2017 brooklynk year-end report final · 2017 final report rebecca gilgen executive director the...

BrookLynk Youth Employment Program

2017 FINAL REPORT Rebecca Gilgen Executive Director The Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth Ivan Lui Data and Quality Coordinator The Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth Luis Salado-Herrera BrookLynk Youth Employment Coordinator Jolene Rotich BrookLynk Youth Outreach Specialist September 29, 2017

BrookLynkFinalEvaluationReport 2

TableofContentsExecutiveSummary……………………………………………………………………………3Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….……7

Background……………………………………………………………………………………7ProgramDescription………………………………………………………………………7ProgramGoals………………………………………………………………………………..8ProjectDescription…………………………………………………………………………8ProjectGoals…………………………………………………………………………………...8ResearchFrameworkforBuildingPathwaystoCollege&Career………9

EvaluationPurpose………………………………………………………………...………….9CoreEvaluationQuestions…………………………………………………………………10EvaluationMethods……………………………………………………………………………10Results………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

YouthParticipation…………………………………………………………………………11 YouthOutreach…………………………………………………………………………12WorkReadinessTraining………………………………………………………..…14InternshipsandCheck-ins…………………………………………………………15YouthJobFair…………………………………………………………………………...15

CommunityParticipation………………………………………………………………..16QualityAssessment……………………………………………………………………….. 19YouthOutcomes……………………………………………………………………………..21

CareerSkills……………………………………………………………………………..22Finances………………………………………………………………………………… 23SocialNetworks……………………………………………………………………… 24InternCustomerSatisfaction…………………………………………………… 24Long-termOutcomes…………………………………………………………………27

BusinessOutcomes…………………………………………………………………………28CapacityBuilding……………………………………………………………………………30

DegreeofSupports……………………………………………………………………30ProgramCost……………………………………………………………………………32PoliticalWill…………………………………………………………………….…….…33

ProcessEvaluation…………………………………………………………………..….… 34ProgramDevelopment………………………………………………………..….…34Outreach…………………………………………………………………………….….…35WorkReadinessTraining……………………………………………………….…37Matching……………………………………………………………………………….…38YouthJobFair…………………………………………………………………………..40InterviewsandOnboarding………………………………………………………43Internships……………………………………………………………………………....45Check-insandEnrichmentOpportunities…………………………………. 47Celebration………………………………………………………………………………49Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………… 50

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………….51NextEvaluationQuestions…………………………………………………………….. 51RecommendationsforImprovingBrookLynk…………………………………. 52

FurtherInformation………………………………………………………………….……... 54Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………..……. 54


2017BrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramFinalReportExecutiveSummary

DATE: September29,2017TO: AllianceBoardofDirectorsSteeringCommittee BrookLynkFundingPartnersFROM: RebeccaGilgen–ExecutiveDirector

IvanLui–DataandQualityCoordinatorLuisSalado-Herrera–YouthEmploymentCoordinatorJoleneRotich–BrookLynkSpecialist

ExecutiveSummaryInNovemberof2014theBrooklynBridgeAllianceforYouthBoardofDirectorsapprovedthelaunchofa2-yearprojectwithtwogoals:1)CustomizetheMinneapolisSTEP-UPmodelforthecitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynParkand2)BuildcapacityamongsttheAlliancepartnerstosustainthisprogram.ThefollowingisacomprehensiveinternalevaluationofboththeBrookLynkprogramandcapacitybuildingeffortsfromthissecondyearofimplementation.DataindicatethatinYear3,continuedcustomizationoftheSTEP-UPprogrammodelhasbeensuccessfulandthatlocalcapacityforoperatingtheprogramattheCityofBrooklynParkandCityofBrooklynCenterhasbeenbuilt.Whatfollowsisasummaryofresultsfromthetwomajorgoalareas1)Programimplementationand2)Capacity-buildingactivities.ProgramResultsSummaryThesuccessofBrookLynkhingesonparticipationfromemployersandyouth.Inthethirdyeartheprogramwasclosetoreachingparticipationgoals.Additionaldataonprogramqualityandtheimpactonparticipantssuggestthatwhilethereareareasforprogramqualitytoimprove,bothemployersandyouthwerepositivelyimpacted.YouthParticipationBrookLynkservesyouth14-21wholiveorgotoschoolintheBrooklyns,haveatleastonebarriertoemployment,and/orareOpportunityYouth(outofmainstreamschoolorcountyinvolvedyouth).

• 529youthappliedforGetReady!WorkReadinessTraining• 189youthcompletedtheGetReady!training,whichisa39%increasefrom2015.• 104youthwerematchedtointernshipsand96begansummerinternship

opportunities.Thisyear’sgoalwas100.• 91youthcompletedtheentiresummerinternship(a95%completionrate).

92%ofsupervisorswouldparticipatein

BrookLynkagain

99%ofinternswouldrecommendBrookLynktoa

friend


CommunityParticipationTherewere14education,business,andcommunitypartnerswhoofferedinternshipsandsupervisors/employmentmentorsforyouth.BusinessPartners

• AllenPropertyServices,LLC• Amplifon,Inc.• BostonScientific• CumminsPowerGeneration• ToplineFederalCreditUnion

EducationPartners

• Anoka-HennepinAreaSchools• BrooklynCenterCommunity

Schools• HennepinTechnicalCollege• NorthHennepinCommunityCollege• OsseoAreaSchools• RobbinsdaleAreaSchools

CommunityPartners

• HennepinCountyo BrooklynParkLibraryo CenterofInnovationand

Excellenceo HumanServicesandPublic

HealthDepartmento PublicWorksDepartment

CommunityPartners(continued)

• CityofBrooklynParko CommunityDevelopment

Departmento CommunityEngagement

Departmento InformationTechnology

Departmento OperationsandMaintenance

Departmento PoliceDepartmento RecreationandParksDepartment,

YouthServices• CityofBrooklynCenter

o AdministrationandOfficeoftheClerk

o BuildingandCommunityStandardsDepartment

o BusinessandDevelopmentDepartment

o CommunityActivities,Recreation&Services

o FinanceDepartmento FireDepartmento PoliceDepartmento PublicWorksDepartment

QualityAssessmentTheYouthProgramQualityAssessment(PQA)®avalidatedyouthprogramqualityinternal-assessmentwascompletedduringoneoftheworkreadinesstrainings.Intheassessmentofthetraining,theprogramscoredhigheralldomainsduetochangesmadetothedesignanddelivery.InternshipswerealsoassessedusinganInternshipQualityAssessment,andscoresremainedhighinallofthedomains.YouthOutcomesParticipatingyouthgainedworkreadinessandsocial-emotionallearningskills,financialbenefits,andsocialconnections.Themajorityofyouthweresatisfiedwiththeirinternshipexperiences.

• 99%ofinternswouldrecommendBrookLynktoafriend• 86%ofinternsagreedthattheyreceivedenoughtrainingandsupportto

successfullycompletetheirinternships• 77%ofinternsstatedthattheirinternshiphelpedthemincreasethenumberof

professionalsintheirsocialnetwork


• InternsratedtheBrookLynkprogram4.3outof5(1beingpoor,5beingexcellent)

• Internsratedsupervisors4.5outof5(1beingpoor,5beingexcellent)

• 76%ofinternswereratedbytheirsupervisorsashavinggainedall14assessedcareerskills

• Themedianinternshipsalarywas$2400• Alumnifromtheyears2015and2016whoresponded

toourrequestforanupdateontheirlifesuccesswelearnedthat:

o 96%ofeligibleseniorsgraduatedo 88%ofthosethatgraduatedwillbeincollegeo 87%wereemployedthissummer

BusinessOutcomesEmployersweresatisfiedwiththeprogramandtheirintern(s).

• 92%ofsupervisorswouldliketoparticipateintheBrookLynkprogramagain• Over92%ofsupervisorsreportedthattheyweresatisfiedwiththesupportthey

receivedfromBrookLynk• 82%statedthattheirinternsweregoodmatchesfortheirorganizations• 81%ofsupervisorsreportedthattheirinternsmetorexceededtheirexpectations

ofjobresponsibilitiesandworkload• 68%ofsupervisorsrespondedthattheirinternswerethebestpartoftheir

internshipexperiencesCapacityBuildingResultsSummaryCapacitybuildingwasmeasuredbyidentifyingprogramcosts,assessingthedegreeofsuccessincustomizingMinneapolisSTEP-UPandidentifyingthesupportsBrookLynkwillneedtooperatelong-termembeddedwithinourcitypartnersorganizations.ResultsindicatethatthedegreeofsupportforBrookLynkishigh.BrookLynkimplementedtwokeychangestotheSTEP-UPmodelthathadapositiveeffectonprogramoutcomes1)Weeklyinterncheck-insand2)IntegratingMeasuresofHumanAchievement(MHA)asharedframeworkfor21stCenturyskill-building.DegreeofSupports

• Thedegreeofsupportfromemployerswashigh.Therewasincredibleinterestfromthebusinesscommunity:BrookLynkwasabletosecure106internships,whichis6overourgoalof100forYear3.

• Alliancefacilitatedahighdegreeofsupportfromcommunitypartners.Threedozenorganizationsprovided:

o In-kinddonations:useoffacilities,vanandbustransportation,andmarketingandprintingsupport

o Volunteers:financialliteracyandpublictransitworkshops,interviewsforthemockinterview,workreadinessandjobfairworkshoptrainers

o Funding:hiringaBrookLynkSpecialisttomanageReferralPartners,implementtheYouthJobFair,andlaunchanAlumniNetworkandJobBoard

“Sheprovidedneweyesandafreshperspective.Herquestionsledstaff

workingwithhertothinkinanewwayabouthowwedowhatwedo.”


ProgramCosts• Theprogramcostsnecessarytooperatetheprogramareprimarilyrelatedtostaff

whocoordinatetheprogramandstrategicoversight/dailymanagement.• Astheprogramdoubledinyouthserved,thebudgetalsoexpandedtohirea2ndFTE.• TheBrookLynkmulti-yearbudgethasbeencreatedandwasacriticalstepin

creatingthecooperationagreement.PoliticalWill

• ThecooperationagreementtotransitionBrookLynktotheCitiesin2018isanimportantindicationthatpoliticalwillishighamongourpartners,andthattheprimarygoalofbuildingcapacityhasbeenreached.

