October 7, 2010

Quick History

• Retired after 25 year mortgage career• Next career to be more community

minded• Received MBA from SCU in late 2009• TeenForce plan developed as part of

SCU coursework• Launched March 2010 with $50K and

four teenage workers

Our Mission

TeenForce is a self-sustaining non-profit organization dedicated to creating positive employment relationships between teens (ages 13 – 20) and adults in specific communities, resulting in the development of healthy, caring and responsible youth.

Why? The Problems We Address

• Crisis in Teen Employment Trends

Crisis in Teen Employment Trends

June 2000 June 2001 June 2004 June 2006 June 2007 June 2008 June 2009 June 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

51.4

48.1

40.242.1

39.637.1

32.9

28.6

Trends in the employment ratios of Teens (16-19) in the U.S. (in %)

If ratio was 51.4% in 2010, then 3.9 million additional teens would be working this year.

Andrew Sum; Northeastern University

Why? The Problems We Address

• Teens Lack Developmental Assets

Helping Teens Build Assets

http://www.search-institute.org/research/assets/assetpower

More than 50% of youth have fewer than 20 of the 40 assets important for youth to thrive.

A positive job experience can help add 8+ assets.

Why? The Problems We Address

• Avoiding the “Race to Nowhere”

Avoid the “Race to Nowhere”

“Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.” www.racetonowhere.com

Teach students to be Career Ready: Academic Skills + Employability Skills + Technical Skills

Our Unique Solution

Local Focus, National Ambition

Like the YMCA or the ScoutsScalable and Replicable

Enable Communities: Everyone to hire just one

Teen

Alternative Staffing Organization50+ operated in U.SServing people with employment barriersTypically Non-ProfitDePaul Industries - $21M revenue Goodwill - $20M in revenue

Temporary Staffing Industry

$73 Billion in annual revenue2.8 million employees daily95% of U.S. businesses use

staffing companies

Why Our Solution is Better

• Market based. Relies on proven business models and works to be sustainable.

• Not government funded. Fast, flexible.

• Works with all teens. “Mainstreams” teens with barriers. No stigma to the program.

• Businesses pay for valuable service. Teens get paid. Self-regulating.

Core TeenForce Products

• Part-time and Temporary job placements for 8 – 12 hours per week. Local retail, office and restaurants. (4 months history)

• Training and certification programs for specific fields. Healthcare, Office Equipment, Retail, Food Safety (using Community Partners). Soft skills training – interviewing, customer service, resumes. (November roll-out)

• Summer Internship Program. Substantial career development opportunities. (Starts tonight)

Accomplishments to Date

• Built TeenForce in a Box – Software, database, operations

procedures, legal documentation, insurance, marketing

• First job placements in June 2010• Up to 39 teens put to work with 13 clients

for a total of 2725 paid work hours • Approved as non-profit on July 31• Established Teen Development

Coordinator position

Teen Development Coordinator

• Recent college grad joining the team to build out our “soft skills.” Los Gatos pedigree.

• Coaching the students who need extra help with job readiness skills.

• Building a team of “community trainers” who will teach teens specific skills such as office equipment, sales, food safety and customer service.

• Assist with internship program for the summer of 2011.

Growth Plan and Milestones

• Prove the model in Los Gatos– Get volume for sustainability (33%

there)– Implement effective internship program

• Replicate the model in low-to-moderate income community– Need scaling grant from foundation

• Replicate many times over based on community demand

Internship Program (finally!)

• Designed to develop robust, paid summer work opportunities that will help students select colleges, majors and/or careers.

• The purpose of these positions is to help teens “find and test their passion” for a particular career.

• Focus on “career ready” and not “race to nowhere.”

Define Internship• Meaningful learning experiences.

• Opportunities for professional development and achieving technical skills.

• Planned, structured and supervised experiences.

• Communication, teamwork, and leadership skills are tested and honed within an employment setting.

• Interns are supervised by professionals who routinely use a professional level of knowledge, skills, and judgment.

Not Part-Time Jobs

• Internship experiences differ from jobs primarily in the emphasis on learning and professional development.

• Generally not appropriate for an intern to be assigned to routine tasks (clerical work, data entry, telephone calling) for more than 20% of the time.

• It is often helpful to base an internship around a particular project (or projects) that have defined beginnings and endings with a resulting product (e.g. a report, research outcome, event, etc.).

TeenForce Internship Parameters

• 8 – 9 weeks. 30 – 35 hours per week.• Open to students finishing Junior, Senior year in

high school or freshman, sophomore year in college• Los Gatos / Monte Sereno residents• 30 positions. One-third to students with barriers.• Commute distance to Los Gatos• Wide variety of industry. Legal, accounting,

medical, construction, automotive, technology, marketing, etc.

• Spring training courses (required). Likely a competitive selection process, including employer interview.

Measurable Goals and Outcomes

• 30 internships provided to teens, 33% of whom have barriers to employment. All of whom earn $2700 and earn valuable experience and career insight.

• Creation of a sustainable program, measured by positive cash flow ($14,000) and a 67% renewal rate from employers.

• Program is documented such that it can be repeated in Los Gatos and replicated in a low-to-moderate income community (measured by implementing both in 2012).

Making it Happen

• Need a marketing team to find the internships • Seeking parents/community members to

commit to finding one or more by December 31, 2010– Internship information and materials for

employers are ready now– Need your help to put TeenForce

management in front of decision makers• We also need to expand the marketing team• Commitment and follow-up are key

Call to Action!

• Join the Internship Marketing Team – Commit!• Help us expand the marketing team. – Easy Help: Post on Facebook. Send an email.

Make a phone call. Tweet!– Hard Help: Host a small informational meeting

with friends. TeenForce will participate.• Donate to TeenForce. Checks are great and

there is a PayPal button on the website.• Stay informed. Sign up for our email

newsletter.

101 Church Street, Suite 19Los Gatos, CA 95030www.teenforce.org

408.827.3078