INDIANAPOLIS, IN – January 30, 2020 – Today Mayor Joe Hogsett kicked off the fifth year of connecting young people to summer employment opportunities through Project Indy, the mayor’s youth jobs program. In partnership with EmployIndy, the program has expanded throughout Indianapolis – with 175 employers actively posting jobs on the portal and nearly 8,000 youth connected to job opportunities.
“When we launched Project Indy in 2016, it was with the intention of removing barriers to opportunity and expanding the number of options for Indianapolis young people. When we launched the unified location-based job board we saw opportunities address transportation challenges young people face, while also investing in small businesses that act as the backbone of Indianapolis neighborhoods,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “We want this program to have a lasting impact on our city and the residents who live here.”
Project Indy impacts all residents in Marion County – both directly and indirectly – by:
Providing employers with an eager, entry-level workforce;
Increasing employability skills for young people which will help them as they progress in their careers; and
Growing community collaboration, business capacity, and overall stability.
“EmployIndy has made a promise to the community to provide resources impacting young people and the neighborhoods in which they live,” said Angela Carr Klitzsch, president & CEO of EmployIndy. “By working together we are establishing a pipeline of individuals who not only have the employability skills to excel in the future and contribute to the economic growth of the city, but are able to meet employer demand for talent now.”
Tea’s Me Cafe Indy is a prime example of a small business that puts forth an effort to impact their neighborhood. Located in Fall Creek Place, Tea’s Me hosts many community events and puts extended efforts towards hiring Indianapolis young people as baristas. Beyond simply hiring these young people, Tamika Catchings, owner of Tea’s Me Cafe Indy, strongly believes that through this process individuals grow skills needed to excel in the future as they further progress in the working world.
“We are super excited to join the mayor to celebrate the kickoff of Project Indy’s youth and young adult hiring season,” said Tamika Catchings, owner of Tea’s Me Cafe Indy. “At Tea’s Me Indy, we don’t take lightly being a part of our young people’s journey to reach all of their dreams and goals. It is our goal to prepare them to reach new heights and through our Mayor and Project Indy’s commitment, we are able to do just that.”
Employment opportunities available through Project Indy directly impact the growth of a continuum of support for Indianapolis young people to not only grow as individuals, but steer towards future career opportunities. These opportunities create a positive trajectory for youth which will have a lasting impact on not only the next generation, but on Indianapolis as a whole. Regardless of company size or resources, every organization can make a difference in their community through Project Indy. Start your journey today at projectindy.net.
Power Huddle graduates thirty-eight young people who move onto education, employment, and job training
INDIANAPOLIS – 26 November 2019 – Today at the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club, 38 young people will be recognized for completing the YES Indy Power Huddle program, a two-week intensive training where individuals learn how they can change their future trajectory as well as a variety of employability skills that will help them take those next steps. This is the largest cohort to have completed the program, co-located at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis and at Eastern Star Church, both on the Far Eastside of Indianapolis.
The Far Eastside is one of the five target areas as identified by EmployIndy and the City of Indianapolis as having the highest rates of crime and poverty throughout Indianapolis. In Central Indiana alone there are over 30,000 Opportunity Youth, young adults, ages 16 – 24, who have disengaged fromsecondary education or graduated but disconnected from the workforce. With the gap in middle skills jobs that currently exist in our workforce ecosystem as identified by DWD, these youth and young adults present an opportunity for our community wellbeing and their personal growth, health and success. To re-engage this audience, EmployIndy has focused on creating a positive trajectory for youth in Marion County, thus launching YES Indy REC in 2018.
YES Indy REC was piloted at the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club as a safe space for young people to interact, play basketball, and meet adults who are willing to mentor them. While this is the forward-facing piece of the YES Indy REC, it goes far beyond that as mentors encourage individuals to partake in the Power Huddle to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
“We are proud to play a role in changing the lives of young people throughout Marion County,” said Marty Posch, President of the Finish Line Youth Foundation, an organization that has been a strong advocate and supporter of the Power Huddle and YES Indy REC since program inception. “Located just down the street, we have the opportunity to make a difference in our community thus impacting our future workforce and Indianapolis as a whole.”