• TheAllianceprovidedaplaceforBrookLynktogrowthispoliticalwill.ThisismeasuredbythreeyearsofcontinuousaffirmationfromyouthandemployerswhoexpresscontinuedinterestandneedforBrookLynk.

ProgramCustomization

• BrookLynkdevelopedacustomizedlogicmodel,programprocessmapandacomprehensiveevaluationplanforeachyearoftheincubationprocess.

• TheReferralPartnerprogramwaslaunchedwithschoolandorganizationalpartnerstorecruitandsupportmorestudentsfromtargetpopulations.

• TheGetReady!WorkReadinessTrainingandSupervisorTrainingwerebothredesignedandimprovedthequalityandimpactofboth.

• Thematchingprocesswasscaledandcontinuedtobesuccessfulforover100internsmatchedtointernships.Nearly82%ofthesupervisorsagreedtheirinternwasagoodmatch.

• TheYouthJobFairdidnotmeetthegoalsofgettingyoungeryouthemployedattheevent.Itwillberedesignednextyeartobettermatchjobseekerswithlocaljobs.

• Theweeklycheck-ins,andcollegeandcareersitevisitswerecontinuedduringtheinternship.Throughtheseevents,internsreportedasenseofbelongingandmutualsupport,theopportunitytoshareandreflectontheirexperiences,discusssolutionstoproblemstheywerefacing,andworkonimprovingcareerskills.

SummaryResultsindicatesignificantprogresshasbeenmadeincustomizingSTEP-UPfortheBrooklynsandinbuildingcapacitytosustainBrookLynk,especiallyasevidencedbythetransitionoftheprogramtotheCitiesinJanuaryof2018.Thenextstepsinevaluatingthisprogramincludebetterunderstanding(1)whatspecificcharacteristicsofsupervisorsleadtoahigh-qualityinternship,(2)whatthebenefitsaretoemployersandtheyouthworkforce,and(3)thevalueofthisprogramtotheCitiesanditspartnersingrowingeconomicvitality.Finally,asBrookLynkentersitssecondyearofoperation,staffwillprioritizeandimplementsuggestionsforprogramimprovementidentifiedinthisevaluation.Theseimprovementsrangefrombuildingthecapacityofemployerstoimproveinternalprocessesandsupportsupervisors,tocreatingdeeperengagementwithschoolandcountypartners,tolaunchingtheAlumniNetworkandJobBoardtoredesigningtheYouthJobFair.


INTRODUCTIONBackgroundIn2014,theAlliancestaffwastaskedwithdevelopingayouthemploymentprogramformiddleandhighschoolagedyouthwholivedinorgotoschoolintheBrooklynsthatpreparesthemwithskills,ignitestheirmotivations,andcreatessocialconnectionstoemploymentandcollege.Thisprogramhasthreecomponents:21stcenturyskillbuilding,experientialemploymentopportunities,andlocalcoordination.Initsinauguralsummer,the2015BrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramhad234applicants,80youthcompletedworkreadinesstraining,and29internsininternshipswithemployers.Inyeartwo,the2016BrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramexpandedto399applicants,136completedtraining,and62interns.Thisyeartheprogramcontinuetoexpand.BrookLynkwasdesignedtoprovideopportunitiestoyouthwithbarrierstoemploymentand/orwereatriskofbecomingdisconnected:thoseexperiencinghomelessness,whowerenolongerenrolledinmainstreamhighschools,teenparents,andyouthinvolvedinthecountyfostercare,teenparentingorjuvenilecorrectionssystems.TheAllianceoperatedBrookLynkin2015and2016,andincollaborationwiththecitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynParkin2017.Thiswasanintentionalcollaborationtocreateasmoothtransitiontothecitiestotakeownershipoftheprogramsolelyin2018.Thisevaluationwillhelpanswerkeyquestionsaboutcapacitybuildingandprogramdevelopmenttofacilitatethattransition.ProgramDescriptionTheBrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramhasseveralmaincomponentsthatarealldeliveredwithapositiveyouthdevelopmentpractice:workreadinesstraining,ayouthjobfair,internships,andlocalcoordination.Youthparticipateinworkreadinesstraining,mockinterviews,andinternshippreparationtraining.Someofthosestudentsarethenmatchedwithalocalemployerandsupervisortoparticipateinapaidsummerinternshipprogram.Studentsattendregularcheck-in’storeflectandlearnabouttheirexperiences.Localcoordinationinvolvespromotionofthetrainings,recruitmentofbusinesses,continuousimprovementefforts,anddevelopingpartnershipswithinthecommunity.For2017thegoalsweresetat500youthapplyingfortraining,300attendingworkreadinesstraining,and100internships.TherewereseveraldifferencesforthisthirdyearofBrookLynkcomparedtothelastcoupleofyears.BrookLynklaunchedayouthjobfairinthespringtofollowcloselyaftertheBrookLynkGetReady!WorkReadinessTraining.ThiswouldallowyoungeryouthwhoareineligibleforBrookLynkinternships(onlyforyouthaged16-21)andyouthwhodonotchooseorarenotselectedforinternships,togettheirfirstjob.Thetargetinthefirstyearwastohave50businessesandorganizations,and500youthinattendance.Afull-timeprogramassistantwashiredtohelptheprogramcoordinator.AndanalumninetworkandonlinejobboardwillbedevelopedinFall2017.ThealumninetworkwillallowBrookLynktostayconnectedtoalumni,providesupportandresources(includingLinkedIn


networking)onyouth’spathwaytocollegeandcareer,andprovideemployerswithadiversetalentpool.Thealumninetworkwillalsocreateausergroupforthejobboardthatwillhelpyouthandbusinessestoconnect.Businesseswillbeabletoaddopenpositions,andyouthwillbeabletosearchavailablepositionsandconnecttojobswhenevertheychoosetoenterthejobmarket.Formoreinformation,pleaserefertotheYouthEmploymentProgramLogicModelandProcessMapintheAppendix.ProgramGoals

1. Short-termOutcomesa. Increaseinschoolpersistenceandcareerawarenessfortargetedyouthb. Increasedincome(wealthcreation)fortargetedyouthc. Increaseintargetedyouthwithworkreadinesstrainingandearlyinternship

experiences(STEM,IT,government,education,manufacturing,service,etc.)d. Increaseinamoreskilledanddiverseworkforcee. Increaseofnewjobsinthecommunity(jobcreation)

2. Long-termOutcomesa. Increasedopportunitiesforemploymentforyouthb. Increaseinyouthgraduatingfromhighschoolc. Increaseinyouthpursuingpost-secondaryeducationtosupportcareer

developmentProjectDescriptionTheBrooklynBridgeAllianceforYouthBoardauthorizedtheAlliancestafftoimplementathree-yearcapacitybuildingprojectthatwouldutilizebestpracticesandtechnicalassistancefromStep-UpinMinneapolistocreateaYouthEmploymentProgram,tobemanagedandfundedbytheAlliancein2015and2016,jointlymanagedandfundedin2017bytheAllianceandCitypartners,andbetransferredtocompletelytoCitypartnerstomanageandfundin2018.ProjectGoals1. CapacityBuildingProject

a. DeterminethedegreeofsupportfromtheprivatesectorandAlliancepartnerswhowillcontributekeyresourcestowardsimplementation.

b. DetermineexactcostsofthisprogramasimplementedintheBrooklynstodeterminefeasibilityfortheCitiesabsorbingtheprogram.

c. Understandtheresults,benefits,andvalue-addtotheCommunityandifthisisdirectionpolicymakersshouldsupport.

d. Alignlocalmunicipalitiesandcountyresources,bothpolicyandpractice,tosupportthiswork.

2. CustomizetheStep-UpmodeltotheBrooklynsa. Createaclearpathwaytocareerandcollegeandensuretheconnectionbetween

earlyemploymentexperiencesandeducation.b. Buildinternshipswithlocalbusinesses.c. Developpre-employmenttrainingandcoordinatealreadyexistingtrainings.


ResearchFrameworkforBuildingPathwaystoCollege&CareerOneofthegoalsoftheAllianceistoincreaseyoungpeople’spathwaystocollegeandcareer.Usingresearchaboutcollegeandcareerreadinessframeworks,includingthosefromtheEducationalPolicyImprovementCenter(EPIC)andMHALabs(MeansandMeasuresofHumanAchievement),theAlliancedevelopedaPathwaytoCollegeandCareerFramework.Inadditiontothetraditionalacademicbenchmarks(highschoolgraduation,ACT/SAT,collegeprerequisitecourses)ourframeworkincludes3additionalcomponents:

• 21stCenturySkillso PersonalMindseto PlanningforSuccesso SocialAwarenesso VerbalCommunicationo Collaborationo ProblemSolving

• CollegeTransitionalSkillso College-CareerAwarenesso ProceduralIssueso FinancialIssueso CollegeCulturalNormso AcademicSkills

• CareerSpecificTransitionSkillso Career-CollegeAwarenesso ProceduralIssueso WorkNavigationSkillso WorkplaceCulturalNorms

Theseconceptsarelearnedbestbyyoungpeopleusingbothclassroomandexperientiallearningopportunities(e.g.PostsecondaryEnrollmentOptions,internships).ThisframeworkwasusedtoinformthedesignanddevelopmentofBrookLynk.

EVALUATIONPURPOSEThepurposeofthisdocumentistoreportontheevaluationandmeasurementofvariouscomponentsoftheBrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgram.TheresultsofthisevaluationwillbedisseminatedtoAlliancemembersandfunderstoreportparticipationandoutcomeinformation,andsuccessofmodelingourprogramafterSTEP-UPMinneapolis.Theevaluationwillalsobeusedtoimprovetheprogramexperienceforstudents,employers,thecommunity,andstaff.Theevaluationwillemploybothformativeandsummativeevaluationmethodstoanswerthecoreevaluationquestionsinordertoinformtheongoingrefiningandimprovementoftheprogram,aswellasreviewlong-termprogressonmajorprogramgoalsandobjectives.Andfinally,theevaluationwillinformtheAlliance’seffortstohelpthetwocitiestakeownershipoftheprogramin2018.


