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- Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) is a nonprofit workforce development organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. For over 40 years Y.O.U. has served teens and young adults ages 14-24 living in under-resourced areas in Northeast Ohio.
Purpose
Y.O.U.’s programs and services are focused on ensuring these individuals are ready to pursue a path to economic self-sufficiency through mentoring, employability skills training, industry-based credential training, career exploration, jobs, and internships.
Since its founding in 1982, approximately 160,000 teens and young adults have obtained a job or internship through Y.O.U., earning about $60 million in salaries and stipends.
Y.O.U. employment programs help nearly 5,000 teens and young adults annually, preparing them for career pathways through summer and year-round jobs, internships, and industry-specific credential training.
Y.O.U. school programs help hundreds of teens annually prepare for the workforce.
Since its founding in 1982, approximately 160,000 teens and young adults have obtained a job or internship through Y.O.U., earning about $60 million in salaries and stipends.
Y.O.U. employment programs help nearly 5,000 teens and young adults annually, preparing them for career pathways through summer and year-round jobs, internships, and industry-specific credential training.
Y.O.U. school programs help hundreds of teens annually prepare for the workforce.
Vision
A just and equitable community where every young person is ready and confidently pursuing a meaningful future.
Mission
To prepare teens and young adults to become economically self-sufficient contributors to building Northeast Ohio’s educated, skilled and inclusive workforce.
Additional Culture Details
As a non-profit organization, our mission is the primary motivator for our staff to come to work every day and perform at a high level. We ensure we are leaning into it by intentionally putting it at the center of our decision-making and day-to-day activities. We have a mission moment to kick off each board meeting to ground ourselves in purpose. We list the mission on internal documents, and whenever confronted with a decision, always use the guiding question: what is best for the youth we serve.
Our values are truly the centerpiece of our culture, and we live by the mantra that our values guide decisions and behavior. It is how we act when nobody is looking. These values resonate with our staff and, along with our mission, drives a culture that is positive, family-friendly and performance motivated.
We highlight a value each month at staff town hall meetings and rotate which staff discuss the value, what it means to them, and how it is addressing our work. We have a DEI Advisory Council that puts that value front and center. The Council meets monthly and provides internal accountability to make sure we are elevating our game with staff engagement and youth preparation. Tactics include monthly discussion sessions, a book club, and revision of HR and vendor policies.
Our values are truly the centerpiece of our culture, and we live by the mantra that our values guide decisions and behavior. It is how we act when nobody is looking. These values resonate with our staff and, along with our mission, drives a culture that is positive, family-friendly and performance motivated.
We highlight a value each month at staff town hall meetings and rotate which staff discuss the value, what it means to them, and how it is addressing our work. We have a DEI Advisory Council that puts that value front and center. The Council meets monthly and provides internal accountability to make sure we are elevating our game with staff engagement and youth preparation. Tactics include monthly discussion sessions, a book club, and revision of HR and vendor policies.
Values
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
- We welcome diversity, ensure everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and has equitable and inclusive access to resources and opportunities to realize their potential. We do so while working to reverse systemic racism and all forms of discrimination.