Twenty-two of the 38 individuals recognized today completed the Power Huddle through the YES Indy CommunityCorps program administered through Groundwork Indy. These young people were enrolled in a nine-week paid work experience during which they also received eighteen hours of socio-emotional trauma informed wellness training and participated in mindset training (Power Huddle).
These activities helped the Opportunity Youth to develop their employability skills by working on community projects to improve community food access, health, aesthetics, safety and facility maintenance supports, while also receiving adult mentoring, career navigation, life coaching, job readiness training, adult education services, alongside trauma informed social and emotional violence prevention counseling.
“These young people are the ones who persisted,” said Rev. Rodney Francis, Senior Director of Opportunity Youth at EmployIndy. “They made the decision to make a change in their life and took the steps to get there. The most difficult piece of engaging Opportunity Youth isn’t just getting them in the door. In the last year we have reached 1508 young peoplethrough the YES Indy REC, 147have signed up for the Power Huddle, and, including this group, only 97have completed the program. They have to decide for themselves that they want to change.”
After completing the program, the young adults will be enrolled in YES Indy where they are connected to a career navigator who will offer support and guidance as they enroll in education and training or transition into the workforce. Once they are part of YES Indy, other resources are available, such as transportation, financial guidance, temporary housing, re-entry services, counseling, and more.
“This course has helped me view myself as a strong queen,” said Taleiah Gamble, a graduate of Power Huddle cohort nine. “Before I started the Power Huddle, I felt drained and useless until Mr. S, our instructor, explained to me that I should always have a growing mindset and not a fixed mindset. A growing mindset is constantly grasping knowledge and a fixed mindset is basically a locked mindset. I learned that I do not need to settle for less and now I’m preparing to become a Certified Medical Assistant and starting class on January 9th.”
The next Power Huddle cohort will be ten weekdays from December 9 – 19, 10am – noon at the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club. Registration is currently taking place so please direct any interested young people to the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club, Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 2:00pm. To learn more about YES Indy REC and YES Indy programming and resources, visit yesindy317.org.
The fourth annual JAG Leadership Development Conference took place on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at Jameson Camp. Brandon Warren, Founder & CEO of We LIVE, opened the day by explaining the importance of supporting one another and encouraging students to work together to make a difference.
After hearing from Brandon, the students split up into groups and went outside for a couple hours of team-building activities. One student from George Washington High School spoke about her favorite activity from the day, which was called Raging River. Students would set up blocks to in order to traverse an area, problem-solving together to ensure their blocks don’t “wash down the river.”
“There was a lack of communication at first because we didn’t really know each other, but then we worked together to figure it out.”
-JAG Student
Team-building exercises like these sometimes get a negative reputation, but business leaders note that in practice they are worthwhile investments that develop trust, learn conflict resolution strategies, build communication skills, and collaborate toward a common goal. These sound a lot like employability skills, don’t they?
After lunch, IndianaFIRST set up their frisbee-throwing robot for students to try out. One of the JAG specialists made sure to connect with IndianaFIRST after watching the demonstration. “It would be cool to have you guys come out and talk to our JAG classes as well as our school’s engineering and programming classes,” she said.
The day concluded with a drum circle session led by Arts with a Purpose and a presentation about Innovate WithIN from Don Wettrick at STARTedUP Foundation. In January, Innovate WithIN’s call for proposals opens for student entrepreneurs looking to build or expand a business.
IUPUI and Ivy Tech students among those to receive funds to remove barriers to completing postsecondary education
19 SEPTEMBER 2019 – INDIANAPOLIS – One in three students who enroll in postsecondary education never receives a credential. Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indy Achieves are committed to changing that by investing nearly $500,000 in completion grants for the Fall 2019 semester. These grants will help enable successful students to complete their postsecondary degree or credential at Ivy Tech Indianapolis and IUPUI. The effort is designed to help cover any financial deficits affecting students’ ability to pay tuition and other academic costs.
“Too many Indianapolis college students are not completing their degree – not because they aren’t succeeding academically, but because of financial need,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Our partnership with Indy Achieves, Ivy Tech and IUPUI will enable Marion County residents to complete the degrees that employers are demanding.”