Thegoalsoftheevaluationareto:• Tracknumber,participation,anddemographicsofyouthserved• Documentprogramactivitiesandprocesses• Establishtoolsandmethods,andcollectdataforprogramcontinuousquality

improvement• Measureprogram,youth,andcommunityoutcomesandimpacts

COREEVALUATIONQUESTIONSThecoreevaluationquestionsweredevelopedwithguidancefromAllianceExecutiveLeadershipTeam’sRecommendationsforYouthEmploymentProgramImplementationandfromstakeholderreportingrequirements.

• YouthParticipation:Didtargetedyouth(liveorattendschoolintheBrooklyns,underserved,withemploymentbarriers,OpportunityYouth)participateintheprogram?

• CommunityParticipation:Dideducation,business,andothercommunitypartnersparticipateintheprogram?

• QualityAssessment:Whatwasthelevelofqualityforourprogramservices?• YouthOutcomes:Inwhatwaysdidtheparticipatingyouthgainthenecessarywork

readinessskills,financialbenefits,andsocialconnectionsasanoutcomeoftheprogramtopreparethemforjobs?Weretheysatisfiedwiththeirinternshipexperiences?

• BusinessOutcomes:Wereemployerssatisfiedwiththeirexperienceswiththeprogramandtheinterns?

• CapacityBuilding:Whatarethedegreeofsupports,programcosts,andpoliticalwillnecessarytooperatethiscustomizedmodeleffectivelyandefficientlyfortheBrooklyns?

• ProcessEvaluation:WhatdidwedotocustomizetheMinneapolisSTEP-UPmodelfortheBrooklyns?Howwelldidthecustomizedprocesswork?

AndsincethisisthelastyearthattheAlliancewilloperateBrookLynktherearetwoadditionalquestionswewillbeanswering:

• Whatimprovementsandlessonslearnedoccurredinthe3yearsbetweenlaunchingBrookLynkandnow?

• Inwhatwayswilltheprogramevaluationchangenextyear?

EVALUATIONMETHODSThefollowingdatacollectionmethodsandassessmentswereusedduringevaluationofeachphaseoftheprogram.

• Applications:ApplicationsfromparticipantswillbeacceptedonlineviaSurveyMonkeyatthebeginningoftheprogramtocollectparticipationanddemographicdata.


• Attendance:AttendanceatGetReady!WorkReadinessTrainings,MockInterviews,InternshipPreparationTrainings,YouthJobFair,InternOrientation,SupervisorTraining,andCheck-Inswillbecollectedbyprogramstaff.

• WorkReadinessTrainingSurveyo YouthSurvey:Programevaluationswillbecompletedbystudentsonthe

trainingstocollectoutcomedataandprogramexperiencedataforqualityandprocessevaluation.

o TrainerSurvey:Programevaluationswillbecompletedbytrainerstocollectprogramexperiencedataforqualityandprocessevaluation.

• YouthJobFairSurveyso Asampleofyouthattendeeswillbesurveyedtocollectoutcomeand

programexperiencedata.o Allemployersandorganizationswillbesurveyedtocollectoutcomeand

programexperiencedata.• CommunityParticipation:BrookLynkparticipationdatabycommunitypartnerswill

becollectedbytheprogramstaff.• InternPerformanceReviews:Attheendoftheprogram,supervisorswillrateinterns

ontheMHALabsCompetenciesandtheresultswillbecollectedforuseinoutcomeevaluation.

• InternshipSurveys:o Internswillbeaskedtocompletesurveysattheendoftheprogramontheir

internshipstotrackoutputandoutcomedata,andprogramexperiencedataforqualityandprocessevaluation.

o Supervisorswillbeaskedtocompletesurveysattheendoftheprogramontheirinternshipstotrackoutputandoutcomedata,andprogramexperiencedataforqualityandprocessevaluation.

• YPQASelf-Assessment:AmodifiedYPQAassessmentwillbecompletedforinternshipsusingdatacollectedduringsitevisitsandinternshipsurveys.

• ProcessEvaluationQuestionnaire:TheprogramstaffwillbeaskedtoanswerprocessevaluationquestionsduringandontheentireBrooklynkProgram.

• CapacityBuildingQuestionnaire:Theprogramstaffwillbeaskedtocompleteacapacitybuildingevaluationquestionnaireonthedegreeofsupport,programcosts,andpoliticalwillnecessarytooperateBrookLynk.

RESULTSThefollowingsectiondetailstheresultsforeachcoreevaluationquestion.YouthParticipationDidtargetedyouth(youthwholiveorgotoschoolintheBrooklyns,withemploymentbarriers,and/orareCountyInvolved/OpportunityYouth)participateintheprogram?InthisthirdyearoftheBrookLynkprogram,529youthappliedtoparticipateintheGetReady!WorkReadinessTraining.Ninety-fourpercent(94%)werestudentsofcolorand39%werefromimmigrantfamilies.Onehundredeighty-nine(189)youthcompletedworkreadinesstraining.Allofthestudentshadaleastonebarriertoemploymentand/orwere


recruitedthroughourReferralPartnerandBrookLynkAmbassador(alumni)recruiters.BrookLynkhad96studentinternsthisyearanda95%completionrate.

“Ilikedhowmyinternshipwassortoflikeaboosterforme.IsaythisbecausewithoutthisopportunityIwouldn'thaveknownorhowIwouldwanttopursueacareerinthetechnologyfieldorifIevenwantedtogointothecareerinthefirstplace.WorkinginITmademerealizehowmanycareeropportunitiesthereareoutthere.”–BrookLynkIntern

_____________________________YouthOutreach

2015 2016 2017Applicants 234 399 529

BytheendofMarch,529youthappliedtoparticipateintheBrookLynkGetReady!WorkReadinessTraining,whichmetthe2017goal.Theyouthwhoappliedrepresentedatotalof33middle,juniorhigh,andhighschoolsintheNorthwestMetroArea,mostlyinBrooklynCenterandBrooklynPark.Otheroutputdataissummarizedbelow:

Grade 2015 2016 20178th 10% 3% 3%9th 20% 22% 15%10th 28% 27% 24%11th 22% 28% 30%12th 16% 18% 26%Graduated,nocollege 2% 1% 1%Notcurrentlyenrolledinschool 2% 1% 0%Race/Ethnicity 2015 2016 2017Asian 7% 24% 20%HispanicorLatino 6% 14% 10%BlackorAfricanAmerican 56% 45% 40%African 7% 23% 23%AmericanIndianorAlaskanNative 4% 3% 2%WhiteorEuropeanAmerican 13% 13% 8%Other 2% 1% 2%

Notes:Duetoanerrorintheapplicationprocess,applicantsfor2017wereunabletoselectmorethanonerace/ethnicityunlesstheywroteintheirselectionson“Other”.EstimatesfromtheAmericanCommunitySurvey(5-YearEstimates2010-2014)forRace/EthnicityfortheBrooklynsforYouthUnder18:Asian19%,Hispanic/Latino11%,African-American18%,African16%,Other7%,White29%.

CityofResidence 2015 2016 2017BrooklynPark 56% 50% 57%BrooklynCenter 36% 34% 32%Minneapolis 3% 6% 4%Other 5% 10% 7%


School 2015 2016 2017ParkCenterSeniorHigh 22% 25% 23%BrooklynCenterSecondary 17% 21% 19%OsseoSeniorHighSchool 3% 15% 17%ChamplinParkHighSchool 10% 16% 15%BrooklynCenterAcademy 9% 3% 4%RobbinsdaleCooperHighSchool 2% 4% 3%RobbinsdaleArmstrongHighSchool 0% 1% 3%GatewaytoCollege-HTC 5% 2% 3%Other 32% 14% 15%

Note:Inordertobeinvitedtothetraining,applicantshadtoliveorattendschoolintheBrooklyns.Outofthoseapplicants,35%livedorwenttoschoolinBrooklynCenterand65%livedorwenttoschoolBrooklynPark.Inordertocalculatethosepercentages,applicantswerefirstmatchedtotheircityofresidence.Iftheylivedinneithercity,thentheywerematchedtothecitywheretheyattendedschool.

BarrierstoEmployment 2015 2016 2017QualifyforFree/ReducedLunch 74% 85% 80%Immigrant(FamilyorYouth) 26% 46% 39%FirstinFamilytoAttendCollege 22% 22% 18%HaveanIEPorDisability 9% 15% 12%FirstinFamilytoGraduatefromHighSchool 12% 12% 9%DroppedoutofHighSchool 7% 1% 5%HomelessorHighlyMobile 6% 10% 5%EnglishLanguageLearner 5% 5% 5%JuvenileProbation 5% 3% 4%ParentingTeen 1% 1% 2%FosterCareSystemInvolvement 2% 1% 1%OpportunityYouth 17% 13% 17%

Thedemandfortheworkreadinesstrainingincreasedfromlastyearaccordingtothenumberofapplicants.Thepercentageof8thgradersremainedlowthisyearduetodecreasedoutreachtothatgradelevelsincethereisnotadevelopedinternshippathwayfortheyoungerstudentsatthistime.Therace/ethnicitydemographicsremainedsimilartothepreviousyear,againmirroringtheBrooklynspopulationwearetargeting.Thetoptwobarriersstudentsreportedwerequalificationforfreeorreducedlunch(81%),andimmigrantfamilies(39%)whomayhavelimitedexperienceinnavigatingnewworkcultures.Wehadincreasednumbersofopportunityyouth(disconnectedyouth)andcounty-involvedyouthreachedfrom2016.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Considernewstrategiestomeettheneedsofandattract(Opportunity)youthdisconnectedfromeducationalandcareerpathways,andcounty-involvedyouth.

• Revisitthegoalof30%ofyouthservedbeingOpportunityYouthandreframeitintermsofpercentageofOpportunityYouthintheBrooklynsserved.


