Empowering Youth: Ecuadorian Leaders Visit to Learn from C2L-PHL Program

Posted on November 19, 2024November 19, 2024 by Rossella Alla

By: Rossella A.

JEVS Human Services and our Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) team were excited to host a group of community leaders from Ecuador. They came to learn how we help youth explore careers and gain important skills. These guests are part of a program run by the U.S. Department of State, which connects leaders from around the world to share ideas and learn from each other.

Ecuador has made great progress in helping young people, and this visit gave both countries a chance to share ideas on how to help youth find jobs, especially those who need support after facing tough times. Youth programs are important because they offer education, training, and work experience they need to rebuild their lives.

The C2L-PHL program provides paid opportunities for youth in Philadelphia. It is a partnership with the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Works, and the School District of Philadelphia. It helps teens and young adults learn about different jobs, develop important job skills, and discover their strengths and interests.

Programs like C2L-PHL offer mentoring, skill-building, and hands-on work experiences to help participants shape a successful future. C2L-PHL also teaches financial literacy, helping them learn to manage money as they prepare for their career.

Our dialogue with the Ecuadorian delegation showed how important it is, worldwide, to give young people safe spaces, strong support, and real work opportunities. We are grateful to the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia for helping us make this connection. By learning from each other, we can strengthen efforts to help the next generation overcome challenges and contribute to their communities.

Empoderando a la Juventud: Visita de Líderes Ecuatorianos para Aprender del Programa C2L-PHL

JEVS Human Services y nuestro equipo de Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) estuvieron emocionados de recibir a un grupo de líderes de la comunidad Ecuatoriana. Ellos vinieron a aprender cómo ayudamos a los jóvenes a explorar carreras y desarrollar habilidades importantes. Esta comisión es parte de un programa del U.S. Department of State, que conecta a líderes de todo el mundo para compartir ideas y aprender unos de otros.

Ecuador ha hecho grandes avances en apoyar a los jóvenes, y esta visita permitió que ambos países compartieran ideas sobre cómo ayudar a los jóvenes a encontrar empleo, especialmente aquellos que necesitan apoyo después de pasar por momentos difíciles. Los programas juveniles son importantes porque ofrecen la educación, capacitación y experiencia laboral que ellos necesitan para reconstruir sus vidas.

El Programa de Empleo Juvenil C2L-PHL es una colaboración con la Ciudad de Filadelfia, Philadelphia Works y el Distrito Escolar de Filadelfia, que ayuda a adolescentes y adultos jóvenes a conocer diferentes trabajos, desarrollar habilidades laborales importantes y descubrir sus fortalezas e intereses.

Programas como C2L-PHL ofrecen mentoría, desarrollo de habilidades y experiencias laborales prácticas para enfocar a los participantes a construir un futuro exitoso. C2L-PHL también enseña educación financiera, educándolos en el manejo del dinero mientras se preparan para sus carreras.

Nuestra colaboración con la delegación ecuatoriana muestra la importancia, a nivel mundial, de brindar a los jóvenes espacios seguros, apoyo sólido y oportunidades reales de trabajo. Estamos agradecidos al World Affairs Council de Filadelfia por ayudarnos a crear esta conexión. Al aprender unos de otros, podemos fortalecer los esfuerzos para ayudar a la próxima generación a superar desafíos y contribuir a sus comunidades.

C2L-PHL Behind the Scenes: Abigail’s Experience

Posted on October 17, 2024October 30, 2024 by Rossella Alla

One of our C2L-PHL providers this summer was We Love Philly. This program offered opportunities for twenty-five high school aged youth in West Philadelphia. Among them was Abigail, who offers this first-hand account of her summer experience:

My name is Abigail and I live in Southwest Philadelphia. I’m a 15-year-old rising Sophomore at a local public school. This summer, I participated in C2L-PHL with WeLovePhilly to learn about digital marketing and social media management. 

This is the second year I have participated in WeLovePhilly’s summer program. I was connected to the opportunity at WeLovePhilly through someone I knew from participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program. 

