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Location: Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: February 25
Description
| Bookdrive coordinator | ||||
| Employer: | More Than Words | Function: | Bookdrive coordinator | |
| Job type: | Volunteer | Country: | United States | |
| Industry: | Non Profit, Children and Youth, Job Training and Workplace Issues, Social Enterprise and Economic Development | |||
| What Is More Than Words all about? More Than Words (MTW) is a non-profit social enterprise that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless or out of school, to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business and community space, youth develop leadership, employment skills and self confidence as they prepare for their transition to adulthood. Through real-world, hands-on job training and intensive transition planning for the future, youth equip themselves for success and self-sufficiency. The Model: More Than Words strength rests in the unique youth-centered, empowering model of the program. All of the leadership and employment training is embedded in the core operations of More Than Words including: Soft skills training- MTW youth are challenged to manage their schedule, be accountable for their choices and honor their commitments. Youth give and receive feedback on a daily basis to assess their punctuality, professionalism, efficiency and level of actively contributing and learning. Communication & Customer Service Training- Most youth begin unable to look people in the eye and within a few months are leading meetings and standing in front of a crowd at an open mic. Through real-world training youth learn to engage customers and become self-sufficient at handling customer transactions and managing the register. Youth learn to lead presentations, provide tours, facilitate team meetings, interview prospective youth and volunteers and serve as a trainers for new youth. Computer skills training- Youth experience ongoing computer skills training directly related to the authentic needs of the business, including tracking their evaluation scores and payroll in Microsoft Excel, creating PowerPoint presentations and designing flyers and online newsletters. Youth use an advanced inventory management system to manage the business and ship orders worldwide. Business skills training- Staff work with youth each day to take responsibility for thinking critically about how to prioritize tasks, analyze benchmarks, set goals, calculate revenue from book sales, learn about marketing and work as a team to complete projects. Goal and Transition Planning- Youth have a second equally important job called the YOU job which is very deliberate personal transition planning and case management to support youth to move on to meaningful jobs and college. Youth participate in weekly workshops and individual action meetings and attend shadow days and tours at other businesses. Youth receive ongoing support to address issues related to housing, health, and education. After transitioning from MTW, youth continue to receive regular support and guidance for a full year to ensure their continued success. Youth Outcomes: The typical trajectory for youth we serve is grim; sixty-seven percent of 18 year olds aging out of foster care have not passed the GED or obtained a high-school diploma. Sixty-one percent of youth aging out of the system have not had any job experience. In the face of these dismal statistics, MTW has had tremendous preliminary success: MTW is in touch with approximately 80% of youth after transitioning from MTW. Approximately 85% are currently working, in college or on track for successful transition from MTW. Alumni youth have transitioned to jobs at banks, hotels, hospitals and management positions in retail operations, along with numerous colleges. In quarterly surveys, the majority of youth (between 80-100% depending on the specific skill) have consistently indicated that they experienced improvements more than they ever thought possible or more than they could have at other jobs. What would I be doing? Coordinate a book drive at your workplace or in your community 1 time or work with us to develop an ongoing system for conducting bookdrives at corporations and community groups to help the youth build their inventory Ad provided by Idealist.org |
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