Three-YearSummaryThenumberofapplicantsfortheGetReady!Trainingincreasedfrom234youthin2015to399youthin2016andfinally529youthin2017.Thepercentagesof9ththrough12thgradersshiftedmoretowardsthejuniorsandseniorsoverthethreeyears,andtheracialandethnicmake-upoftheapplicantsshowedthediversityrepresentedinourcommunities.ThepercentagesofstudentsfromthevariousschoolsaretobeexpectedconsideringthepopulationsofstudentslivingorgoingtoschoolintheBrooklynsateachlocation.Finally,youthwiththespecificbarrierstoemploymentwerereached,exceptforonegroup:theBrookLynkprogramdidnotreachthegoalofserving30%OpportunityYouth.WorkReadinessTraining 2015 2016 2017Numberofyouthinvitedtoworkreadinesstraining 200 334 430Numberofyouthwhocompletedworkreadinesstraining 80 136 189Retentionratefrominvitationtocompletion 48% 42% 44%Numberofyouthwhoattendedmockinterviews 55 84 116Numberofyouthwhoattendedtheinternshiptraining N/A* 68 102

*Internshiptrainingwasnewfor2016.Lessthan50%oftheyouthwhowereinvitedtothetrainingsattended,eventhoughBrookLynkstaffcontactedeachapplicantbyphonetheweekofthetrainings.AlhtoughBrookLynkdidincreasethenumberofyouthcompletingtrainingfromlastyearby40%,wedidnotreachourgoalof300students.Thisretentionratemaybeduetothefactthatitiseasytosignupfor,isfree,andthereisnopenaltyfornotshowingup.WehavelearnedfromourSTEP-UPpartnersthattheyhaveasimilarretentionrateforthissegment.Aftereachtrainingyouthwhodidnotshowupwerecontactedbyphoneinordertounderstandwhathadoccurredtocausethemtomisstheevent.Somestudentsinformedstaffthattheywerenotinterestedinattendinganymore.Themajorityofstudentsrespondedthatresponsibilitiesathomecameup,transportationtotheeventwasunavailablelastminute,orthattheyhadforgotten.Someofthestudentswhohadmissedthefirstweekendandwerecontactedafterwardswereabletorescheduletoattendthesecondweekend.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Scheduleadditionaltrainings,atalternativestimes.• Workwithschooldistrictstoofferworkreadinesstrainingduringschool-dayor

afterschoolprogramming,andinvestigateofferinghighschoolcredittotakingpart.Three-YearSummaryThenumberofyouthwhowereinvitedtoandcompletedworkreadinesstrainingincreasedeachyear.Similarly,thenumberofyouthparticipatinginthemockinterviewsandinternshippreparationtrainingalsoincreased.Theretentionrateremainedrelativelyconstantoverthe3yearsevenafterattemptstoincreaseitbyremindingyouththeweekoftrainingsviaemails,phonecalls,andtexts.


InternshipsandCheck-Ins

2015 2016 2017Numberofyouthwhoappliedforinternships 39 84 129Numberofinternshipopportunitiespledgedbyemployers 32 65 106Numberofyouthwhowerematchedwithinternships 29 65 104Numberofyouthwaitlisted 10 18 25Numberofyouthwhobeganinternships 29 62 96Numberofyouthwhocompletedinternships 25 58 91Completionrate 86% 94% 95%Percentageofyouthwithnopriorworkexperience 86% 64% 49%Numberofbuspassesprovided 6 24 22Averagepercentageofyouthwhoattendedeachcheck-in 58% 60% 62%Averagenumberofyouthwhoattendedcollege/companyvisits 9 18 23Thenumbersofyouthwhoapplied,internshipspledged,youthmatchedtointernships,youthwaitlisted,andyouthwhobeganinternshipsallincreasedfrom2016’sprogram.Ninety-one(91)internssuccessfullycompletedtheirinternshipfromthe96whostartedforacompletionpercentageof95%.Five(5)internsdidnotcompletetheirinternshipduetofamilychallenges,lifecircumstances,andtermination.Three-YearOutlookTheplannedincrementalgrowthwassuccessful.BrookLynkgrewfrom29internshipsin2015to62internshipsin2016and96thisyear.ThiswasmoreimpressivewiththefactthatBrookLynkmaintainedaveryhighcompletionratewhilestilltargetingyouthwithbarrierstoemployment.Thecompletionrateisstillveryhighandhasslightlyincreasedsince2015.Thepercentageofyouthwithnopriorworkexperiencehasbeendecreasingthepastthreeyears.ThismightbeduetothenumberofBrookLynkthisyearwhoparticipatedininternshipsagain(19%),orthattheprogramisattractingmoreyouththanbeforewhohavesomeworkexperience.Thepercentageofyouthwhoareattendingcheck-insisstillnear60%.ToincreaseBrookLynkmayneedtoconsidernewstrategies.Morestudentsareattendingthecollegeandcompanysitevisitsin2017thaninpreviousyears.YouthJobFair

2017Numberofyouthwhoattendedjobfair 159Numberofemployerswhoattendedjobfair 14Numberoforganizationsofferingservices 4Numberofyouthwhovisitedeachemployerbooth(range) 23to75Numberofapplicationsreceivedbyeachemployer(range) 0to50


NumberofinterviewsgivenduetoYouthJobFair(total) 11NumberofjoboffersgivenduetoYouthJobFair(total) 1

Aswithanylaunchofanynewprogramelement,severaliterationsareoftenrequiredtoaccomplishgoals.AlthoughBrookLynkaimedhigh,itfellshort.Initialgoalswere500youthattending(159attended)and50employers(18employersandorganizationsattended).AmorecompleteevaluationoftheeventisdetailedintheProcessEvaluationsectionbelow.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Ensuretherearejob,volunteer,andsummeropportunitiesfor14-15yearolds.• Considernewstrategiestorecruitmoreyouthandbusinessestoattend,andto

matchjobseekerstoemployerswithjobopeningsattheevent.

CommunityParticipationDideducation,business,andothercommunitypartnersparticipateintheprogram?Six(6)educationpartners,5businesspartners,and3communitypartners(18departments)offeredBrookLynkinternshipopportunities.ForthefirsttimesinceallAlliancemembersparticipatedinofferinginternships.OurAlliancemembersandcommunitypartnersprovidedin-kinddonationsformanyofourfacility,transportation,andmaterialneeds,andstafforanorganizationalpresenceatourevents.

“IlovedandreallyenjoyedtheworkIdidthissummer.Initially,whenIfirstreceivedtheemailaboutwhereIwouldbeworkingIwasquestioningitinregardstoifitwastherightmatchforme.Iwasn'tsureifitwaswhereIwantedtobe,butIendeduplovingitsomuch.IwasexposedtothingsIneverthoughtI'dseeandexperience.Ilearnedalotandlearnedthatthereisreallyaproblemoutthereinourcommunitiesinregardstohowthegovernmentworksandequityforourunderrepresentedcommunities.MyinternshipthissummerhelpedmefindsomethingI'mpassionateabout.”–BrookLynkintern

_____________________________

Alliancemembersandcommunitypartnersprovidedin-kinddonationsforfacility,transportation,andmaterialneeds,andstafforanorganizationalpresenceatourevents.FundingfortheprogramwasalsoprovidedbygrantsfromtheBremerFoundation,theUnitedWay,PohladFoundation,andHennepinCountyStateEquityfunds.Inadditiontotheinternships,BostonScientificandCumminsPowerGenerationprovidedtransportation(viaSafeTreeTransportation)totheirinternsintheArdenHillsandShoreviewlocations.

Specifically,ourcommunitypartnersprovidedthefollowingsupportsduringtheprogram:

GetReady!WorkReadinessTrainings,MockInterviews,andInternshipPreparationTraining:HennepinTechnicalCollegeprovidedthespaceforthetrainingsandtheYMCA


TwinCitiesprovidedoneofthetrainers.TheCityofBrooklynParkprovidedaroomattheCommunityActivityCenterforthemockinterviews.Representativesfrommanycommunitypartnersvolunteeredasinterviewers,includingToplineFederalCreditUnion,YellowTreeTheatre,Nilfisk,CumminsPowerGeneration,BostonScientific,theCityofBrooklynPark,theCityofBrooklynCenter,OsseoAreaSchools,Anoka-HennepinSchoolDistrict,HennepinCounty,theLionsClub,andtheRotaryClubofBrooklynPark.YouthJobFair:AgrantfromtheBremerFoundationfundedtheYouthJobFair.TheAlliancemembersprovidedstafftoparticipateintheplanningcommittee.NorthHennepinCommunityCollegeprovidedtheirfacilitiesfortheYouthJobFair.OsseoAreaSchoolsprovidedbustransportationandfoodandbeverages.Hy-Veeprovidedfinancialsupport.BrooklynParkRec-on-the-Gocametoproviderecreationactivitiesforyoungersiblings.Participatingemployersandorganizationsprovidingjobsandsupportsincluded:HennepinCounty,Anoka-HennepinSchools,MinnesotaUnitedFC,McDonald’s,UPS,Fed-Ex,theUSArmy,OsseoAreaSchools,theYMCATwinCities,MinnesotaDepartmentofEducationandEconomicDevelopment,JobCorps,EnglishRoseSuites,TreeTrust,BrooklynParkFireExplorers,HennepinTechnicalCollege,NorthHennepinCommunityCollege,BrooklynsYouthCouncil,andComunidadesLatinasUnidasServicio(CLUES).TheYMCATwinCitiesstaffedthecomputerlabtohelpstudentscreatearesumeandapplyforjobsonline.InternandParentOrientation:TheCityofBrooklynParkprovidedaroomattheCommunityActivityCenterfortheorientation.MetroTransitandFireflyCreditUnionledworkshopsonhowtotakepublictransportationandfinancialliteracy,respectively.SupervisorTraining:NorthHennepinCommunityCollegeprovidedtheirfacilitiesfortheSupervisorTraining.TheYMCATwinCitiesprovidedstafftohelptrainthesupervisors.Check-insandEnrichmentOpportunities:NorthHennepinCommunityCollegeprovidedtheirfacilitiesfortheweeklyinterncheck-ins.CollegevisitswerehostedbyConcordiaUniversityandtheUniversityofMinnesota,TwinCities.AcompanysitevisitwashostedbyGeneralMills.Internships:Thefollowing14employersprovidedinternshipopportunitiesthisyear(includingnumberofinternships):

EducationPartners

• Anoka-HennepinAreaSchools(5)• BrooklynCenterCommunitySchools(8)• HennepinTechnicalCollege(5)• NorthHennepinCommunityCollege(6)• OsseoAreaSchools(15)• RobbinsdaleAreaSchools(3)

BusinessPartners• AllenPropertyServices,LLC(2)• Amplifon,Inc.(2)• BostonScientific(8)• CumminsPowerGeneration(6)


• ToplineFederalCreditUnion(1)CommunityPartners

• CityofBrooklynCenter(17)o AdministrationandOfficeoftheClerko BuildingandCommunityStandardsDepartmento BusinessandDevelopmentDepartmento CommunityActivities,Recreation&Serviceso FinanceDepartmento FireDepartmento PoliceDepartmento PublicWorksDepartment

• CityofBrooklynPark(13)o CommunityDevelopmentDepartmento CommunityEngagementDepartmento InformationTechnologyDepartmento OperationsandMaintenanceDepartmento PoliceDepartmento RecreationandParksDepartment,YouthServices

• HennepinCounty(5)o BrooklynParkLibraryo CenterofInnovationandExcellenceo HumanServicesandPublicHealthDepartmento PublicWorksDepartment

Year-EndCelebration:NorthHennepinCommunityCollegeprovidedtheirfacilitiesforthecelebration.

