Public Relations
Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success (YESS)
We are pleased to announce that San Jose Evergreen Community College District was chosen by the Foundation of California Community Colleges to house the Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success (YESS) Program. SJECCD was chosen as one of eight districts statewide to house this new foster youth program. The Foundation revised the structure of its foster youth program, formerly named the Independent Living Program (ILP), to provide broader services to fewer districts. The Foundation was highly impressed with our colleges’ commitment to foster youth and our extensive partnerships throughout the community.
As a matter of fact, the foster youth population is very underrepresented in the college setting. Even fewer foster youth graduate. The YESS Program, under the Workforce Initiative Network (WIN) umbrella, is working with our on campus programs and off campus partners to ensure that we provide comprehensive services and a one stop shop to foster youth at our campuses to support their success. The YESS Program will have a Coordinator who works directly with the youth to ensure that we are addressing their particular needs and potential barriers. The EOP&S Counselors and Foster Youth Success Initiative Liaisons at each college will work closely with the youth and Coordinator to ensure that we provide a continuum of educational and financial aid services. As part of the grant, we will be providing around 80 hours of training on four areas: employment, education, financial literacy, and daily living skills each semester. The YESS Program will serve 50 foster youth in total on both campuses. The initial amount of the grant is $70,000.
Special thanks to Liz Tyrrell for her leadership and hard work in collaborating with our many partners to make this happen!