In 2013, the citywide average unemployment rate for youth 16 to 24 hit a whopping 23 percent, according to a 2016 Workforce Unified State Plan published by the DC Government.
Blacks in total didn’t fare much better with a citywide unemployment rate of 17 percent. In fact, from 2012 to 2013 they represented 83 percent those unemployed for six months or longer.
With these daunting numbers in mind, two longtime D.C. entrepreneurs, Tony Cord and Michel Daley, have offered a new pathway toward opportunity.
The two businessmen co-founded a workforce development company called Washington Opportunity Institute [WOI] to give back to their community by offering free technical and soft skills training to Ward 7 and 8 residents, including unemployed youth, seniors, veterans and returning citizens.
In mid-July in partnership with the DC Department of Employment Services [DOES] Youth Earn and Learn Program, WOI started an Entrepreneurship Academy for D.C.’s unemployed youth, 20 to 24 years, who want to start a business instead of seeking employment. The Academy is a nine-week program offering participants tools and resources to pitch their ideas, develop a business plan, form a legal and licensed entity, establish a banking relationship and join a business advocacy group.
In addition, the course includes weekly excursions for a cohort of 15 students, largely Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents, to co-working spaces and city offices, including the startup hubs 1776 and WeWork, government offices such as the DC Department of Small and Local Business and the offices of DC City Council members. WOI also provides a series of “lunch and learn” presentations to introduce students to local entrepreneurial luminaries for first-hand, practical advice and the opportunity to build relationships with mentors. Class participants will identify and develop business solutions to neighborhood problems, pitch the solutions internally and vote on the best solution to forward to city officials for consideration.
Students are rewarded for participating. Students receive a weekly stipend from the DOES Career Connections program in Northeast.
Several years ago, WOI became one of the first programming partners at the District’s R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center in Congress Heights, Southeast. WOI has implemented its Academy at the Center, which is on the East Campus of the former St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.
Daley describes the R.I.S.E. Center as a “neighborhood jewel.”
“The city should be commended for building the Center east of the river in Southeast Washington,” Daley said. “It provides Ward 8 residents and visitors with a top-notch facility for community meetings, and its conference rooms and computer lab offer an exceptional learning environment for our students.”
Sensing a clear demand beyond job-prep training and an opportunity to leverage their collective 60-plus years of experience and connections they gained as executives, entrepreneurs and board members, in 2015 Daley and Cord expanded WOI’s offerings to include consulting and communications, and became a DC Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) to solicit District government contracts.
“Although our company is evolving, our passion lies with helping these young people,” Cord said. “As entrepreneurs ourselves, we are excited about sharing what we have learned and to giving our students a conduit to financial security and leadership in their community. Hopefully, when they are successful, they will also reach back to help others.”
Founded in 2014, Washington Opportunity Institute, LLC is a Washington, D.C.-based CBE that provides training, consulting and communication services. Its goal is to grow businesses, assist entrepreneurs and prepare those who are unemployed or underemployed to enter or advance in the workforce.
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Source:
http://washingtoninformer.com/news/2016/aug/10/unemployed-youth-learn-entrepreneurial-skills/