SuggestionsforImprovement

• Createan“engagementladder”forcommunitypartnerstogetinvolvedwithincreasingprogressionofcommitment,e.g.donatingfinancialorin-kindsupport,participatinginatrainingorevent,providinginternships,orjoiningabusinessadvisory.

Three-YearSummaryIn2015,BrookLynkhad8partnersprovide29internships,andafewAlliancemembersandotherpartnerscontributedin-kinddonationsandstaffforthemockinterviews.In2016,therewere16partnersproviding62internships,andaboutadozenAlliancemembersandotherpartnerswhoparticipatedinmockinterviews,providingworkshopsandenrichmentopportunities,andin-kinddonations.Andin2017,therewere14partners(includingallofourAlliancemembers)providing96internships,and36organizationscontributedfundingandin-kinddonations,andparticipatedinBrookLynktrainingsandevents.BrookLynkhasgrowninthenumberandbreadthofpartnershipswithorganizationsinthecommunity.


QualityAssessmentWhatwasthelevelofqualityforourprogramservices?TheYouthProgramQualityAssessment(YPQA)®self-assessmentwascompletedduringoneoftheWorkReadinessTrainings.Significantchangesweremadetothedesignofthetrainingtoaddressthelowerscoresfrompreviousyears,andthescoresshoweddramaticimprovement.Theinternshipswereagainassessedthisyearusingamodifiedqualityassessment,andtheyscoredhighforqualityacrosstheboard.

“IlikehowIwasbeingchallengedbydoingthingsIusuallydon'tdo.I'velearnedhowtotalktostrangersandcomeoutofmycomfortzone.Ilikegoingtomeetingsandhearinghoweachsituationwillbesolvedandthebestpossiblesolution.SometimesIlikeputtingpaperworktogetheranddoingregistrationforpeopleeventhoughI'mnotgoodatit.Ilikerunningsmallerrands.Ilikegoingalongwithmyco-workerandseehowtheygiveatourtotheroom.Ilikeguidingwheretheroomsareandhavingsmallconversationswiththestaffsandpeople.”–BrookLynkintern

_____________________________TheYPQAisavalidatedinstrument(grades4-12)designedtomeasurethequalityofyouthprogramsandidentifystafftrainingneeds.TheYouthPQAevaluatedthequalityofyouthexperiencesasyouthattendworkshopsandclasses,completegroupprojects,andparticipateinmeetingsandregularprogramactivities.Domaincategoriesarebrokendownintoindividualscales,whicharerated1,3,or5(1beingthelowestand5beingthehighest).TheYPQASelf-AssessmentwascompletedduringthesecondweekendoftheGetReady!WorkReadinessTrainingsessions.Asummaryoftheresultscomparingtheassessmentontheworkreadinesstrainingsfromall3yearsispresentedbelow.

YOUTHPQASCORES2015

GetReady!Training

2016GetReady!Training

2017GetReady!Training

SafeEnvironment 4.7 4.7 4.8EmotionalSafety 5.0 5.0 5.0HealthyEnvironment 5.0 5.0 5.0EmergencyPreparedness 4.0 4.0 4.0AccommodatingEnvironment 5.0 5.0 5.0Nourishment 4.3 4.3 5.0

SupportiveEnvironment 3.4 4.1 4.8WarmWelcome 4.3 5.0 5.0SessionFlow 4.6 4.6 4.6ActiveEngagement 3.0 3.0 5.0Skill-Building 2.0 3.5 5.0Encouragement 3.7 4.3 4.3ReframingConflict 2.5 4.0 N/A


Interaction 2.7 2.5 4.4Belonging 4.0 4.0 4.5Collaboration 2.3 2.3 5.0Leadership 2.3 1.7 3.0AdultPartners 2.0 2.0 5.0

Engagement 1.8 1.8 4.0Planning 1.0 1.0 4.0Choice 1.0 2.0 4.0Reflection 3.5 2.5 4.0

ThebiggestimprovementswereintheInteractionandEngagementdomains.Thoseareasscoredlowestforthetraininginpreviousyears,consideringthelecture-styleclassesusedintheWorkReadinessTraining,andthelackofchoiceforyouth.BrookLynkstaffaddedthreenewaspectstothetrainingthisyear.First,studentsweregivenachoiceofthreetracks:beginner,intermediate,andadvanced.Thesetrackswerestructuredforstudentswithnopreviousworkexperience,studentswithsomeexposure,andstudentswithextensiveworkexperienceoralumnioftheinternshipprogram.Second,someoftheinternshipalumniwereaskedtoco-teachthetrainingwiththeadulttrainers.Thisofferedmoreopportunitiesfor(some)youthtoleadinpartnershipwithadults.Finally,innotingthatpreviousyears’trainingslackedofopportunitiesforyouthtoreflectontheirlearningaswellasanactivecomponentintheclass,staffspecificallyprovidedoptionsforhowtheycouldincorporatemorereflectionquestionsandactivities.SincetheinternshipsareacorepartofprogramtheevaluationteamcreatedanInternshipQualityAssessmentthatwasinformedbytheYouthPQA.OfthefourdomainsintheYouthPQAseveralwereassessedduringthesitevisitswhiletheremainingareaswereratedbysurveyinginternsattheendoftheirsummerexperience.

INTERNSHIPQUALITYASSESSMENTSCORES

2016Internships

2017Internships

SafeEnvironment 5.0 4.8EmotionalSafety 5.0 4.5HealthyEnvironment 5.0 5.0EmergencyPreparedness 5.0 4.4AccommodatingEnvironment 4.7 5.0Nourishment 5.0 5.0

SupportiveEnvironment 4.5 4.5WarmWelcome N/A 4.6SessionFlow 4.1 4.4ActiveEngagement 4.5 N/ASkill-Building 4.5 4.4Encouragement 4.6 4.6ReframingConflict N/A N/A

Interaction 4.6 4.6Belonging 4.6 4.4Collaboration 4.6 4.5


Leadership N/A N/AAdultPartners N/A 4.8

Engagement 4.3 4.3Planning 4.3 4.4Choice 3.9 4.3Reflection 4.6 4.2

Thescoreswereverysimilartothepreviousyear.Cautionshouldbeusedintryingtomakeanydirectcomparisonsbetweenyears,sincethemodifiedassessmentthisyearwastweakedtoaddslightlydifferentquestionstotrytoimproveonlastyearassessmenttool.SuggestionforImprovement

• Fine-tunethedifferenttracksofferedduringthetrainingtobetterfittheworkreadinessneedsofthestudentsattending.

• Continuetoimproveandvalidatetheprocessofassessingqualityintheinternshipexperiencesatemployerlocations.

Three-YearSummaryEachyear,theGetReady!WorkReadinessTraininghasbeenassessedandanactionplanhasbeenputintoplacetoimprovethequality(specificallywiththeInteractionandEngagementdomains),withhigherscoresthefollowingyears.Theinternshipmodifiedqualityassessmentwasaddedin2016,andhasbeenusefulinourunderstandingofwhataqualityinternshiplookslikeandhowtotrainsupervisorsaccordingly,butitvalidityisstillunclear.

YouthOutcomesInwhatwaysdidtheparticipatingyouthgainthenecessaryworkreadinessandsocial-emotionallearningskills,financialbenefits,andsocialconnectionsasanoutcomeoftheprogramtopreparethemforjobs?Weretheysatisfiedwiththeirinternshipexperiences?Attheendoftheinternship,76%ofinternswereratedbytheirsupervisorsashavinggainedall13workreadinessskillstheywereassessedon.Seventy-sixpercent(76%)ofsupervisorssaidtheywouldhiretheirinterniftheyhadajobopening.Themedianamountofnetsalaryearnedduringthesummerwas$2400.Seventy-sevenpercent(77%)ofinternsthoughtthattheinternshipshelpedthemincreasethenumberofprofessionalsintheirsocialnetwork.Onaverage,theinternsratedtheirinternshipexperiencea4.3outof5,andtheirsupervisorsa4.5outof5.Eighty-sixpercent(86%)oftheinternsagreedthattheyreceivedenoughtrainingandsupporttosuccessfullycompletetheirinternships,98%saidtheywouldparticipateinBrookLynkagainnextyear,and99%respondedthattheywouldrecommendBrookLynktoafriend.

