YOUTH OPPORTUNITY GRANT INITIATIVE

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YOUTH OPPORTUNITY GRANT INITIATIVE

• U.S. Department of Labor
• Employment and Training Administration

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YOUTH OPPORTUNITY GRANTINITIATIVE

• Youth Opportunity Grants
• Technical Assistance Conference
• June, 1999

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At the Department of Labor, We Have A Clear
Vision

• Vision
• All youth, particularly those out-of-school,
  acquire the necessary skills and work experience
  to successfully transition into adulthood,
  careers, and further education and training.

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Several Core Principles Underline An Effective
Youth StrategyBased on Research and Experience
Comprehensive Services
Caring Adults
Commitment to Excellence
Long-term follow-up

• Academic skill acquisition, with
  individualization of programs as appropriate,
  leading to a high-school diploma must be a
  priority
• Workplace connections must be created to ensure
  youth are placed in jobs, trained on jobs, and
  find support for continued employment
• Leadership development and soft skills should be
  a part of all programs
• Supportive services must be provided (e.g., child
  care, health care, transportation, emergency
  housing, counseling, etc)

• Each youth needs one adult that he/she can
  identify with
• Mentoring and other continuing adult influences
  in a youths life are critical

• There must be a commitment to high-quality
  services
• Most effective programs have commitment to
  excellence that engenders a corps spirit among
  all involved
• Local capacity and commitment are critical to
  program success and leveraging resources

• Each young adult should receive follow-up support
  for a sustained time after program completion

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Helping All Young Adults, Particularly Those
Out-of-School, Realize Their Full Potential is a
Critical Issue for the NationWe Have Based Our
Plan of Action on Research and Are Using Old Data
in New Ways
Despite rising economic prosperity for the nation
as a whole, many youth risk being left behind
The benefits of addressing the youth challenge
are widespread
The opportunity to act is now
There are 15 million out-of-school youth 70
have a high school diploma or less.(1) For all
races, less educated youth are less likely to
find employment and earn secure wages. African
Americans, Hispanics, and youth with disabilities
face particular challenges to finding work and
high wages. Disadvantaged youth are also more
likely to experience social problems (crime, drug
and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, fatherhood,
welfare dependency).
Communities Helps eliminate many of the ills of
our urban areas. Employers Gives American
businesses the workers they need to stay
competitive. Taxpayers Raises total tax
receipts and reduces government payouts and
social burdens. Currently, the average class of
dropouts cost America 88 billion per year in
lost earnings and 32 billion a year in the costs
of crime.
With the tightest labor market in 30 years, we
need to ensure that all Americans can be
productive members of our economy. Additionally,
with declining crime, drug use, and poverty
rates, the opportunity for truly striking at the
causes of many of these social ills is ripe.
(1) Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current
Population Survey, 1998
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Connecting the Dots...
Business Organizations e.g. Chambers
Public Housing Authorities
WIA Youth Programs
Apprenticeship Programs
YOUNG PEOPLE
Juvenile Justice
Schools
STW Local Partnerships
One-Stop
Post-Secondary -Community Colleges -4-years
Community Based Organizations
Libraries
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THE WORKFORCEINVESTMENT ACTOF 1998 (WIA)

• The Foundation for
• Youth Opportunity Grants

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Legislative History ofFederal Youth Programs

• 1962--Manpower Development Training Act
• 1964-- Economic Opportunity Act (Job Corps)
• 1973--Comprehensive Empl. Training Act
• 1982--Job Training Partnership Act
• 1994--School-to-Work Opportunities Act
• 1997--Welfare-to-Work Legislation
• 1998--Workforce Investment Act

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Youth Program Principles

• Provides a single funding stream for all local
• areas and additional resources for areas with
• high-poverty and unemployment
• Responsibility for design placed under guidance
• of local Youth Council
• Strong business involvement
• Moves from one-time short-term interventions
• to consolidated approach
• Features a broad array of Youth services.
• Performance accountability

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Program Activities Design

• Includes WIA Required Framework for Local Youth
  Programs
• Individual needs assessments
• Individual service strategies
• Preparations for post-secondary education and/or
  employment linkages between academic
  vocational learning connections to
  intermediaries
• Menu of Program Elements
• Access to information referrals

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Youth Services DeliveryFour Major Themes in the
Act
Improvements in Educational Attainment
Preparation for Success in Employment
?
?
?
Services to Help Youth Develop as Citizens
Leaders
Supports for Youth
?
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WIA Program Elements

• Leadership development opportunities activities
• Follow-Up Services
• Adult mentoring for at least 12 months
• (may occur both during after program
  participation)
• Comprehensive guidance counseling including
• drug alcohol abuse counseling also counseling
• referrals appropriate to individual youth needs
• Supportive services

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WIA Program Elements

• Paid unpaid work experiences, including
• internships job shadowing
• Tutoring, study skills training, instruction
• leading to secondary school completion including
• dropout prevention strategies
• Alternative secondary school offerings
• Occupational skill training
• Summer employment opportunities directly linked
• to academic occupational learning.

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New Program RequirementsOpportunities for Reform

• Leadership development and soft skills
• Follow-Up services
• Summer employment activities
• Requirements for providing services to
  Out-of-School Youth (OSY)

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Linking with One-Stop SystemsConnections with
Youth Program Facilities

• Coordination of youth activities
• Connections to the job market AND to employers
• Access to youth program information and services

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Youth CouncilsCentral to Implementation Success

• Develop a coordinated youth policy
• Strengthen linkages between existing local youth
  services
• Draw upon expertise of all related
  community/employer groups
• Bring a youth perspective to the table

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Youth Council Membership

• Members of the local board with youth expertise
• Youth services, including juvenile justice and
  local police department
• Parents of eligible youth
• Job Corps
• Public Housing Authority
• Former participants or representatives of
  organizations with youth expertise
• Appropriate others

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Roles/Responsibilities of the Youth Council

• Guide policy for youth in the local area
• Coordinate youth services
• Serve as a catalyst for engaging all youth
  service entities in policy development and design
  of a comprehensive local youth system
• Develop youth portion of local plan
• Recommend youth service providers to the Local
  Board
• Oversight responsibilities as determined by the
  Local Board

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Grant Application Requirements

• Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) was
  published in the Federal Register on June 2,
  1999
• Copy of the SGA on DOL-ETA Home Page at
  http//www.doleta.gov
• Closing September 30, 1999 at 4 pm EST
• Submit four (4) copies. ALL copies must have
  original signatures

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Government Requirements

• Technical proposal must be limited to 30 pages
• double-spaced
• single-sided
• with 1 inch margins
• Text type must be at least 12-point type
• Attachments may not exceed 10 pages

No Three Ring Binders!!!
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Section 1Financial Proposal

• Required Elements
• (1) Cover Sheet
• (2) Application for Federal Assistance, SF-424
• (3) Budget Information Form Budget Breakout
• (4) Executive Summary/Project
• (5) Letter from Governor
• (if applicable)

Applications that do not meet the
requirements set forth in the SGA will not
be considered
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Cover Sheet
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SF 424
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Budget Information Form
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Governors Letter
(Letter from the Governor designating your area
as eligible for award if you are not an EZ/EC)
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REMINDER

• Applications must be mailed/hand-delivered to
• U.S. Dept. of Labor
• Employment and Training Administration
• Division of Federal Assistance
• Attention Yvonne Harrell
• Reference SGA/DFA 99-015
• 200 Constitution Ave. NW Rm S-4203
• Washington, DC 20210
• Closing Date for receipt of applications is
• Sept. 30, 1999 by 4 pm EST

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Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative
VISION To help all youth, particularly
out-of-school youth, acquire the necessary
academic, technical, and workplace skills and
experience to transition into adulthood,
careers, and further education and training.
GOAL To create a youth
movement involving partnerships with
local education agencies, the private sector,
local colleges, community-based organizations
and foundations.
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Youth Opportunity Grants

• Available for 1 year and may be renewed for each
  of the 4 succeeding years
• Expects to award between 25 and 30 grants

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Eligibility Requirements
Designated federal EC/EZ communities
Eligible applicants include
In states without EC/EZs, Governors may
designate community(ies) as high poverty area(s)
In states with EC/EZ(s), Governors may
designate up to 2 additional eligible areas
In states with EZ/ECs, additional areas must
meet poverty criteria for EZ/ECs in Section 1392
(a)(4),(b) and (d) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986
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Available Funds for Urban Areas
Target areas 45,000 to 70,000, Grants up to 8
million
Target areas over 70,000, Grants up to 12
million
Target areas less than 45,000, Grants up to 5
million
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Available Funds for Rural Areas
Grants up to 5 million for target areas up to
30,000
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Targeting Eligible Participants
Youth, ages 14 to 21, in target communities
In-school AND out-of-of school youth. Largest
share of funds go towards serving out-of-school
youth
Focus on decreasing dropout rates and increasing
college enrollment of in-school youth
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Criteria for Urban Rural Awards

• I. Need in target community
• (no regular points but up to 10 bonus points)
• II. Project design service strategy
• (40 points)
• III. Management Accountability
• (20 points)

• IV. Sustainability, Public Sector Community
  Resources
• (15 points)
• V. Private Sector Involvement
• (15 points)
• VI. Dropout Prevention Plans
• (10 points)

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I. Target Project Area(up to 10 bonus points)

• Populations in 1990 Census
• Poverty rates indicated in 1990 Census
• Dropout rates of area high schools
• Estimate of the number of youth in the community
  based on 1990 Census
• Description of target area
• Map of the target community

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II. Core Principlesof an EffectiveYouth Strategy
Ensures Participation of Caring Adults
Provides Comprehensive Services to Youth
Professes a Commitment to Excellence
(40 points)
Instills in Youth Sense of Personal Responsibilit
y Accountability for Actions
Guarantees Long term Follow-up to all Youth
Participants
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II. Critical Components of Program Designs
Development of Youth Opportunity Community
Centers

• Centers should be tied to/co-located at the
  One-Stop Centers in target areas

• Center can be a satellite of a full One-Stop
  Center
• Youth receive a variety of training, employment,
  educational, vocational, career information
  services
• Discuss location of center, including anticipated
  renovations, costs, use of CDBG funds

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II. Critical Components of Program Designs
Core Staff of Youth Development Specialists

• Case Managers Job Developers
• conduct series of work activities including
• intake
• assessment
• intensive placement
• follow-up services

• Staff of 40-50
• placement retaining out-of-school youth in
  private sector jobs
• keep in-school youth from dropping out

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II. Critical Components of Program Designs
Core Staff of Youth Development Specialists

• 10 outreach workers to recruit youth into program

• Urban areas of 70,000 or more should have larger
  number of core staff

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II. Developing Community Linkages
Describe linkages with One-Stop Centers
local Job Corps Center
Describe vision of how the new system
will work as opposed to the old system
Explain how services under the Youth Opportunity
Grants will improve this system
Discuss current system for serving youth in
target community
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II. Addressing the Diverse Needs of Youth...

• Describe how your project would address the needs
  of the 3 case studies.

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III. Management Accountability(20 points)

• Explains
• Program Structure
• Staffing and plans for staff development
• Expected performance levels and program
  accountability
• Role of local WIBs and Youth Council
• Community Involvement

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Flow of Youth Services

• Description of program elements
• Ensure 10 program elements can be provided on a
  case-by-case assessment
• Discuss how activities affect different age
  groups, language proficiencies, ethnicities,
  culture, stages of development, and job readiness
  of individual youth

Follow-up services must be provided to all
youth!
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Program Staffing Staff Development

• Describe selection process for Project Director
  the qualifications for the position
• Indicate the number of youth assigned to each
  caseworker
• Indicate total number of Out-of-School Youth
  staff In-School Youth staff
• Discuss plans for staff recruitment, retention
  compensation

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Include

• Estimate of the Number of Employers
  Participants who will indicate satisfaction with
  program services based on pre post surveys

Department of Labor will implement performance
incentive systems for the best performing
sites to receive some increases in grant funds
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Role of Local WIBs Youth Councils

• Involvement accountability of the local WIB
  Youth Council
• Both boards share in the program success or
  failure
• Involvement of local elected officials

Local Boards take the lead in helping business
leaders see youth in the target community as a
positive resource and their future workforce
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Community Involvement

• Describe how Youth Councils will be used to
  involve the community served by the YOG funds
• DOL expects program sites to establish community
  advisory boards to participate in program
  planning oversight
• Discuss the role of the advisory board
• Describe how community residents families will
  get involved with the program include sports
  leagues, cultural activities, mentoring,
  community service, job shadowing, leadership
  development
• Discuss plans for the development of a Youth
  Council if one has not been established

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IV. Sustainability Public Sector Community
Resources(15 points)

• Leveraging Additional Resources
• Public Sector Commitments
• Program Sustainability

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A. Leveraging Additional Program Resources

• Describe how WIA adult youth formula funds will
  be leveraged to complement YOG funds
• Include, for example, having a One-Stop Center
  co-located with the Youth Opportunity Center
• Discuss role of public school, social service,
  juvenile justice, other local program services

