GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT.

Jewish Family and Children's Services: YouthFirst

YouthFirst provides teens with a supportive learning environment to develop leadership skills, enhance self-esteem, form strong values, become a part of a caring community and solve problems to help teens transition to adulthood. For more information visit www.parentsplaceonline.org or contact Taylor Epstein at taylore@jfcs.org.

Teens making the transition to adulthood often need a variety of programs and services to help them take on challenges confidently. YouthFirst, a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (JFCS), uses a multifaceted approach to empower teens from all backgrounds within a supportive community. YouthFirst helps teens develop leadership skills, provides career exploration opportunities and promotes youth participation in the community.

The programs offered through YouthFirst encourage teen responsibility and independence. While serving the needs of Brian’s family, JFCS recognized that Brian, then 15, could benefit from YouthFirst programs. Brian was paired with a young college student to help him develop a healthy relationship with an adult. At weekly YouthFirst workshops, Brian connected with other teens, learning to become self-reliant and make positive choices. YouthFirst enabled Brian to take charge of his future and explore a career in the sciences.

Collaborating with local employers to create summer and academic year internship programs, YouthFirst matches teens with internships that are suited to their interests and provide wages for their work. YouthFirst placed Brian at a biotech company for the summer where he performed independent research. Additionally, he attended weekly educational workshops with YouthFirst staff and other teens to reflect on the job experience. The workshops offered additional training in office etiquette, responsible work behavior, cover letter writing and resume building.

Brian learned valuable career skills through the internship and was rewarded for his dedication and initiative with a promotion. As this was Brian’s first paid position, YouthFirst also helped him learn responsible money management and how to plan a budget. At the end of the internship, Brian had saved enough money to purchase a laptop computer, which he now uses for schoolwork.

The wide array of YouthFirst programs continues to grow and provide unique opportunities for more than 100 Bay Area youth each year. Nearly 50 teens participated in the internship program in 2008, learning skills to help them become leaders in their community and succeed as independent young adults.”

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