
Hopeworks is proud to release its annual report for the fiscal year from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Even more exciting, the report was designed by Hopeworks alum Yanlexis Arizaga!
Check out the report here
Hopeworks hosted their 5th annual Camden Code Day and 2nd annual Virtual Pitch Competition on Saturday, October 23. Sponsored by Amazon, Square Inc., and Ancero LLC, the event offered educational enrichment opportunities for aspiring technologists as well as a chance for business owners to win financial support.
Code Day attendees had the opportunity to participate in a variety of workshops for all ranges of technological experience, including front-end web development, HTML, Javascript, careers in technology, GIS, data, and data visualization.
The Pitch Competition is designed to provide new entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive the support they need to grow and generate jobs in their city. In order to qualify for the competition, the businesses must be revenue-generated, focused on consumer products, services, or technologies, as well as have the potential to generate new jobs. Along with first place, second place and audience choice winners, additional donations that came in during the course of the competition sent three additional entrepreneurs’ home with monetary prizes. The winners of this year’s Pitch Competition are:
· 1st Place, Judges Choice: $5,000: Fran Dixon (Crescent Designs)
· 2nd Place, Judges Choice: $4,000: Leea Kelly (Leea Luna)
· (Tie) Audience Choice: $3,000 each: Fran Dixon (Crescent Designs) and Luna Tucker (K.Luna Collections)
· Mid-Competition Donations: $2,000 each: Dre Jordan (Andre J Media Mobile), Sierra Patterson (All Year Round’ Services) and Jase Elam (Nebulous Healing)
“In one day, we are able to support two ends of the workforce—those looking to enter it and those looking to build it,” said Dan Rhoton, Executive Director of Hopeworks. “We are able to help workers prepare for the jobs we are also helping to create.”
Amazon, one of the Big Five companies in the U.S. information technology industry, is joined by American financial services and digital payments company Square Inc., along with New Jersey-based computer consultancy Ancero LLC, in sponsoring the day.
“We are grateful to Amazon, Square Inc., and Ancero LLC for their sponsorship on our mission to help cultivate talent advancement and business prosperity in the region,” said Brad Aronson, President of Hopeworks’ Board of Directors. “With their support, we are able to help the young people in the community achieve their dreams in the technology industry.”
As Hien shared, “"When I came to Hopeworks I was still learning English.” Learning English, navigating school and green card issues, and learning to code all at once, Hien impressed everyone she met with her dedication, inquisitiveness, and “never quit” attitude.
What a difference some time and lots of hard work has made! Working in Hopeworks Web Department, Hien built both coding and client management skills. With the coaching Hien received from Hopeworks academic department, she was able to enroll in Camden County College, and then successfully transfer those credits to Drexel University!
Now, Hien is finishing her degree at Drexel, and has a job waiting for her at Cigna as a Software Engineer paying $80,000 per year!
“I could not even have imagined being where I am now," says Hien. “No matter what, Hopeworks was always there"