“(Ilikedgettingtheopportunitytoexperience)helpingotherinternswiththeirjobslikecollectingattendance,doingsnacktable,helpingteachers,helpingstudents,respondingtocompanies,andorderingfoodonline.ItreallyhelpedmeexploremypossiblecareeroptionslikeIcanbeateacher,aleader,acompanyowner,andetc.Thisisbyfarthebestaspectsoftheinternship.AlsoIdoenjoythecompanyofotherinternsbecauseitreallyhelpedmebondwith


themandgetthingsdonequickerinateam.IdowishIcanhaveTHISexactinternshipnextyear.”–BrookLynkAmbassador

_____________________________CareerSkillsBrookLynkisusingtheMeasuresofHumanAchievement(http://mhalabs.org)asatooltogaugeworkreadiness.TheMHAframeworkisanexcellentframeworkthatgivesbothadultsandyouthsharedlanguageabout21stcenturyworkreadinessskills.Staffhaveinvestedsignificanttimetolearn,research,andintegrateMHAtoolsintoourprogramdesign.Thishashelpedtoensurethatsupervisorsprovidinginternshipsareusingastrengthsapproachforinternspersonalandskilldevelopment.TheMHALabs’HireabilitySkillsPerformanceReviewaskedthesupervisorsattheendoftheinternshipstoratetheirinterns’competencyin13basicskillsin5separateskillsetslistedbelow:

• ProfessionalAttitudeo Bringsenergyandenthusiasmtotheworkplaceo Takesresponsibilityforhisorheractionsanddoesnotblameotherso Stayscalm,clearheadedandunflappableunderstresso Graciouslyacceptscriticism

• TeamWorkEthico Activelylooksforadditionaltaskswhenownworkisdoneo Activelylooksforwaystohelpotherpeople

• ProblemSolvingo Unpacksproblemsintomanageablepartso Generatesmultiplepotentialsolutionstoproblemso Identifiesnewandmoreeffectivewaystosolveproblems

• TimeManagemento Managestimeanddoesnotprocrastinateo Getsworkdoneontimeo Arrivesontimeandisrarelyabsentwithoutcause

• VerbalCommunicationo Communicatesprofessionally

TheHireabilitySkillsframeworkincludesbasicworkreadinessskillsthatwillallowyoungpeopletogethiredandmaintainanentry-levelposition.InternswhoscoredStandard,Skilled,orExpertinaskillareaweredeemedcompetent.ThescoringoptionsbelowStandardareNovice(lowest)andEmerging.

NumberofMHALabsWorkCoreSkillsInternsRatedCompetentIn

%ofInternsRatedCompetentWithThoseNumberofSkills

2016 2017

Under10CareerSkills 8% 5%10-12CareerSkills 23% 18%13CareerSkills 70% 76%


Overall,76%ofinternsratedcompetentinall13outof13careerskillsbytheirsupervisors.Theinternsseemedtoagreewiththoseassessmentsas82%answeredMostlyTrueorCompletelyTruetothestatement“Myinternshipexperiencetaughtmevaluablecareerskills.”Relatedmeasuresofwhetherinternsarework-readyincludethreestatementsalsoonthePerformanceReviews(CompletelyTrueorMostlyTrue).

2016 2017 IfIhadajobopening,Iwouldhirethisperson 70% 76% Iwouldrecommendthispersontoacolleague,forasimilarposition 73% 82%

Iwouldseekoutthispersontobeonmynextproject 68% 73%

Three-YearReviewThepercentageofinternswhowereratedbytheirsupervisorstobecompetentinall13oftheCareerSkillsincreasedfrom2016to2017.Onepossibleexplanationfortheseimprovementswasimprovedtraining.Inboththeyouthandsupervisortrainings,therehasbeenincreasedtimespentonlearningabouttheMHALabsframeworkandhowtogaintherelevantskills.Andthenthisisrefreshedduringthecheck-insandinemailstosupervisorsduringthesummer.FinancesStudentsreportedtheirnetearningsaftertheirpaidinternshipsthissummer.

NetEarnings 2015 2016 2017NotSure 9% 7% 5%$0-$999 41% 16% 15%

$1000-$1999 50% 57% 20%$2000-$2999 0% 22% 25%$3000-$3999 0% 9% 25%$4000+ 0% 0% 11%

2015 2016 2017Mediannetearnings $1000 $1500 $2400Putmoneyinbankorcreditunionaccount 82% 84% 92%Hadpaychecksdepositedbydirectdeposit 64% 68% 72%

ThemediannetearningamountforBrookLynkinternsin2017was$2400(thisdoesnotincludeanytaxesorotherdeductions,orbenefitsoffered).Thisnumberissubstantiallyhigherthanpreviousyearsmostlylikelyforseveralreasons.Inthepast,wesurveyedinternsattheendofthesummertoaskthemtoself-reportthetotalamountearned,whichwesuspectwasunderreported.Thisyear,weaskedinternstoreporthowmanyweekstheyworked,howmanyhoursperweektheyaveraged,andwhattheirhourlysalarywas(whichwewereabletoconfirmwiththeemployers).Wethencalculatedforthemwhattheirtotalearningswere,whichisprobablymoreaccurate.Second,sinceseveralofourinternships


werefundedorsubsidizedviaaHennepinCountygrantwhichrequiredsalariestobe$15/hr.,thosesalarieswerehigherthantheywouldhavebeennormally.Lastly,althoughtheinternshipswereoriginallyintendedtobefor6-8weekslong,someorganizationshostedtheirinternsforupto10weeks,whichincreasedthehoursworked.Wealsosurveyedthestudentsabouttheirfinancialpracticesandfoundoutthat92%oftheinternsputtheirsavingsintoabankorcreditunionaccount,and72%hadtheirpaycheckssubmittedviadirectdeposit.Thesenumberswerehigherthanpreviousyears’.Three-YearReviewThemediannetearningamounthasincreasedoverthethreeyearsoftheprogram.Asexplainedabove,partofthismightbeduetomoreaccuratedatacollection,butinternsareearningmoreintheprogramnowthantheyhaveinpreviousyears.Alsomoreinternsaredepositingtheirpaychecksintoabankorcreditunionandareusingdirectdeposittodoso.SocialNetworksResearchshowsthathavingaccesstoprofessionalsocialnetworksincreasesthechancesoflandingajob.Manyofourinternshavelimitedprofessionalsocialnetworks.OneofBrookLynk’sgoalsthroughtheinternshipswastoincreasethenumberofprofessionalsintheyoungperson’snetwork.

2015 2016 2017Myinternshiphelpedmeincreasethenumberofprofessionalsinmysocialnetwork 96% 82% 77%

Seventy-sevenpercent(77%)ofinternsreported(CompletelytrueorMostlytrue)thattheinternshipshelpedthemincreasethenumberofprofessionalsintheirsocialnetwork.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Designadditionalprogramactivitiestoengageyouthindevelopingtheirsocialnetworks,e.g.theAlumniNetwork

Three-YearReviewThedatashowthatsocialnetworkdevelopmenthasdecreasedovertime.Staffreportthatotherprogramimprovementprioritieshaveneglectedtheimplementationofintentionalactivitiesthatwouldsupportthedevelopmentofsocialnetworks.InternCustomerSatisfaction 2015 2016 2017RatingforBrookLynkinternship(onascalefrom1to5) 4.4 4.3 4.3Ratingfortheirsupervisors(onascalefrom1to5) 4.4 4.5 4.5WouldparticipateinBrookLynkagain,ifpossible 86% 95% 98%WouldrecommendBrookLynktoafriend 100% 100% 99%ReceivedenoughsupportfromBrookLynkstaff 100% 95% 86%


WhenaskedabouthowtheywouldratetheirBrookLynkinternships,theinternssurveyedratedtheirexperiencesanaverageof4.3outof5.0.Ninety-eightpercent(98%)ofinternsreportedthattheywouldparticipateintheBrookLynkprogramagainifpossible.And99%ofinternssaidthattheywouldrecommendBrookLynktoafriend.WhenaskedaboutthesupporttheyreceivedfromBrookLynkstaff,86%ofrespondentsstatedthattheyreceivedenoughsupportduringtheinternship,13%answered“Somewhat”,and1%saidtheydidnotreceiveenoughsupport.Astheprogramhasscaledupinsizeeachyear,theamountofsupportthatinternsreceivefromstaffalsodecreased,althoughthisdidnotimpactcompletionrates.Suggestingthatwhilesupportmaybehelpfulitisnottheprimaryreasoninternscompletetheirsummerinternship.Internsratedtheirsupervisorsanaverageof4.5outof5.0(with1beingpoorand5beingexcellent).Theyalsoratedtheirsupervisorsinthesespecificareasbelow.

Mysupervisor:%ofInternsAnswering“MostlyTrue”

or“CompletelyTrue”2015 2016 2017*

Tookmeseriouslyandtreatedmefairly 78% 76% 90%MademefeeltheworkIdidwasimportanttotheorganization 65% 80% 76%

Askedforandlistenedtomyopinions 70% 71% 82%Gavemefeedbackonmyworkthathelpedmedobetter. 61% 67% 78%

Genuinelycaredaboutmeasaperson. 70% 73% 84%Introducedmetopeoplewhocanhelpmegrow 61% 62% 69%

IssomeoneIcantrust 83% 69% 80%Introducedmetonewideas,experiences,and/orplaces. 65% 69% 71%

Helpedmeseefuturepossibilitiesformyself. 52% 56% 75%

Helpedmesetandachievegoals. 44% 47% 64%*For2015and2016,internswereaskedtoratehowtruevariousstatementsabouttheirsupervisorswereona5-pointscale(NotTrue,ALittleTrue,SomewhatTrue,MostlyTrue,CompletelyTrue).For2017,itwaschangedtoa3-pointscaletobemoreconsistentwithourqualitymeasures(NotTrue,SomewhatTrue,MostlyTrue).Thepercentagesfrom2015and2016wereadjustedtobecomparedto2017results.BrookLynkwasselectedtoparticipateinaregionalfellowshipwithMHALabs.Stafffocusedtheirfellowshipdiscoveryprojectonlearningwhatimpactsupervisorswouldhaveonthequalityoftheinternshipexperience.TheSupervisorTrainingwasrevampedtobettersupporttheneedsofsupervisor’s.Newcontentwasdevelopedtoteachadultshowtoworkwithandrelatetohighschoolinterns,howtobeagoodsupervisor,andhowtoprovidefeedback.Datashowthatthereisarelationshipbetweenchangestothesupervisortrainingandincreasesinhowinternsratedtheirsupervisors.


BrookLynkstaffarefundamentallyinterestedintwoongoingresearchquestions:WhatmakesagoodsupervisorinaBrookLynkinternship?AndhowcanBrookLynkstaffsupportsupervisorstobepreparedtoofferhigh-qualityinternships?Higherresponseratesuponcompletionprovidedenoughdatatobeginuncoveringtheanswers.Someoftheinternshipqualityratingsweredisaggregatedbywhetherornottheintern’ssupervisorattendedtheSupervisorTrainingornot.(Ratingsareona5-pointscalewith1beingNotatAllTrueand5beingCompletelyTrue.)