Indy Achieves will now help students stay enrolled or re-enroll at Ivy Tech Indianapolis and IUPUI in order to complete their degree. Based off a successful model from Georgia State University in Atlanta, the Indy Achieves Completion Grants will prioritize students closest to graduation and those in high-demand degree fields. All recipients are required to complete a financial literacy module and an academic plan so there is a definitive date on the calendar for when they intend to graduate.
“Indy Achieves Completion Grants recognize the reality that too often for our students, life circumstances get in the way of their path to graduation,” said Dr. Kathleen Lee, chancellor of Ivy Tech Central Indiana. “We are proud that so many of our students stepped up to take advantage of the opportunity at a fresh start.”
Indy Achieves staff worked with financial aid offices at both schools to pilot 53 grants in Spring 2019, which led to comparatively higher graduation and retention for recipients. Based on its initial success, both institutions decided to award more completion grants for the 2019-2020 school year. More than 200 students across both campuses will now receive funding to help them complete college.
“I’ve been working so hard to complete my degree,” said Ivy Tech completion grant recipient Marina Arila. “After years of balancing work, family, and my education, this completion grant will finally give me the chance to finish my last five classes and graduate in December.”
Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) students from Indiana School for the Deaf and Arsenal Technical High School participated in a Talent Tour at ProLogistix on Thursday, September 5, utilizing hands-on stations and learning about multiple facets of the logistics industry.
ProLogistix is a staffing firm that prepares job seekers for logistics careers by training them in the technology that they will use in their job, including forklifts and item scanners.
Kristen Bevins, ProLogistix division vice president, voiced enthusiasm for the value that experiences like this can provide students.“I think that it’s important for people to know what kind of jobs are out there and to know what kind of career to go after. In high school there are so many options – how do you pick? You don’t know until you actually go out and see it firsthand whether or not it’s something you like.”
Business/education partnerships like this “could be a way for students to learn how to drive a forklift and go into the workforce right out of high school,” said Johny Anderson, JAG specialist at Arsenal Technical High School. “I think this experience was great for the students to actually try out the forklift simulator and learn more about the forklifts as well as learn about different careers and opportunities in logistics itself.”
In addition to these hands-on experiences, the students spoke with a ProLogistix sales representative, a human resources generalist from Meritor, and Laura Steele from the Hendricks Logistics Sector Partnership, learning about various career paths in the industry.
Nigel Franklin, a junior at Arsenal Technical High School, moved to Indianapolis from Virginia this summer. “During enrollment, my counselor gave me this class and I’ve loved it ever since,” he said. His favorite part of the day was learning about the different types of machines and getting to try on the harness for the cherry picker forklift. After spending the day learning about the logistics industry, he said, “I am definitely interested in logistics. Hopefully I have more tours like this coming up.”
Talent Tours are a great chance to share the core mission of your business with young learners, while also showing the variety of employment opportunities and skills needed to keep your business moving. By providing a better understanding of your work to young adults, you can plant a seed for potential future talent to consider the varying areas of your industry as a they make decisions that lead them into their career. EmployIndy can help facilitate your organization’s involvement in work-based learning through a menu of options in our Talent Bound work-based learning toolkit – learn more by connecting with an employer engagement manager.
After weeks of work, over 60 students gathered for a ceremony at Marian University’s Allison Mansion with caps and gowns in hand to be recognized for accomplishments in overcoming their barriers to achieve educational progress.
“People invested in us, and we are so grateful,” said Sonya Barlow, who earned her hospitality (START) certification through Edna Martin Christian Center. Sonya initially went to EMCC for help with paying her utility bills, and ran into an education coach while there. After putting it off for a while, she eventually enrolled in the ten-week program, and now sees her life trajectory differently. “This is a stepping stone – now I am applying for jobs, and Edna Martin is helping me with my resume.”
Sonya Barlow (left) and Temeka Thomas
Sonya’s friend Temeka Thomas was quick to chime in when the topic of “why enroll” came up. “I did this for me – I did it to better myself,” she said. “I’m so excited – they lifted me up through losing my apartment and other tough times, but now I am here and my children are so proud of me.”