I worked alongside five other students all summer and had a lot of fun meeting and learning with them and our teacher. I enjoyed the fact that we moved around a lot and met in different places such as REC Philly, Industrious, or Capital One Cafe. 

Through this summer program, I learned how to better speak up for myself and voice my opinions. WeLovePhilly teachers always encourage us to share our perspectives, which has made it easier for me to do in other places.

I also learned and practiced taking SEPTA. Traveling to WeLovePhilly each day has made me more confident in taking the train or bus.

I’m not sure what career path I want to take yet, but I would consider digital marketing. It is a good career for introverts who like to socialize, but not too much. 

The C2L-PHL program is great for young people like me because we get to learn, stay busy, and earn money during the summer. I’m excited to participate next year!

JEVS Human Services recognized over 40 providers in its Career Connected Learning program

Posted on October 2, 2024October 15, 2024 by Rossella Alla

After a successful summer of programming, the JEVS Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) team took time to celebrate the team of program providers, system partners, JEVS staff, and more, who came together to provide paid work opportunities to over 7,000 Philadelphia youth this summer. JEVS President & CEO Cynthia Figueroa, JEVS Senior Vice President of Intermediary Services Kimberly McCaffrey, and Co-Executive Director the program Beyond the Bars Matthew Kerr, spoke to KYW about the impact of C2L-PHL.

Click here to read or listen: https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/philly-youth-career-mentorship-programs-honored-jevs

C2L-PHL Behind the Scenes: Amiya’s Experience

Posted on September 5, 2024September 6, 2024 by Rossella Alla

One of our C2L-PHL providers this summer was CORA Services, which offered a middle school program at Northwood Academy Charter School in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. Thirty-five youth, ages 12- 14, participated in the six-week program. Among them was Amiya, who offers this first-hand account of her summer experience:

My name is Amiya, and I would like to share my experience with the CORA Services C2L-PHL middle school program. I would describe my time in the program as fun, scary, life changing as well as a time to remember. I started the program when I was 12 and I am now 14.

When I first started, I was timid and closed off, I did not know anybody, and I did not know my surroundings. But the teachers there made it very easy for me to get comfortable. I have now made amazing bonds and relationships. Throughout my time in the C2L-PHL program, I have been on various college trips such as Cheney, Widener, LaSalle, and many more. 

Being in C2L-PHL has given me a chance to learn how to manage money. We would have people from banks and other professions come and talk about their time and experiences working at their jobs. Being a part of C2L-PHL and being with other students helped me learn teamwork and leadership skills for the real world. 

All the teachers, site directors and students have helped me come out of my shell. They have all helped me learn and experience new things, they’ve helped me grow as a person and helped me break down what I want to be in life. 

I have seen and heard about many professions, so I know when I grow up, I would like to work in the medical field as a nurse or doctor working with kids. I would like to thank everybody at the C2L-PHL program for my experiences and all the help they gave me.

Without my time in the program, I don’t know if I would have the tough skin I do now or if I would have the experience I do. Being exposed to colleges and financial literacy is something people my age don’t get to do. 

I take pride that I worked this summer and was able to not only earn money but understand the importance of saving. 

To close out I would like to say thank you for everything and I hope the program continues so other kids get to experience it. 

Bridging Philly

Posted on August 26, 2024October 23, 2024 by Rossella Alla

As summer winds down, our C2L-PHL program, which served over 8,000 youth this season, is wrapping up as well. This past weekend, JEVS President & CEO Cynthia Figueroa joined KYW Newsradio’s “Bridging Philly” alongside C2L-PHL provider LNESC and worksite Pegasus Philly. Together, they discussed the impactful, work-based learning experiences that enriched the lives of Philadelphia’s youth across the city and beyond this summer.

Click here to listen: Exposing youth to career paths | Philly’s takes on Olympic breaking (audacy.com)

C2L-PHL on WURD

Posted on August 16, 2024October 23, 2024 by Rossella Alla

The following is a transcription of an interview hosted by Solomon Jones WURD with Kim McCaffrey, Senior Vice President of Intermediary Services at JEVS Human Services along with Matt Kerr and Shairah Kibler and Matt Kerr form C2L-PHL summer program Beyond the Bars. If you would like to listen to the radio segment, click here.

