My Brother's Keeper Alliance
Juma Ventures
National Seed Community: Atlanta, GA
From the Streets to Stable Adulthood
Social Enterprise model | Corporate Workforce Development & Integration:
Juma has seen success with their stadium partnership from most major league sports leagues (NFL, MLB, MLS and the NBA). The partnerships give youth an opportunity for employment and earnings by working the concessions during games. Juma aims to provide professional services and well trained, reliable staff to concessionaire partners, becoming the solution to many business issues that are commonly seen in front line staffing. Juma has aided more than 7,200 youth since their inception through this program.
This is done with the intention of providing low income youth opportunities to earn an income, gain work experience, and help them work toward achieving their goals, whether it’s enrolling in post-secondary education and/or moving onto other more permanent job opportunities that can provide career advancement and family sustaining wages. Juma is currently in the process of replicating their stadium program with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Apart from their stadium program, Fedex Freight has been a constant partner for Juma’s hiring program in Atlanta. Incidentally, the connection with Fedex was made at an MBK Rising event in Oakland.
“So many things play a role in a young person’s life and our role is to be an agent in the theory of change. We approach partnership and collabs humbly, we are here for youth first. Also no work is small to come in the way of Juma achieving the goals, We are willing to play any role necessary for young black men and young men of color…We wish to create a network through which impact can be additive and not duplicative.”
Silver Linings: The Covid 2020 experience
With the pandemic throwing a curveball for all, Juma moved most of their training online. Juma’s sessions gave the enrolled youth ongoing opportunities for engagement. The trainings ranged across topics of social justice, key workforce readiness skills and also provided a space for the youth to process the reality they were facing. Juma also arranged for a panel of Black Entrepreneurs and financial capability workshops to provide instruction and mentorship during the pandemic.
“The results were pleasantly surprising, these sessions saw an average of 200-300 participants, great speakers and high engagement. This was definitely a silver lining for us.” Said Adriane Armstrong, CEO, Juma. At the end of the year, the engagement numbers spoke a similar story.
86% of their young population attended one of the virtual workshops which was a key local win.
92% of youth engaged with Juma weekly through the sessions.
97% said they would recommend the program to a friend.
Juma managed to disburse $430,000 in bonuses and stipends during covid to cover housing and food costs for youth and their families. In their most recent survey, 79% of the youth in the program in Atlanta credited Juma for getting their most recent job.
MBK Partnership & Juma’s Youth-Centered Approach
Juma Ventures, Atlanta, GA
Juma is a nationally recognized youth development organization focused on employment, education, financial capability, and career support services designed to help break the cycle of poverty by paving the way to work, education, and financial capability for youth across America. Juma is continuing to offer job and soft skills training virtually, and working to ensure young people still receive stipends for work they would have completed before the pandemic.
Donate