Obama Foundation and Urban Alliance launch Obama Youth Jobs Corps

New program will provide workforce readiness training to 10th and 11th grade students on Chicago’s South Side, preparing them for future employment and lifelong economic stability

Learn more about the program and the impact it's already having on students:

CHICAGO, IL – Today, the Obama Foundation and  Urban Alliance (Opens in a new tab), a national youth development nonprofit organization, launched the Obama Youth Jobs Corps (OYJC) to bring workforce readiness training to high school sophomores and juniors on Chicago’s South Side over the next five years. The program will help prepare youth from underserved communities for economic self-sufficiency and expanded opportunity. OYJC will also partner with businesses in Chicago to provide paid, professional internships to high school seniors, giving students the skills, experience, and exposure needed to succeed in a 21st century economy.

Beginning with a pilot group of students at Hyde Park Academy High School, Kenwood Academy High School, and Little Black Pearl Art & Design Academy, OYJC will provide five workforce readiness training sessions in the 10th grade year to lay the groundwork for professional development; weekly job skills training sessions in the 11th grade year, delving deeply into professional development, financial literacy, post-high-school planning, and increased exposure to the professional world; and 10-month, paid, professional internships in the 12th grade year through Urban Alliance’s flagship High School Internship Program, which combines work experience with job skills training, one-on-one mentoring, and comprehensive support services during and after the internship.

The program is expected to expand to additional schools for the 2018-2019 school year.

David Simas, CEO, The Obama Foundation, said: “Access to opportunities is the key to success for young people living on Chicago’s South Side. The Obama Foundation is about empowering the next generation of leaders to make change and that’s exactly what this new partnership with the Urban Alliance is all about. The Obama Youth Jobs Corps is one initiative that will help reduce barriers and open up more opportunities for young people in Chicago, and we’re excited to get started.”

“Urban Alliance’s mission to help underserved youth expand their idea of what is possible for their future and set them on a path to economic stability perfectly aligns with the Obama Foundation’s goal of equipping young leaders with the tools needed to create change in their lives and communities,” said Eshauna Smith, CEO of Urban Alliance. “We’re excited to partner with an organization focused on uplifting our youth to give more students the skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.”

“Hyatt is excited to expand its partnership with Urban Alliance in our hometown Chicago,” said Malaika Myers, Chief Human Resources Officer at Hyatt. “We are fortunate to be in an industry that can help close the opportunity gap, which is why nearly half of the Hyatt hotels around the world have relationships with organizations that support opportunity youth. Initiatives like the Obama Youth Jobs Corps allow us to make an impact and bring our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best – to life in our communities. We are also pleased that the Hyatt Hotels Foundation has committed to a multi-year donation to Urban Alliance.”

“Bank of America has supported Urban Alliance for more than a decade as part of our commitment to connect young people to pathways to success – investing more than $1 million in philanthropic funding and placing hundreds of interns in our financial centers, including right here in Chicago,” said Paul Lambert, Chicago Market President at Bank of America. “We recognize that programs like the Obama Youth Jobs Corps are critical to connect young adults to early work experience. As an employer, we view partnerships like this as a win-win, providing young people with an opportunity to build skills and develop a career while also meeting the needs of our communities and customers.”

With over 20 years of experience providing evidence-based workforce interventions to thousands of economically-disadvantaged students in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Northern Virginia, Urban Alliance has a proven track record of improving post-high school outcomes for underserved youth. A recent six-year randomized controlled trial found that completing the High School Internship Program had a statistically significant impact on young men attending college, mid-GPA students enrolling in four-year colleges, and students’ retention of professional soft skills.

In Chicago, over 80 percent of Urban Alliance alumni enroll in college, compared to 60 percent of Chicago Public Schools graduates. However, in recent years, Urban Alliance has recognized the need to connect with youth earlier in their high school careers as part of a broader strategy to prevent disengagement from successful career or college pathways among low-income students in Chicago’s most vulnerable communities.

The strength of Urban Alliance’s model rests in its partnerships. In addition to UA’s school partners on the South Side, the Pritzker Foundation, and long-time Urban Alliance job partners Bank of America and Hyatt are supporting the Obama Youth Jobs Corps launch as signature partners, deepening their commitment to creating more opportunity for underserved youth in the city.