2021 COMBAT Mid-Year Funding: $133,924.00

in Transition Zone, Inc. 's Own Words

Our purpose: To prepare youth for sustainable employment while in their teen years, through yearly engagement, even through high school graduation. They will experience regular guest speakers/mentors from various career paths, giving them a personal association of their career choice. The research indicates that a mentor in the youth’s field of interest can help reinforce the importance of remaining in school if the youth wants to succeed professionally.

Meaningful and affirming work and supportive working conditions provide hope, income security, social status, personal development, social relations, self-esteem, builds community and connections and serves to protect from numerous physical and psychological hazards important for long-term well-being, as well as alleviating crime.

Target Population: Our target population will be African American/minority youth, male and female between the ages of 13 and 17 years of age who live in the urban core of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

Service/Activities:  Our services and activities will consist of social/emotional learning skills.

Youth will learn more about themselves through self-assessment activities; understand their core values and goals; and they attend Conflict Resolution Workshops (through the Center for Conflict Resolution).  They’ll learn business and dining etiquette, basic workforce expectations and protocol, collaboration and team-building exercises.  There will be daily guest career speaker in several different areas:

• entrepreneurship
• engineering
• medicine
• architecture
• cooks/bakers
• caterers
• entertainment
• photography/videography
• poets
• fashion design
• writers/publishing
• accounting
• construction
• law
• finance
• just to name a few

Additional workforce preparation will include interviewing skills (role play activities), completing a job application, writing a basic resume, and selecting appropriate workplace attire.  Twenty (20) youth will attend training sessions four hours a day, Monday through Friday, June 1 – August 2.  Lunch will be served daily during those 53 days.  

The same 20 youth will attend Saturday sessions for  three hours, September 13, 2021 to June 30, 2022.  Students will receive continental breakfast every Saturday. 

Participating youth will receive a stipend of $8.00 per hour, on a bi-weekly basis.

Expected Outcomes:   Improved educational achievement, job sustainability, a clear understanding of workforce expectations and how to successfully achieve them. Studies of summer job programs in Chicago and New York City found that participation in a summer jobs program led to reductions in violent crime arrests, incarcerations and mortality, as well as improved academic outcomes, senses of hope and well-being.