YOU Boston has offered two 10-week virtual career cohorts since January 2022. We have offered both winter and spring cohort opportunities; the winter cohorts ran from January to March, and Spring cohorts ran from April to May.  

Youth were placed into one of the six career cohorts including Senior Peer Leaders, Baking and Pastry Arts, Barista and Customer Service, Fashion Design and Retailing, Media Arts, and Job Search. 

Below are highlights from both our Winter and Spring cycles.

Senior Peer Leaders, Facilitated by Keia Williams

Under the direction of Keia Williams, the career cohort leader of the Senior Peer Leaders, youth have been working hard to develop their leadership & professionals skills. To facilitate team building skills, the Senior Peer Leaders were also able to go on field trips to places such as Break Out Games Escape Rooms and Super Charged.

 

Baking and Pastry Arts, Facilitated by Brian Reardon

Participants in the Baking and Pastry Arts Cohort were able to become baking experts as they learned new baking skills and techniques from home.

Barista and Customer Service, Facilitated by Kaleena Teoh

Youth in the Barista and Customer Service cohort learned the ins-and-outs of coffee making by using industry tools that helped them create their own masterpieces. Everyone was able to work together virtually to become experts in the art of coffee making and practice their customer service skills.

 

Fashion Design and Retailing, Facilitated by Jay Calderin

Participants in the Fashion Design and Retailing cohort focused on the history of fashion and different fashion sketching techniques. As they channeled their creativity in different ways, they were able to create outstanding pieces such as the ones below.

 

Media Arts, Facilitated by Nadine Sanchara

In the Media Arts cohort, participants learned about various forms of media and became pros at using Adobe & Canva.

Job Search, Facilitated by Malik Gomes

The job search cohort spent the season working on their resumes, interview prep, and applying to jobs throughout the Boston area. Six out of twelve participants in this cohort are now working in the private sector and making $15+ an hour! Participants also spent time being creative and discussing what they want for their own future and their community. Below are some of the projects they completed during their time

 

Want to spend your summer making money while learning new skills? Our 2022 Summer Jobs program begins on July 5th and is open to youth ages 14-24! Use our referral page here to submit your information, and a member of our team will be in touch soon.

If you would like to help provide more vital work experience like these to Boston young people, please visit our donation page today.