Temeka had similarly found Edna Martin Christian Center to seek help with mounting utility bills when she met Tawnya McCreary, their operations director. At this event, with numerous EMCC clients earning credentials, Tawnya appeared as a celebrity snapping photos and delivering hugs.
“Its never just social supports – we offer everything, and our clients have a choice to pursue more,” she said. “From funders, to programming, to the time that students have spent, to the efforts of staff and resources – to get here, it means our investment is getting a return. It is a blessing and an honor every time.”
Other participants were part of the YouthBuild program, which also utilizes EmployIndy’s YES Indy funding to provide NCCER construction certifications and high school equivalencies.
Travis Smith is almost 18, struggled with traditional school, and intentionally stepped into an HSE class to change his learning environment and move into a career. “This is for regular people like me,” he said, “with lots of problems going on making regular school too hard. They helped me, they checked in on me and would give me a gas card or help with a phone bill when times got tough.”
Travis Smith (right) poses with EmployIndy’s Senior Director of Opportunity Youth, Rodney Francis
The guest speaker at the ceremony, Evan Casey, left students with a feeling of inspiration – see the video below:
Today freshmen at Crispus Attucks High School participated in mock interviews at their Future Center, conducted by local business organizations, such as EmployIndy, Ivy Tech, and St. Vincent/Ascension. These students spent their semester in the course ‘Preparing for College and Careers’ taught by Polly Brelage. This course taught them about the importance of two of the three IPS School ‘Three E’ mentality: Enroll and Employ. Although the students had been preparing for these interviews, many of them still struggled to demonstrate the necessary skills for success.
“The largest barrier for these students during their interviews was not being able to supply different examples of work experience they have had,” said Beth Bowling, EmployIndy’s Associate Director of In-School Engagement. “With many students being so young and not yet having an employment history in the traditional sense, many of them had a difficult time thinking outside the box and translating their life experience into a workplace setting.”
However, not all students struggled with this part of the prompt. Brian, one of the interviewees, shared a bit of his experience with the mock interview:
“The hardest part was definitely when they asked about my experience and why I would be good for the job since I’ve never worked anywhere before,” he stated. “But then I remembered that I could pull from examples in my own life. I talked about different jobs I’ve had around the house and how I’ve been mowing the yard and tied that into how it makes me a hard worker and good at multitasking.”
“I was so proud of Brian. This entire semester he has been quiet and hesitant to speak up and his performance today truly impressed me,” said Polly, reflecting on her students’ experiences. “Many students don’t understand how important it is to participate in mock interviews. Although they don’t see it now, down the road they will realize what they learned in this class made a difference in their life.”
Mechelle Polter (EmployIndy) interviewing Brian (Crispus Attucks student)
By participating in conducting mock interviews, employers and business leaders can truly impact a student’s future. It may seem mundane during the practice, but this kind of work-based learning experience is one of many that shapes an individual as they prepare for the workforce. As a workplace professional, you have the skills to not only help young adults get ready for job interviews, you also know some ‘tricks of the trade.’
“You need to remember you are interviewing the company just like they are interviewing you,” shared Mechelle Polter, EmployIndy’s Work-based Learning Manager, during a Q&A at the end of the mock interview session. By helping students’ practice, they are gaining more than just basic interview skills – they are having life experiences.
Robert King (Ivy Tech) interviews Crispus Attucks student
Robert King, Assistant Director of K-12 Initiatives at Ivy Tech Community College, chose to take this one step further as he tied in not only how it is important to interview well, but also how crucial it is to expand their education in order to pursue a good and promising career. Through Ivy Tech’s dual-credit program, Crispus Attucks students have the opportunity to earn over one semester of transferrable course credits, saving them thousands down the road.
If you want to participate in a work-based learning experience but don’t know if an off-site mock interview is the right fit for you, EmployIndy offers connections to many other opportunities for students to experience the workforce first-hand. We are able to provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct an on-site tour, participate in job shadowing or guest speaking, establish an outline for a successful apprenticeship or internship, and other work-based learning opportunities for young people.
