07/25/2019: Board the Bus! We’re Hitting the Road to Celebrate Summer Jobs on Behalf of WorkReady

Fourth annual WorkReady celebrations tour visits youth at their worksites throughout the city to see skills learned during their summer work experiences

On Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, August 7, the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), will hold the fourth annual WorkReady Celebrations. This bus tour will celebrate the accomplishments of summer jobs participants and partners. WorkReady is a citywide effort to address the skills gap by convening partners, employers, leaders of youth-serving systems and youth to build a coordinated approach to preparing young people for future employment. This year on the tour, attendees will learn how young people are learning the critical skills to prepare for the workforce, whether they are participating in early, intermediate or advanced opportunities.

The two-day tour kicked off at PYN’s longstanding partners, The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (Tuesday) and PECO (Wednesday). Attendees boarded buses to visit various sites and see firsthand how their support is making an impact. The 12 worksites include:

On Tuesday, July 30:

  • Concilio
    During a “Shark Tank” style experience, participants will pitch business plans and conduct mock interviews. Guests will interact with the participants by conducting interviews or providing tips to help further develop their skills.
  • Congreso de Latinos Unidos
    Participants will showcase their knowledge following their exploration of the various facets of mental health awareness and the concept of using art therapy, exercise and self-care as de-escalation techniques during moments of conflict or other emotionally charged situations.
  • Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
    Participants will exhibit through interpreters what they’ve learned and their career aspirations, ranging from construction, restaurant management, marketing and more. Guests will understand how the program has instilled in deaf and hard of hearing participants the skills needed to overcome barriers and succeed in the workplace.
  • Philadelphia Energy Authority/Bright Solar Futures
    Attendees will get a tour of the training facility where participants were trained for the growing solar industry including, solar unit installations, utility connections and other skills required of solar installation techniques. Participants will share what they’ve learned throughout the program including technical work and various career pathways available to pursue.
  • Sunrise of Philadelphia
    Participants will interact with guests and present their career aspirations as they’ve worked toward discovering their passions and learned the skills that are necessary to achieve their career goals.
  • Urban Affairs Coalition
    Guests will walk through an exhibition of participants from 10 different worksites who participated in career exposure activities including on-the-job mentoring and weekly professional development workshops.

 Wednesday, August 7

  • Congreso Young Connectors STEAM Camp
    Attendees will participate in Congreso’s Let’s Connect Expo! Students will showcase the skills that were learned in their selected career paths and see demonstrations such as urban gardening, confectionary, photography, face painting and balloon arts.
  • Federation of Neighborhood Centers
    Participants are taught about food deserts, food justice and ways to provide healthy and affordable food choices to communities. On Wednesday afternoons, participants operate a farm stand to see the fresh produce and flowers they cultivated. Attendees will be given a tour of the farming facility and will see students in action at the farm stand.
  • Temple University ITSRG
    Participants designed, developed and incubated civic start-ups to transform urban challenges into sustainable products and services. As part of their final project, the students were given an idea or problem and they will showcase their creative solutions.
  • Temple University - University Community Collaborative (UCC)
    After exploring the theme of “belonging,” participants developed projects using different media such as film, podcast or zine to discover themselves and develop their voices related to issues in the community. Attendees will have the opportunity to see these projects and provide feedback through conversation.
  • United Communities Southeast Philadelphia
    Participants in the program learned the skills needed for jobs in their chosen career paths. Participants will give live demonstrations showcasing the skills that were learned during the program.
  • YOACAP
    YOACAP’s program works to increase school engagement and positive educational outcomes; promote community outreach and ongoing engagement through service-learning projects; help middle and high school aged youth prepare for high school and beyond; improve life skills and the quality and functionality of interpersonal relationships.

Summer jobs participants through WorkReady had at least a 120-hour paid work experience that provided unique opportunities to build networks and learn necessary skills for future employment.

“It is an honor to celebrate the achievements of our young people and our partners on the fourth annual WorkReady Celebrations Tour,” said Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend, President and CEO of PYN. “We see the potential that young people have when they are given an opportunity and are proud to put a spotlight on the work and talents of our future workforce.”

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