Solomon Jones: We are joined this morning by Kim McCaffrey from JEVS, Jewish Educational Vocational Services. Good morning.

Kim McCaffrey: Good morning.

Solomon Jones: Okay, and Matthew Kerr and Shairah Kibler from Beyond the Bars, good morning. Alright, so this summer, a lot of young people are getting some experiences working in various programs. Beyond the Bars is one of them, JEVS of course, is running this effort. What are you guys doing this summer Miss McCaffrey?

Kim McCaffrey: Yeah, there’s so much happening this summer. JEVS is now responsible for the City’s initiative for summer work based learning experiences for young people, predominately those in high school. It’s called Career Connected Learning, C2L-PHL.

Solomon Jones: What is C2L-PHL?

Kim McCaffrey: Career Connected Learning Philadelphia.

Solomon Jones: Okay, go ahead.

Kim McCaffrey: So we’re offering paid work experiences for young folks across the city of Philadelphia, in lots of different industries. It’s really intended to help young people learn about the world of work, what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re good at, what they’re not good at, and how do they start to earn some money doing those things. And so Beyond the Bars has been doing some really great work, and offering what, almost 25-30 opportunities this summer, which has been really exciting.

Solomon Jones: Yeah, so Matthew, we’ve met before. I’ve seen you around as we’ve talked about programs that are working to end gun violence in the City of Philadelphia. Yours is a novel approach. What do you do?

Matthew Kerr: Absolutely, thank you so much. Thank you again for having us. So yeah, Beyond the Bars, we began as a music program back in 2015 but it was just a program for youth who were incarcerated back then. But around 2017 we branched out. We started running community-based music programs, and one of our main initiatives was like, one of two things, basically. One is that it was always student driven, and two was that it was community based. And trough our youth voice, they kind of pushed to build out a lot of different music labs throughout the city and partner with a bunch of amazing community orgs that do what we don’t. And today, we have 45 music labs throughout the city in locations ranging from schools and community hubs to rec centers, but also youth centers and trauma clinics. And from that, we’re able to meet youth wherever they’re at. Also as they grow as musicians and

artists, we meet a lot of amazing young leaders. We’re with one right now, Shairah, when we met her at her high school, was already a nasty musician, but now she’s in our summer program, our student teacher program. Basically, we meet young people all over the city from all of our programs and identify them like, hey they want to help mentor and lead others. They go through an awesome six-week course thank to JEVS, where they learn about how to teach using social emotional learning, how to teach using trauma informed practices, as well as how to, you know, teach instruments, productions, DJ and MCing, all those different things.

Solomon Jones: Well that sounds fantastic, I want to hear from Shirah though. Shairah, what is it that you do? I know you’re interning there at Beyond the Bars, what is it that you do?

Shairah Kibler: So for the summer program, basically, a lot of real cool, amazing, awesome teachers teach us how we can better teach people younger that us how to get into ways of expressing themselves through music and different types of things like that. But once you, I guess you could say graduate fro the program, we get to go out and branch through different rec centers, different after school programs si we can teach what we have learned from these teachers to apply to ourselves in the way we want to learn and teach kids how to make themselves known. We let them know what they can do without being like, hard on them, or like being strictly just one thing, like being able to really show themselves, who they are, to multiple people.

Solomon Jones: Wow that’s fantastic. So, Kim McCaffrey, what other programs do you guys have in the minute or two we have left?

Kim McCaffrey: We’re actually supporting almost 8,000 young people this summer across the city. So you have young folks who are in other arts programs, you have folks in marketing programs, entrepreneurship programs, in civic engagement programs, construction, basically if you name the job, we have young people doing it this summer. We will be continuing some of these programs into the school year, so definitely check us out at Philla.gov/C2L-PHL to learn more and potentially get yourself connected.