Contact our business solutions and talent team at [email protected] to get started today!
As part of #HireIndyYouthWeek, EmployIndy worked with FedEx to offer a work-based learning experience to students from George Washington High School. The event featured a site tour, learning from staff, and opportunity to learn about and apply for specific jobs.
Check out the video below to learn more about the experience and how impactful it was for the students and the FedEx staff who participated. If your business is interested in hosting a tour like this, contact us to get started.
Dozens of students at Arsenal Tech High School who have an interest in starting their own business gathered in the historic courtroom on campus to listen to panelists from a variety of backgrounds talk about their experiences with entrepreneurship. This is because being an entrepreneur is more about having a certain skill set and mindset than anything – and that skill set can be helpful whether it results in founding a business or pursuing a more traditional career.
After a presentation from Kathy England of Regions Bank about the importance of understanding the realities of how financials play a role in starting a business, Joseph Eldridge of 100 Black Men Indianapolis moderated the panel, along with questions from students. Below are some highlights from the panelists:
Chris Hoyt
Chris Hoyt – Founder, Apprenace
“Often, people are searching for how to get to the top when the solution is right next to us. When I found something that I do well, I wanted to see how to turn it into a business – but just because you do something well, does not always mean customers are ready for it. The first thing you need is customers, if you don’t want to fail. Once I had enough people saying ‘yes, I would like to try this,’ then I used their feedback to create my initial product offerings. We did a lot to understand businesses and what their concerns and doubts are so that we are offering something specific rather than ambiguous.”
Melita Carter
Melita Carter – Founder & CEO, Natural Born Leaders Academy
“As you are building your business, you don’t have to be good at every aspect of your business, but you have to know a little bit about everything to make sure other people you hire do their job well… As long as you know a little about a lot, to hire the right people, you can be successful. And that comes from reading and reading and researching and researching.”
NaShana Mitchell
NaShana Mitchell – Founder, Studio B; Co-founder, Design Bank
“You need to ask yourself why, what, who, where? Why am I committed? What am I offering? Who is my customer that will use this? And where do the transactions take place? Is it a building or online? And as you figure that out, it always circles back to ‘why,’ and you go from there. I had a business where once we made a $10,000 mistake – so after that we asked lots of questions and learned from it to make the right decision next time.”
Aundre G. Hogue
Aundre G. hogue – Regional Vice President, PFS Investments
“You don’t have to be good at everything, but your business does. To go to the next level, it is more of a mindset – too many people never get off the ground because they are scared to fail. I don’t know anyone who is successful who hasn’t failed first. You need to fail forward, and keep moving.”
Dani Williams
Dani Williams – Entrepreneur, Creative Leader, Social Media Strategist
“When I decided to become a special media strategist, it is because I found a need… Some people have wants, and some have needs – I have been most successful when I find a need and try to fill it. I am also a big believer in collaboration over competition, so I find ways for entrepreneurs to raise each other up through business.”
“Thank you for doing this. No one has ever done something like this for us.”
– Arsenal Tech student after the event
Spring is upon us, and as summer gets closer, young adults are starting to think about summer jobs and other opportunities for growth. On March 11, Congressman André Carson hosted his sixth annual Youth Opportunities Fair at the Central Library to help Indianapolis youth find these job, learning, and volunteer opportunities, with over 75 organizations attending. Young adults also participated in sessions designed to help them with interviewing skills and resume review.
Amanda Finch from the YMCA explained how volunteering can help youth get their “foot in the door.” Skills learned at a volunteering position or job with the YMCA can transfer into real life situations. “One of our most popular positions is lifeguarding. We teach them so many valuable life skills and safety skills that can branch out beyond what they do in their role at the Y – they could save somebody’s life.”
Many jobs, including those at YMCA, Indy Parks, FedEx, Kroger, and more, are filled by connections made through Project Indy, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s youth jobs program. EmployIndy staff were on-site helping young adults sign up and download the Project Indy app to get them started.