AverageRating(SupervisorAttendedTraining)

AverageRating(SupervisorDidNotAttendTraining)

Ifeelasenseofbelongingtomyworkplace 4.5 4.0

IfeelthattheworkIdoisimportanttotheorganization 4.7 4.0

Thereisanappropriate(+/-)amountotimeforallofmywork 4.5 4.0

Mysupervisorengagesmeinanintentionalprocessofreflection 4.1 3.8

OverallSupervisorRating 4.5 4.3

OverallBrookLynkRating 4.4 4.1Seventy-threepercent(73%)ofinternshadsupervisorswhoattendedthetraining,27%didnotattendthetraining.Itseemsthatsupervisorsattendingtrainingincreasedtheinterns’ratingofthesupervisors,andalsoincreasedtheratingoftheinternshipexperienceingeneral.Atthispoint,nocorrelationcanbedrawnbutthisquestiondoesmeritmorestudy.Theaspectoftheinternshipsthatinternslikedthebestwastheworkenvironmentthattheyexperienced.Internslikedbeingapartofdoingmeaningfulwork(andbeingpaidforit).Theytalkedabouthowtheirinternshipshelpedpreparethemforthefutureworkincludingtheopportunitytolearnandpracticenewskills,networking,andbeingexposedtodifferentcareers.Internsalsobenefitedfromthenewrelationshipstheydevelopedwithco-workers,mentors,supervisors,andotherinterns.Manyoftheinternswhoworkedinschoolsettingslovedtointeractwiththechildrenundertheircare.Theaspectoftheinternshipsthatinternslikedtheleastwasnothavingenoughtodo.Otheraspectstheyreportedwerehavingtodoworktheydidn’tlikeorthoughtwasboring,havingtodopaperwork,workinginacubicle,havingtogetupearly,dealingwithunrulychildrenanddisagreeableco-workers,workingbythemselves,andspecificjobresponsibilitiestheydidn’tenjoy.Somestudentsweredisappointedthattheycouldnotworkmorehoursduringtheweekormoreweeksduringtheinternship.Anotherleastfavoriteaspectoftheprogramwasrelatedtocheck-insandenrichmentopportunities.Somestudentswerenotinterestedbeinginthecheck-insorhavingtotaketimeoffofworktogotothefieldtrips.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Considerwhatotherdatashouldbecollectedandanalyzedthatmayhelptounderstandthecharacteristicsofahigh-qualitysupervisor.


• Considertoanalyzeandstudythe2017datasettounderstandthecorrelationsbetweenqualityandsupervisortrainingandbehavior.

Three-YearReviewInterns’satisfactionwithBrookLynkhasalwaysbeenhigh,asindicatedbytheratingstheygivefortheprogramandsupervisors,andthefactthatcloseto100%wouldparticipateintheprogramagainandrecommendittotheirfriends.Therehasbeenaslightdecreaseinsatisfactionofsupportsfromprogramstaffandthelevelofsupervisionprovided.Whilesatisfactioninsomeaspectdecreased,itdidnotdecreaseoverallsatisfactionorcompletionrates.AstheprogramhasscaledBrookLynkhasfoundtherightmixofeffortstoensureyouthsuccess.Long-TermOutcomesEighty-three(83)internsparticipatedinthefirsttwoyearsoftheBrookLynkprogram.BrookLynkstaffreachedouttoallofthealumnitotracktheiracademicandjoboutcomesandwereabletofollow-upwith74ofthem.Theremaining9eitherdidnotrespondtoemailsandphonecalls,ortheircontactinformationwasout-of-date.Forthealumniwhoshouldhavegraduatedafter4yearsofhighschool,96%hadearnedtheirdiplomaorGED,and4%werecontinuingwithschool.Oftheremainingalumniwhoshouldstillbeinhighschool,all(100%)areinschoolforFall2017.TheaveragehighschoolgraduationrateforBrooklynshighschoolsin2016was85%,sothegraduationrateforBrookLynkalumni(96%)isexcellent,especiallyforourtargetedpopulationofyouthwhohavebarrierstopathwaystocollegeandcareer.Ofthe51studentswhohadgraduatedfromhighschoolorreceivedtheirGED,45(88%)wereattendingcollegeduringthe2017-2018schoolyear.Additionally,2studentswereenrolledinthePost-SecondaryEnrollmentOptions(PSEO)programtotakecollegeclasseswhilestillinhighschool.TheaveragecollegeenrollmentrateforBrooklynshighschoolsin2015was78%,sotheenrollmentrateforBrookLynkalumniwhograduatedhighschool(88%)ismuchhigher.Seventy-fivepercent(87%)ofthealumniwhowereinthelaborforcewereemployedthissummer.Twenty-twopercent(22%)ofalumniparticipatedinBrookLynkagainin2017.Ofthoseworking,55%workedsummerjobs,19%workedyear-roundfulltimejobs,17%workedpart-timeyear-roundjobs,and2%wereinschoolinternships.WhenaskedhowBrookLynkcouldcontinuetosupportthem,thealumniwantedtobekeptinformedaboutinternshipandjobopportunitiesavailablelocally,toreceivecontinuedsupportandguidancetheirpathwaystoacareer,andnetworkingevents.Notethatmanyofthealumniwhodidnotrespondtousorhadchangedtheircontactinformationwereopportunityyouth.Ifwehadincludedtheirdata,thereportedoutcomespotentiallywouldbedifferent.


SuggestionsforImprovement• Developandlaunchanalumninetworktokeepincontactwithalumniandprovide

ongoingsupportandnetworkingopportunities.• Developandlaunchajobboardprovideinformationaboutlocalinternshipandjob

opportunitiesforyouth.• Inthefuture,oncethereisalargeenoughsampleofyouthwhorespond,considera

morerigorousresearchdesigntocomparealumniwithyouthofsimilarbackgroundstodetermineifBrookLynkmadeadifferenceintheirlifeoutcomes.

BusinessOutcomesWereemployerssatisfiedwiththeirexperienceswiththeprogramandtheinterns?Ninety-twopercent(92%)ofsupervisorssaidthattheywouldliketoparticipateintheBrookLynkprogramagainnextyearwithanotherstudent.Over90%ofsupervisorsreportedthattheyweresatisfiedwiththesupporttheyreceivedfromBrookLynktobeeffectivesupervisorsfortheinterns.Inresponsetofeedbackwereceivedlastyearfromsupervisors,thisyearweinformedthemearlieroftheirmatchessotherewouldbeenoughtimeforthehiringandonboardingprocesses.Eighty-eightpercent(88%)saidtheyhadenoughtimethisyear.And85%believedthattheirinternsweregoodmatchesfortheirorganizations.

“Theinternshipprogramisagreatwayforareabusinessesandorganizationstocollaborateforthegoodofthecommunityandprovideyoungadultswiththeopportunitytolearnandnetworkwithprofessionals,andlearnabitaboutvariouseducationandcareeroptions.Theinternwasvaluabletoourorganizationasshefilledagapwhereweneededhelponvariousprojects,insightsgleamedfromthecapstoneproject(greataddition)andotherbeneficialfeedbackfromayoungadult’spointofview.”

_____________________________ 2015 2016 2017SupervisorTrainingwashelpful 70% 85% 89%Therewasenoughtimetoprepareforanintern N/A 88% 80%Receivedtherightsupportfromcompany/organization N/A N/A 79%ReceivedtherightsupportfromBrookLynk 90% 92% 92%Expectationsofinternshipmatchedwhathappened N/A 77% 81%Internwasagoodmatchformycompany/organization 85% 85% 82%WouldparticipateinBrookLynkagainnextyear 100% 92% 92%

Aboutaquarter(23%)ofthesupervisorssurveyeddidnotattendtheSupervisorTraining.Eighty-ninepercent(89%)ofthesupervisorsthatdidattendtheSupervisorTrainingthoughtitwashelpfulbecausetheylearnedhowtounderstand,setexpectations,andworkwithyouthasinterns,learnedaboutBrookLynkbasics,andpickeduptipsandtoolsonhow


tobebettersupervisorsthroughtheworkshops.Somesupervisorsthoughtthetrainingwastoobasicorrepeatedinformationtheywerealreadyfamiliarwithasanexperiencedmanager.Thepasttwoyears,manysupervisorsexpressedthattheywishedtheyhadmoretimetopreparefortheirinterns,mostlybecauseofHRhiringprocesses.Theapplication,training,andmatchingwascompletedearlierinordertoaccommodatethem.Weaskedsupervisorsiftheyhadenoughtimethisyearand80%respondedCompletelyTrueorMostlyTrue.Seventy-ninepercent(79%)ofthesupervisorsrespondedthattheyfelttheyreceivedtherightsupportfromtheircompanies/organizationstobeaneffectivesupervisor.Ninety-twopercent(92%)ofthesupervisorssaidthattheyfelttheyreceivedtherightsupportandresourcestobeeffectivesupervisorsfromBrookLynk.Whenaskedaboutsupervision,24%ofsupervisorsprovideddirectsupervision,10%delegatedthatresponsibilitytosomeoneelse,and66%respondedthatacombinationofthemselvesandothersprovidedsupervision.Whenaskedhowmuchhoursofsupervisionwereprovidedperweek,3%said0hours,16%said1-2hours,24%said3-4hours,10%said5-6hours,and47%said7+hours.Eighty-onepercent(81%)ofsupervisorssaidthattheirexpectationsofinternjobresponsibilitiesandworkloadmatchedorwereexceededbywhatactuallyhappened.Eighty-twopercent(82%)ofthesupervisorsansweredthatatleastoneoftheirinternswasagoodmatchfortheirorganizationsandpositions.Sixty-eightpercent(68%)ofsupervisorssaidthattheinternswerethebestpartoftheinternships.Supervisorssaidthatinternswerepreparedtoworkwithvaluableskillsandprofessionalattitudes,gainedvaluableworkexperience,madesignificantcontributionstothecompany,workedhard,andweregreattoworkwith.Alsomentionedby27%ofsupervisorswashowBrookLynkwasoverallwellorganized,matchedinternswell,andprovidedgoodsupportfromtheprogramcoordinator.Finally,7%ofsupervisorssaidthatthebestpartoftheinternshipforthemwashowmuchtheylearnedandbenefitedfrommentoringtheinterns.Whenaskedaboutproblemstheyfaced,30%ofsupervisorssaidthatthelevelofskillsthatthehighschoolinternshadwaslowerthantheyhadexpected.Seventeenpercent(17%)saidthattheircompanyororganization’sinternalpoliciesorproceduresneededtobeadjustedtobetteronboardorworkwithstudentinterns.Fifteenpercent(15%)wishedtheirinternswerewiththemforalongerperiod.Another13%reportedthattheydidn’thavethetimetheyhadhopedtoproperlysupervisetheintern.Afew(9%)supervisorsmentionedthathadproblemswiththeinternsnotbeingmotivatedorwithnotshowingupforwork.And9%wouldhavelikedbettercommunicationwithBrookLynk.SupervisorssuggestedthatweprovideassistancetotheircompaniesororganizationstoimprovetheirinternalstructuresorproceduresaroundhiringandworkingwithaBrookLynkintern.Supervisorswouldalsolikemoreassistancearoundtheinternshipitself(suchasthecapstoneproject,expectationsofmentors,toolstousewithinterns,etc.).Somesupervisorswouldliketobemoreinvolvedwithselectingtheirinterns.Providinginternswithmoretrainingaroundbasicofficeskills(Outlook,Excel,preparingformeetings,etc.)