Solomon Jones: Okay, and is there a way for people to apply for what’s going on in the school year?

Kim McCaffrey: Yeah, so young people will be able to apply directly to the non-profits that are offering these programs. So definitely keep an eye on the website, and we will push out these opportunities as the programs get started. Most programs will start for the school year around October.

Solomon Jones: Cool, now is there a number people can call, or do they have to go to the website and do it electronically?

Kim McCaffrey: They will have to go to the website.

Solomon Jones: And the website again, is phila.gov/C2L-PHL. So Beyond the Bars, how do we learn more about it? Is there a phone number Matthew, and a website? Matthew Kerr: Absolutely, thank you so much. Yeah, our website is www.BeyondTheBarsMusic.org and the phone number is 267-225-7247. We have tons of programs, always plenty of openings for awesome

young people to be making music. And actually, tomorrow night, we have our student teacher graduation show at Underground Arts. It’s totally free, so you can see a lot of awesome young people perform, play some amazing music, as well as get celebrated for the awesome leaders that they are.

Solomon Jones: Alright, well I want to thank you so much for that. Kim McCaffrey, I want to thank you, Matthew, as well as Shairah Kibler form Beyond the Bars. Kim McCaffrey from JEVS. Thank you all for joining us this morning on WURD and for sharing the great work that you do.

Managed by JEVS Human Services, Career Connected Learning (C2L-PHL) gives 8,000 young people real-world experience

Posted on August 9, 2024October 23, 2024 by Rossella Alla

by Lynette Hazelton

Published Aug. 9, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

“This is the first year of operation for the city’s Career Connected Learning PHL (C2L-PHL) program, which gives 8,000 young people, ages 12 to 24, a summer job, real world experience, and a paycheck. The program is a collaboration between the city, the School District of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works and is managed by JEVS Human Services.”

Read the full article in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia’s Promising Pivot: New Youth Workforce Initiative Aims to Streamline Career Development

Posted on March 10, 2024May 20, 2024 by Erin Giberson

By Maryann Pugh

PHILADELPHIA, PA — In a significant move towards fostering youth career development, the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works have announced their collaboration on a city-wide initiative dubbed “Career Connected Learning PHL” (C2L-PHL). This program aims to integrate and streamline work-based learning activities, providing a host of opportunities for young Philadelphians to kickstart their careers.

Set to launch this summer, C2L-PHL plans to place 8,000 young people, aged 12 to 24, in summer employment. The initiative also seeks to broaden opportunities for year-round work-based learning activities to an additional 2,000 young individuals.

This new initiative represents a significant advancement for Philadelphia’s youth workforce system. It reinforces the city’s commitment to offering high-quality, career-connected learning activities for its younger population.

C2L-PHL succeeds the WorkReady program, which, over the past decade, has provided thousands of Philadelphia youth with paid work experiences during the summer and school year.

Vanessa Garrett Harley, Director of the Office of Children and Families, sees the potential in C2L-PHL. “It will offer many of our young people their first experience in the workforce and will help them discover the many pathways they can take to build life-sustaining and thriving careers,” she said.

Jermaine Dawson, Ed.D., deputy superintendent of academic services for the School District of Philadelphia, underscored the importance of the initiative. “Providing our students with opportunities to gain valuable skills that prepare them to realize any future they desire is critical,” Dawson said. “This partnership signifies an important investment in our youth.”

H. Patrick Clancy, president and CEO at Philadelphia Works, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the importance of open communication, stakeholder involvement, and shared vision. “This collaboration signifies a turning point towards establishing a more streamlined, impactful, and equitable youth workforce system for the future of Philadelphia,” Clancy said.

JEVS Human Services (JEVS) has been selected to serve as the fiscal and contracting intermediary for C2L-PHL, supporting program operations, employer engagement, program oversight, and fiscal management.

The importance of this initiative cannot be overstated. By providing young Philadelphians with work experience and career-connected learning opportunities, C2L-PHL is investing in the city’s future workforce. This could result in a more skilled, diverse, and economically vibrant city.