Representatives from Indy Parks and Kroger emphasized the variety of opportunities available to youth as they work their way up from entry-level positions. “A lot of the people in our positions started as 16 year old lifeguards and cashiers and worked their way up, so getting a job at Indy Parks could be a career move,” said Will Hollowell from Rhodius Park. “The best skill I’ve found is just people who want to work. Being excited about work is a key attribute that many teens possess.”
Matt Mueller landed his first job bagging groceries at Kroger twenty-four years ago, and has found various opportunities to continue his career there since. “People think that sometimes working for Kroger is just bagging groceries or stocking milk or whatever it may be, but it’s so much more than that. You can work in Human Resources and Marketing and Transportation and Logistics – any career you could ever want, you could do that under the Kroger umbrella – starting from the single utility clerk job bagging groceries,” he explained.
As hundreds of young adults browsed the aisles, most were able to walk away with a lead or an idea of where to aim next. Not everyone will find their dream summer job – but exposure to these opportunities available is important as they continue to learn and think about a future job, education, or career.
Andre Allen from FedEx Ground offered a bit of succinct advice: “Stay persistent – we’re always looking for new talent.”
As part of a work-based learning Talent Talk, a group of young adults heard from workplace professionals and learned about the realities of “being your own boss” through an entrepreneur panel, located at the YES Indy Re-engagement Center at the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club on the Far Eastside of Indianapolis.
Check out the highlight video to see some of the top takeaways, and click on the image below the video to view the program and learn more about the panelists.
Click to view the event program and learn more about the panelists
Today 136 Marion County high school juniors and seniors met at the Indianapolis Marriott East for the regional JAG Career Development Conference – including competitions around employability, skill development, and career goals. All students are part of the Jobs for America’s Graduates program, better known as JAG, which has a presence in fourteen high schools throughout the county. Throughout the year, these students learn professional skills and the Career Development Conference provides them with the opportunity to showcase these skills to employer judges. By working with these students, Jobs for America’s Graduates is helping to prepare them for their future.
The morning kicked off with former Colts player Marlin Jackson, speaking to to the audience of students, JAG specialists, and volunteer judges from local businesses. “In life, in every aspect, you will need a growth mindset – especially in the workplace. When you get criticism, can you take it or do you get defensive? When you take that constructive criticism and utilize it, you grow. That’s why it’s called a growth mindset.”
EmployIndy would like to extend a big “thank you” to our sponsors for their support of this event! Our sponsors for the 2019 CDC included gold level sponsors: Bank of America and Fight for Life Foundation; silver level sponsors: St. Vincent/Ascension and Duke Realty; and bronze level sponsors: PNC Bank and Lift Academy. Sponsors had representatives attend the event to serve as judges for competitions, as well as to network with students during lunch. Here is what they had to say:
“I think what was most striking was the confidence that these students displayed during their Critical Thinking presentations. Students that have been part of programs like JAG will stand out when they come interview for positions, because they will have gone through scenarios where they had to think on the spot and provide some depth of thought around critical questions.”
– Andrew Crask, Indianapolis Market President, Bank of America
“It is very important to get students interested in healthcare and show them the various career possibilities in the industry outside of becoming a nurse or doctor. As a judge in the Career Presentation competition, I noticed that the students’ level of professionalism was impressive. It’s very important to be able to walk up and shake someone’s hand with eye contact.”
– Karen Jenne, Ascension/St. Vincent
“Our new flight academy is trying to help diversify the aviation profession. Having worked with EmployIndy and knowing what the JAG program is about, we thought tabling at the JAG CDC would be a perfect opportunity to show students a career pathway that they weren’t aware of and give them an opportunity to learn more about it. While judging the Entrepreneurship Plan competition, I was impressed by the students’ professionalism and confidence.”
Another exciting part of the day was Kenzie Academy’s announcement that they are offering up to $300,000 in scholarships for JAG students across Indiana. Reps from Kenzie were on site sharing details for interested students to learn more about their accelerated, project-based learning in the in-demand technology field.
to summer employment opportunities through Project Indy, the mayor’s youth jobs program. In partnership with EmployIndy, the program has expanded throughout Indianapolis – with 175 employers actively posting jobs on the portal and nearly 8,000 youth connected to job opportunities.
