Hilary Wong
| Hilary Wong |
Hilary Wong1
Joan Gluch1, Anthony Singleton2
1Division of Community Oral Health, Preventive & Restorative Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine; 2WorkReady, Educators for Education
Description
Educators for Education (E4E) is an organization dedicated to providing educational services, professional development opportunities, and social support to youth. This summer, E4E partnered with Community Intervention Center (CIC) to mentor adolescent black youth in their job readiness, health literacy, and life skills. E4E also worked with the WorkReady program to help youth secure jobs at various sites in Philadelphia.
Project Overview
Social circumstances, economic outcomes, and access to education are important social determinants of one’s health. There is a huge demand for support and resources for vulnerable communities of young people in Philadelphia so that they can gain work experience. Many of these youth are living without housing, in locations associated with gun violence, and without the necessary resources to meet work eligibility requirements. Poverty and unemployment have been associated with increased rates of chronic diseases in males while a safe educational environment has been correlated with reduced crime rates among disconnected youth. The goal of this community initiative was to: (1) Develop a six-week curriculum focused on job preparation, health knowledge, career skills, and life skills for juvenile adolescent black youth (2) Help WorkReady youth participants secure paid employment and develop a vision for their personal and professional goals (3) Develop meaningful relationships with Philadelphia youth at community sites
Outcome
Adolescent boys experienced personal and professional growth from the intentional mentorship in life skills, career goals, and health knowledge. Over the six weeks, they improved their communication skills during the workshops and learned to secure their first-ever paid work experience. Students completed the Vision Board project and planned out their short term and long term goals.