Youth Options Unlimited Boston (YOU Boston) has been awarded a $630,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help young adults with criminal records and other employment barriers re-join their communities as productive citizens. With funding from the grant, YOU Boston will be able to provide 100 participants, ages 18-24, with support services and job training in the following fields:
- commercial driving
- culinary work
- information technology
- construction
- healthcare
- wastewater management
- office administration
The goal of the initiative is to place 70 percent of the young people into higher education, apprenticeship, or unsubsidized employment by 2021.
YOU Boston received the grant as part of the Compass Rose Collaborative, a re-entry project consisting of eight communities nationwide. Now in its second year, the Collaborative is led by FHI 360, an international nonprofit working to improve the health and well-being of people in the United States and around the world. FHI 360 provides Collaborative programs with staff training, remote learning events, and twice annual meetings to share best practices.