Furthermore, by establishing a more streamlined and efficient system for youth workforce development, C2L-PHL could potentially serve as a model for other cities grappling with similar issues. This initiative shows how collaboration between key stakeholders can lead to innovative solutions that benefit an entire community.

In essence, C2L-PHL is about more than just summer jobs. It’s about empowering Philadelphia’s youth, strengthening the local economy, and shaping the future of the City of Brotherly Love.

C2L-PHL enrollment opens in Spring 2024. Youth and their caregivers should periodically check the website at phila.gov/c2lphl for updated information about the program.

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News.

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About Career Connected Learning PHL (C2L-PHL):
C2L-PHL is a city-wide collaboration for work-based learning and career exploration opportunities serving Philadelphia’s youth ages 12-24. From career awareness to job experience, these activities connect the reality of work to the learning environment. C2L-PHL is Philly’s version of career connected learning, a proven, nationwide model. Led by the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works, our approach has three goals for youth:

1. Access, experience, and explore different career paths and fields
2. Work on the tools and skills needed to explore, set, and achieve career goals
3. Identify and utilize strengths and passions to inform career decisions

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Philadelphia’s Youth Workforce System Reimagined

Posted on March 7, 2024May 21, 2024 by Stephanie Marchak

Career Connected Learning PHL (C2L-PHL) poised to transform Philadelphia’s workforce landscape, offering more varied and comprehensive opportunities for youth

PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia (the City), the School District of Philadelphia(the District), and Philadelphia Works (PhilaWorks) today announced they are aligning to better support the career development of Philadelphia’s youth. “Career Connected Learning PHL” (C2L-PHL) is a new city-wide youth workforce initiative that will integrate and streamline work-based learning activities, thereby broadening opportunities for Philadelphia youth to achieve career success.

Beginning this summer, the project will place 8,000 young people ages 12 to 24 in summer employment, and will expand opportunities for year-round work-based learning activities to 2,000 young people.

The initiative is a significant step forward for Philadelphia’s youth workforce system, reinforcing the city’s commitment to providing high-quality, career-connected learning activities for young people.

C2L-PHL replaces the WorkReady program which, during the past decade, placed thousands of Philadelphia youth in paid work experiences during the summer and school year.

Vanessa Garrett Harley, Director for the Office of Children and Families said, “C2L-PHL will offer many of our young people their first experience in the workforce and will help them discover the many pathways that they can take to build life-sustaining and thriving careers.”

“Providing our students with opportunities to gain valuable skills that prepare them to realize any future they desire is critical,” said Jermaine Dawson, Ed.D., deputy superintendent of academic services for the School District of Philadelphia. “This partnership signifies an important investment in our youth, one that we hope engages them in Philadelphia’s workforce and economy for generations to come.”

H. Patrick Clancy, president and CEO at Philadelphia Works, said, “We are deeply committed to fostering open communication, ensuring that all stakeholders are kept well-informed and involved in our shared vision. It is with great enthusiasm that we continue our partnership with the City, the District, and the exceptional organizations that are connected to C2L-PHL. This collaboration signifies a turning point towards establishing a more streamlined, impactful, and equitable youth workforce system for the future of Philadelphia.”

JEVS Human Services (JEVS) has been selected to serve as the fiscal and contracting intermediary for C2L-PHL. JEVS will support program operations, employer engagement, program oversight, and fiscal management.

The C2L-PHL partnership is committed to collaborating with stakeholders to support students and young adults to navigate the myriad of career opportunities available for them to grow, learn, earn, and stay in Philadelphia.

C2L-PHL enrollment opens in Spring 2024. Youth and their caregivers should periodically check the website at phila.gov/c2lphl for updated information about the program.

For questions about C2L-PHL, email: [email protected].

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Empoderando a la Juventud: Visita de Líderes Ecuatorianos para Aprender del Programa C2L-PHL

Career Connected Learning PHL (C2L-PHL) poised to transform Philadelphia’s workforce landscape, offering more varied and comprehensive opportunities for youth

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