At-Risk Youth Receive Helpful Hand from Youth Development Services

From Contra Costa County Office of Education: It was a typical early afternoon at the East Bay Works office in San Pablo – job seekers checking out the latest employment listings, working on cover letters, and tweaking the latest resume. In the middle of all of the activity, Youth Development Services (YDS) Specialist Edmund Arnold, is checking in with one of 40 clients, at his field office.

YDS provides a broad range of coordinated services for youth who are in foster care or homeless or experiencing barriers and need support to finish school, find a job or pursue a career path. The programs are designed to prepare students to become self-confident, self-sufficient, and independent adults. YDS is a grant-funded department within the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), and receives funding from the California Department of Education, the Contra Costa County Workforce Investment Board, Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services, the Department of Rehabilitation, as well as other financial sources.

Edmund’s particular program is funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

Along with advising his clients that came in for scheduled appointments throughout the day, Arnold also had three of his clients assisting job seekers at the front desk of the East Bay Works office. The three young adults are paid-20-hour-a-week interns, their salaries are provided through the Reconnecting Youth to Their Future (RYTF)program, a program that funds the assistance of out-of-school youth, (ages 16-24) with school re-engagement, diploma/GED attainment, and assistance with advanced training.

Randy is currently completing his high school diploma, and plans to attend Contra Costa College. He wants to major in business, and hopes to own his own dance studio one day. He also has aspirations to be a paralegal. The San Pablo East Bay Works will be his first job that he's had longer than three months. He has been working on his customer service skills at East Bay Works, which he believes will be vital to his career development. “I really like working with the people who come in looking for assistance,” says Randy. Earlier on this day, he helped a client in re-formatting a resume into MS Word.

Elsy has been working at East Bay Works for the past four months. “I came in here one day looking for a job, and one of the employees told me about the Internship Program,” says Elsy. She has already become the go-to person for Spanish speaking-only job seekers. “I am able to help them with the resources we offer, and using our computers.” She is currently working towards enrolling into Laney College. Arnold says, “Elsy is an aspiring cosmetology student, and wants to own her own beauty salon one day. This job has been good at helping her improve her customer service and social skills.”

Astrid is the newest intern of the three, with almost two months of office experience. With two semesters competed at Contra Costa College, Atrid reports that she’s been learning quite a bit as she assists those who come in looking for work. “I support the customers in narrowing down the employment possibilities that match their job skills, and book them into classes we offer, such as resume and cover-letter writing.” As her college studies continue, Astrid plans to major in journalism. She has a great desire to become a journalist or a photographer.

“A good amount of the clients on my caseload have been through referral,” says Arnold. “I work closely with the Calli House Youth Homeless Shelter, Contra Costa County Independent Living Skills Program, and the West Contra Costa Adult School. In addition, a small portion of my caseload are youth who have just walked in here at the San Pablo East Bay Works, looking for employment assistance. In order to qualify for our program, the clients must be high school dropouts, homeless, foster, on probation, parenting, or have a disability.”

Eligible clients who are enrolled will be assisted with finding suitable educational or employment placements. Each will have an individualized case plan, depending on their needs. In this case plan, they will indicate the goals that they want to reach while working with the program. The goals are obtaining their high school equivalency degree, earning an industry-recognized training certificate, attaining employment, or entering into a post-secondary program or any other advanced training program. They will be on Arnold’s caseload until they accomplish one of these goals.

The clients meet with Arnold as much as they want to. “We usually meet on a monthly basis. They are given transportation assistance in order to help them attend their classes, job interviews, and appointments with me.” The clients are also assisted with purchasing school supplies, interview clothes, work clothes, and other tools/clothes necessary for employment or education. “Basically, we will try to supply them with anything they need in order to make the pursuit of education/employment goals easier.”

Throughout their employment, education, and living-skills experience, clients such as Elsy, Astrid, and Randy, are monitored, assessed, and encouraged by Arnold. After meeting with the three at-risk young adults on this day, it was quite evident that they shared a gratefulness and positive attitudes when talking about their current achievements in the program and their future plans – and of course, their coach and friend, Edmund Arnold.

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