July was a breakthrough month for TeenForce. We had three huge accomplishments:
1. Established relationships with Goodwill of Silicon Valley and Peet's Coffee and Tea
2. Our youth worked over 3800 hours (up from 2882 in June)!
3. Our foster youth program leaped ahead with 11 new placements.
All of this adds up to confirm our original business concept: We can build a new type of jobs program that supports all youth and can be self-sustaining.
Thanks for your support. We have exciting plans to expand our client base and raise our profile throughout the county. Stay tuned!
Town of Los Gatos celebrates 125th Birthday! Join us at Bachman Park on August 10.
TeenForce and CASA are co-sponsoring the event at 6:00 pm on Friday, August 10. Food from La Esquina and music from a local band, featuring a TeenForce teen. Details in the flyer.
Visit TeenForce at the San Jose Jazz Festival on August 12.
We will have a booth in the Community Corner, sponsored by Applied Materials. Enjoy the Jazz and stop by and say hello.
TeenForce featured on Comcast Newsmakers segment
Check out this interview with TeenForce CEO John Hogan.
We launched a new relationship with Goodwill of Silicon Valley in July that will leverage the strengths of our two organizations for the benefit of current and former foster youth. Goodwill is an amazing organization with a core mission of supporting people with challenging barriers to employment ...and to improve their lives through services and social enterprise.
"We are very proud of the work we do at Goodwill." said CEO Mike Fox. "We feel we can do more to expand our services to youth, and TeenForce is an ideal partner to help with identifying, preparing and supporting foster youth as they seek to enter the workforce."
Nine youth started with Goodwill in July! Three are working in the central warehouse and six others are working in Goodwill stores near their homes. Goodwill is an ideal partner, as they have multiple work locations and entry level job types. In addition, the youth work with Vocational Counselors that will help them prepare for future success in the working world.
Something brewing at Peet's Coffee and Tea
July also marked the launch of a new relationship with Peet's Coffee and Tea. We are fortunate to be associated with this terrific company that has a long history of supporting the community. We are piloting a program with Peet's to create job opportunities for current and former foster youth. TeenForce helps identify youth and prepare them for the interviewing and hiring process. Peet's is able to recommend stores that are conveniently located for the youth and have openings that will fit with a school schedule.
Working together, we can place deserving and capable youth in a work environment that is set up for success. The youth learn customer service and retail skills that will prove valuable for years to come.
Skills Training News
We had 17 youth participate in three skills training events in July. Continuing our theme of connecting with great brands, our training partners were Trader Joe's, Best Buy and Facebook.
Trader Joe's has been a consistent partner, and the youth love the opportunity to get an inside look at a variety of grocery store jobs.
Best Buy supported us last year with a grant to help launch our training programs and extended that support by becoming a training partner. We had four youth learn retail and customer service skills last weekend and look to expand the program.
Facebook announced an internship program in conjunction with the Foundation for College Education, offering work experience to at risk students in the East Palo Alto area. TeenForce had the opportunity to offer a resume and cover letter seminar to these youth on the Facebook campus in July.
Imwalle Properties is a new client
Thanks to Imwalle Properties for jumping in to provide an opportunity! This four week scanning assignment is helping a foster youth save for her first car before heading off to college.
"We had been looking to digitize and store our paper files for some time," said CEO Don Imwalle. "The TeenForce program was a great way to get the job done and support our community at the same time."
Do you need a more convenient way to hire?
Let TeenForce find someone to help with office, retail, or restaurant assistance, odd jobs, tutoring, and more. Call us today!
408-827-3078
Around the Office: Our Current Status
TeenForce candidates:464
Teens employed/placed: 171
TeenForce clients:73
Teen hours worked:34,985(over $335,200 in wages paid to teens)
About Us
TeenForce is a self-sustaining non-profit organization that helps teens (ages 14 - 20) gain work experience. We provide work readiness training, skills development and job placement services. Our staffing agency model makes it convenient and cost-effective for employers to hire teens and generates revenue to support our activities.
Teens in our program gain confidence and skills, while improving adult/teen relationships. Teens become healthy, caring and responsible young adults who have important roles in the community.
We are located at 4525 Union Avenue in San Jose. We are open Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.
