Work experience for the most at-risk
youth in Iowa (2015)
Program Development
Target: Youth with criminal backgrounds, 18-24
Challenge: How might we employ an artistic, creative lens to help young people to gain workforce skills?
Summary: Young people struggled to find and keep employment. They faced obstacles more than a negative background check– they also dealt with mental health, housing, and transportation.
Process:
Group discussions with existing constituents, industry interviews, synthesis of need
Ideation among staff
Proposal development
Business planning
Program execution, with testing and iteration as the program evolved
Program: We created StreetCred Studios, a screen printing studio social enterprise that hired young, court-involved people and gave them meaningful work experience. We worked on all of their obstacles so that they could go on to keeping a better paying job. In the first year, we were able to hire 9 young people, and sustain ourselves with grants (50%) and screen-printing income (50%).
Artifacts: