Workforce Development
Every program element grounded in positive youth development best practices also prepares youth for the future workplace. Employer sought-after adaptive skills align with the core individual skills strengthened in programming. Further, career exploration and readiness initiatives advance equity and opportunity for youth and these initiatives are adaptable to varied contexts. Quality workforce development programming demonstrably increase positive outcomes for youth participants.
A cornerstone of MYAN programming is the Gateway to Opportunity (G2O) initiative, a six-week workforce learning program designed to give young people paid opportunities to grow their career readiness skills while connecting Maine businesses and organizations to local talent. G2O Alumni Advisory Board expands the Gateway to Opportunity youth employment model through a collaborative youth-adult partnership approach program sustainability and visioning. Since the program’s launch in 2016, the model has been improved, expanded, and deepened with thoughtful and reflective feedback from the program’s core partners: youth workers, young adult leaders, and host site employers. Their insights have shaped program growth and improvements that have been invaluable to the program’s success.
The Gateway to Opportunity Program
Young Adult and Youth Opportunities to Work with G2O!
Are you looking for an awesome PAID 6-week summer job?
Gateway to Opportunity (G2O) is a way to connect with meaningful, fun, work-based projects at nonprofits, local government, or business agencies during the summer months. Working in a small team, you will be creating local community-based projects that center young people’s voices and expertise and enhance the work of the local organization that you are placed within!
Your placement organization is known as a “host site” where you will work and learn alongside a range of staff members and professionals. This project will support and contribute to the overall vision of your host site. You will receive meaningful and unique job training in this position along with weekly professional development opportunities learning about financial literacy, resume writing, interview skills, and more! There will be two types of positions available: team leaders and youth participants.
Team Leader
This position is open to undergraduate students or college-aged young adults (age 19-23) who will be responsible for providing near-peer mentorship and supervision to the teams of youth participants. They are hired as summer employees of Maine Youth Action Network and will participate in a multi-week professional development training prior to the program’s start, developing skills in coaching, facilitation, and leadership. Team leaders work closely with host site supervisors to create and oversee the planning and development of each project.
The Gateway to Opportunity Program (G2O) connects low-income young people (both in-school and out-of-school) with paid, work-based learning projects during the summer. These projects help youth participants develop the 21st Century Skills required for success in their future careers. The G2O program is a new approach to work-based learning that was developed by the Cutler Institute’s Youth & Community Engagement (YCE) team at the University of Southern Maine in partnership with local stakeholders and based on national best practices for youth employment. As the lead partner in the G2O initiative, MYAN is actively exploring new partnerships with Maine-based businesses, non-profits, and community organizations to expand this initiative statewide.
Below, learn how young people and adults can get involved and how your organization can become a host site!
Youth Participant
This position is open to incoming high school juniors and seniors, graduating seniors, and out-of-school youth who receive free or reduced lunch or other public assistance. Over six weeks, youth participants will work in small teams to imagine, design, and implement a community project related to their designated host site. Additionally, participants will attend weekly career workshops intended to grow career skills and prepare members for the workforce.
As a host site, you will support a team of young people for a 6-week collaborative project at your organization, investing in both local and emerging professionals for our incoming workforce. Previous Host Sites include Loon Echo Land Trust, The City of Portland, The City of South Portland, Healthy Acadia, The Opportunity Alliance, Partners for Prevention, Partners for Healthier Communities, and many more!
If you or your organization are interested in becoming involved in this innovative work-based learning program, please contact Program Manager Devon Mulligan at devon.mulligan@opportunityalliance.org