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COMPASS Programs

COMPASS Training Program

COMPASS Training Program

The COMPASS Training Program (CTP) is one of David & Margaret's most unique programs, and one of few programs of its type in California. The CTP takes an individualized approach in supporting the employment and educational goals of the young adult participants. This customized approach allows for each youth to gain the skills they need to be self-sustaining adults, while encouraging them to explore their strengths and interests and apply them to employment and or higher education.

Our Employment and Education Specialist works individually with each young adult meeting them at their level, and providing them with internship placement, case management as well as employment exploration for direct hire opportunities.  Throughout the internship, participants are provided paid work experience,  1:1 support, and a curriculum of employment readiness classes tailored to address the needs and barriers inclusive to this population ensuring they are gaining skills that will allow them to not only gain but also retain employment. These courses range from how to make a good first impression, filling out an application, building a resume, and more. 

The CTP also emphasizes the importance of higher education and vocational training among young adults and offers academic case management and support. The participants are provided with information for local higher education institutes in the area as well as the programs and benefits they are eligible for. Student Strategy workshops are also provided where participants are given 1:1 assistance in the admissions process, FAFSA completion, college navigation, and as well as tours and guidance on qualifying support programs.  

This program provides a variety of opportunities.

  • Life skills
  • Assistance completing high school or GED
  • Industry overviews including career pathways
  • Overview of steps necessary to enroll in community college
  • Tutoring
  • Career mixers
  • Volunteering opportunities
  • Access to the education/employment specialist
  • Access to weekly case management
  • Linkage to childcare resources
  • Paid workplace internships in partnership with local businesses
  • Job-shadowing opportunities
  • And more

If you are a youth interested in the CTP or know of someone who would benefit from this program, please contact us at COMPASS@davidandmargaret.org.


David & Margaret Receives Ecolab Grant For Youth Workforce Training Program

David & Margaret Youth and Family Services in La Verne has received a $3,000 grant from the Ecolab Foundation, to promote self-sufficiency and employment for youth ages 18-24 in Los Angeles County who are leaving or transitioning out of foster care.

“Thousands of youth leave foster care at age 18 each year, and they are not prepared to be self-sufficient,” says Executive Director Charles Rich. “Many lack a place to live, a job, or a high school diploma. Our Youth Workforce Training Program (YWTP) participants gain work experience, soft skills, and industry-specific skills through supervised and paid on-the-job training placements with community partners, as well as in our on-campus retail store and café. Through these internships, the youth develop the necessary job skills to eventually work on their own, so they can achieve economic security and lasting independence.”

Through this grant, youth taking part in the YWTP will:

·         be enrolled in a pre-internship training program and receive a service plan based on their personal strengths and needs,

·         receive internship stipends and take part in financial literacy workshops, and

·         gain greater awareness of in-demand career fields by visiting local businesses and through guest speaker presentations.

About David & Margaret Youth and Family Services

Established in 1910, David & Margaret serves more than 1,400 clients annually through a comprehensive range of programs. In 2015, the Cedar Springs Apartment complex opened on the agency’s campus to provide increased housing and supportive services for youth transitioning out of foster care. In 2017, the Youth Workforce Training Center opened, featuring a store and café that are open to the public, to give transitional age youth valuable work and life skills experience. To learn more, contact Community Engagement Director Maggie Bohlman at (909) 596-5921, ext. 3246, or BohlmanM@DavidandMargaret.org, or visit the agency’s website at www.DavidandMargaret.org.

About the Ecolab Foundation

The Ecolab Foundation has donated nearly $101 million since its inception in 1986. It focuses on educational, cultural, environmental and community development programs that are good for business and good for society. Through its youth and education initiative, Ecolab focuses on program grants to non-profit partners who address education in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), college and career readiness, and early childhood programming. For more information, visit the foundation’s website at https://www.ecolab.com/about/corporate-responsibility.

 

Our Impact This Year

  • Youth & Families Served

    486

  • Youth Internship Hours

    625

  • Housing Provided

    44

© 2023 David & Margaret Youth and Family Services

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