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B. Public Sector Commitments

• Utilize Dept of Housing Urban Developments
  Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds
  to renovate Youth centers
• Federal collaborations with Dept. of Education,
  DHHS, Dept. of Agriculture, Juvenile Justice
  gang prevention programs

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B. Examples of Commitments

• List commitments for specific new activities in
  the target area. Public sector commitments can
  include

WIB uses adult funds WtW funds for job training
placement of 18-24 year olds will open up a
One-Stop in the target area
The city uses 500,000 in CDBG funds to build
Youth Opportunity Centers
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C. Program Sustainability

• Discuss how the project will be sustained
  after grant funds cease
• Include combination of federal, state, local
  public sector resources
• Discuss local non-profit resources that are to be
  utilized
• Build sustainment plans into program designs
  ongoing program operations
• Include service strategies involving use of state
  average daily attendance funds

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C. Program Sustainability

• Existing Out-of-School Youth Opportunity grantees
  should indicate how they intend to transition
  from current projects into larger initiatives
  funded under YOG

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V. Private Sector Involvement(15 points)

• Role of Private Sector
• Vocational Training Plans
• Alternative Private Sector Commitments for Rural
  States
• Commitments after Federal Funds Cease

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A. Role of Private Sector

• Employers job commitments
• StW work-based learning opportunities
• Representatives on local WIB PIC
• Role of major Corporate Partnerships/ Compacts in
  area Chamber of Commerce

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B. Vocational Training Opportunities

• Occupational Training Plans
• Involve employers in training design
• Describe the work with existing Job Corps other
  vocational schools

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C. Alternative Private Sector Commitments for
Rural Sites

• Rural sites can get full credit from
• Paid/unpaid internships
• Public non-profit sector jobs
• StW components
• Work-based learning opportunities class trips
• Students interest development in science
  technology careers

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D. Private Sector Commitments After Federal Funds
Cease...

• Develop consortium of major corporations
• Solicit corporate sponsorship
• Public/private partnerships w/ local foundations
  corporations
• Develop Adopt-A-High-School program
• Collaborate with Chamber of Commerce
• Small business owners serve as mentors
• Develop apprenticeship opportunities

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VI. Dropout Prevention Plans(10 points)

• Increase Graduation Rates of
  target high schools
• Increase College Enrollment Rates
• Utilize Resources for
• prevention efforts in target schools
• YOG funds complementary efforts
• YOG funds can be used to tutor youth ages 14
  up matching funds are needed to tutor younger
  youth

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Dropout Prevention Plans

• Resources
• Develop new dropout prevention efforts in target
  elementary, middle high schools
• Describe efforts paid for through grant new
  complementary efforts being proposed
• Distinguish between activities paid for by the
  grant those funded by other resources

YOG funds can be used for tutoring services for
youth ages 14 up other funds are needed for
tutoring services for younger youth
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Putting the Pieces Together...
How will the Board hold the staff accountable?
How will local elected officials provide
oversight direction?
How will the Board work with business leaders
to promote sustainment of the project after
grant funds cease?
What will be the relationship between the Board
the One-Stop Centers?
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Suggested Month-by-Month Proposal Development
Activities

• Month 1
• Identify lead organization
• Create steering committee
• Define local landscape
• youth population, current projected labor
  market, services available, successful providers
• Conduct initial community-wide meeting
• Hold Youth Focus groups
• Write initial draft proposal

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Suggested Month-by-Month Proposal Development
Activities

• Month 2
• Determine partners
• Coordinate services
• Draft MOUs

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Suggested Month-by-Month Proposal Development
Activities

• Month 3
• Complete second draft
• Submit for comments

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Suggested Month-by-Month Proposal Development
Activities

• Month 4
• Review comments
• Complete final draft
• Hold final community-wide meeting
• Finalize submit proposal

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Qs As

• A copy of the compiled Qs and As from all the
  technical assistance conferences will be made
  available on the website at
• www.doleta.gov
• If you do not have email access
• Call Karen Clark
• Office of Job Training Programs
• 202-219-6236 x 150
• or Christina Lo
• Office of Job Training Programs
• 202-219-5305 x 145

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For SGA Questions

• Fax to
• Ms. Yvonne Harrell
• Fax [phone]
• Please include name, phone , and point of contact

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Department of Labor Employment
TrainingAdministrationWebsite

• http//www.doleta.gov