wasanothersuggestion.Otherimprovementssuggestedincludeallowinglongerinternships,providingmoresupportsforinternswithspecialneeds,helpingtogetinternstorespondtofillingoutpaperworkanddrugscreeningduringtheonboardingphase,andsyncingcommunicationsbetweenBrookLynkandinternalcoordinators.Ninety-twopercent(92%)ofthesupervisorsrespondedthattheywouldliketoparticipateintheBrookLynkprogramnextyearwithanotherstudent.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Communicatetheimportanceofthesupervisor’srole(andtrainingaroundthat)increatingahigh-qualityinternshipexperience;sharethisevaluationwiththem.

• Increaseoptionsforsupervisorstoattendtraining.• Providetechnicalassistancetoemployerstoimprovetheirinternalprocessesfor

hiringyouthandforsupportingsupervisors.• Considerwaystoprovideinternswithmoretrainingaroundjobskillsemployers

need(Outlook,Excel,etc.)includingworkingwithschoolsandhaveemployersprovideOn-The-JobTraining.

Three-YearReviewThepercentageofsupervisorswhothoughttheSupervisorTrainingwasusefulhasincreasedinthe3years.ThehighlevelofsupportthatBrookLynkstaffhasofferedtosupervisors,settingtherightexpectationsforemployers,theperceptionthatinternmatcheshavebeengood,andcompaniesandorganizationswantingtoparticipateinBrookLynkagain,havenotchangedoverthatsametimeperiod.Wehavelearnedthatweneedtokeepmonitoringthetimingbetweenmatchingandthestartofinternshipstoallowforcompanies’andorganizations’internalhiringprocessesenoughtime,tohelpeachemployertoprovidetherightsupportsforsupervisors,andtoimprovethetrainingpotentialinternsreceivetomeettheneedsoftoday’sworkforce.

CapacityBuildingTheevaluationofcapacitybuildingisseparatedintothefollowingthreesections:degreeofsupports,programcostsandpoliticalwill.DegreeofSupportsWhatisthedegreeofsupportsnecessarytooperatethiscustomizedmodeleffectivelyandefficientlyfortheBrooklyns?Wedefinesupportstoincludeourinternshipbusiness(includingeducationalandcommunity)partners,ourAlliancepartnerswhoprovidedin-kinddonations,andorganizationspartneredwithtoimplementvariouscomponentsoftheBrookLynkprogram.Overallwefoundanincreasinglyhighlevelofsupporttooperate,customizeandmanagetheprogram.Therewasincreasedinterestfromourbusinesscommunityevidencedby106pledgedinternships,whichsurpassedthegoalof100forthisyear.FundingpartnersprovidedresourcesneededtohireaBrookLynkSpecialisttoassistinthecoordinatingmoreinternships.Alliancepartnersalsoshowedahighdegreeofsupportinprovidingresources


tosupportprogramoperations.ThecitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynParkhavetakentheleadinpreparingforthetransitionoftheprogramtotheirorganizations.Withallofthissupport,staffrecognizedthatstrongerpipelinesneedtobeestablishedbetweennon-profitsandpublicagencieswhodirectlyworkwithcounty-involvedyouth(CIY)inordertoconnectthoseyouthtoBrookLynkopportunities.

_____________________________Keyresourcesrequiredforimplementationarepledgedinternshippositions,andfundingthecoordinationwork.Therewasasignificantincreaseinpledgedinternshipsduetothreereasons.First,diligentworkoftheProgramCoordinatorandExecutiveDirectortoengagebusinesses.Second,fundingprovidedbytheHennepinCountyEquityGrantallowedforpartialsubsidiesforinternshipwages.Third,privatesectoremployershaveincreasedtheircommitment.Thereareseveralkeystakeholdersthatinvestincollaborativeworktodevelopandsupporttheprogram.TheBrookLynkSteeringCommitteemetmonthlyandprovidedoversightfortheprogram.Youthwereapartofafewofthesemeetingsandincludedinotherdecision-makingsessions.Programpartnersalsohaveprovidedsignificantin-kindresourcestosupportprogramoperations,whichincludephysicalspacefortrainings,check-ins,jobfair,andmeetings.Andmovingforward,thecitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynParkwillbemakingequalcontributionstothebasebudgetofBrookLynk.BrookLynkstaffhavealsobeenintentionalwithkeepingvariousstakeholdersengagedinthereporting,planninganddecision-makingprocess,forexample,thegroundworkthattheBBAhasdonewithfosteringanongoingrelationshipwithCumminsPowerSystemsandhavingsupportfromBostonScientifictopresenttoCityCouncil’sduringtheco-operationagreementnegotiationswaskey.KeyleadersfromthecitieshavebeendeeplyengagedincreatingacooperationagreementthatprovidesthelegalarrangementneededtotransitionBrookLynkintotheoperationsofthecities.TheirleadershiphasbeenengagedinthemanagementconversationswithcurrentBrookLynkstafftounderstandtheprogrammingelementsandhaveparticipatedinin-depthnegotiationsregardinghowtheprogramwillbemanagedandpaidfor.Staffreflectionsnotethatalthoughpartnershipstoreachcounty-involvedyouth(CIY)youthhaveimproved,wearestillunderourperformancegoalof30%ofyouthservedwillbeopportunityyouthorcountyinvolved.Movingforward,staffrecommendedstrongerpipelinestobeestablishedbetweenBrookLynkandnon-profitsandpublicagencieswhodirectlyworkwiththeseyouth.Additionalprofessionaldevelopmentmaybeneededforstaff,andforemployers,toeffectivelyengageandplacetheseyouthinsuccessfulinternshipandemploymentopportunities.Asonestaffstated,“Ifthisisnotanintentionalaspectofgrowth,itwilleasilybecomeapopulation‘toodifficult’fortheprogramtoeffectivelyserve.”AnotherchallengeinaccessingprivatesectorfundraisingsupporthasbeenthelimitationsinfundraisingcapacitywiththeExecutiveDirector.Moresupportisneededtothoroughlyleverageresourcesasasteptocreatingamoreefficientandeffectiveprocessforbringingresourcestotheprogram.


NextSteps• ContinuewiththeBrookLynkSteeringCommittee,andputenergyintoestablishinga

newadvisoryduringthetransition.• Establishstrongerpipelinestonon-profitsandpublicagencieswhodirectlyworkwith

county-involvedyouth(CIY),torecruitandsupportthemintheirBrookLynkinternship.• Determinehowtostrategicallybuildresourcescollaboratively.Staffidentifiedtheneed

todevelopacollaborativetimeline,expectations,andclarityregardingfundraising.• Explorehowtorecovercostsrelatedforcoordinationefforts.• CreateaBrookLynkoperationsmanualsothatthevariousprogrammingelements,

fundraisingstrategies,marketing/communicationsplans,andstrategicplanningofBrookLynkcanbeeffectivelycommunicatedandtaughttonewstaff/partners.

ProgramCostWhataretheprogramcostsnecessarytooperatethiscustomizedmodeleffectivelyandefficientlyfortheBrooklyns?Insummaryprogramscostsareprimarilyrelatedtostaffwhocoordinateandsupervisetheprogram.Thismodelisdesignedforonefulltimeemployeeforevery60youthmatched.Astheprogramnearlydoubledinyouthserved,thebudgetalsoexpandedtohirea2ndFTE.TheBrookLynkmulti-yearbudgethasbeencreatedandwasacriticalstepincreatingthecooperationagreement.

_____________________________Theexactcostsoftheprogramfluctuatedin2017.Withtheadditionofanewfull-timestaffmemberandasignificantincreaseinthenumberofinternsthatwereserved,thisyear’scostsweregreaterthaninyears’past.Costsarenotlikelytoexpandnextyearsincenosignificantprogramexpansionisplanned.TheBrookLynkmulti-yearbudgethasbeencreatedandwasacriticalstepindevelopingthecooperationagreement.Citypartnershaveagreedtosplitcoreprogramexpenses,aswellasjointlyfundraisefortheprogramwithsupportfromtheAlliance.ThecooperationagreementhadunanimouscitycouncilapprovalfrombothcitiesinAugustof2017.Withthisinagreementinplace,theprogramhasmadeasignificantstepforwardinlong-termfinancialsustainability.Asstaffreported,theexpansionoftheprogram,bothinthenumberofyouthservedandthetypesofservicesbeingoffered,mademanagingthedaytodayexpensesandthebudgetsetbytheboardchallenging.Programstabilitywillmakeitpossibleforstafftobettermanageresources,andmoreimportantly,makeiteasiertobuildpartnerships,in-kindcontribu-tions,anddonationsforvariousaspectsoftheprogram.(e.g.findingsponsorsfortheendofyeareventorbettermanagingexpensesfortraining).DatacollectionfortheBrookLynkevaluationhasundergoneathoroughautomationthankstosupportfromtheBremerFoundation.Theautomationoftheevaluationdatacollection


hasreducedcollectionandanalysistime.Thiswillsavecostsrelatedtoevaluationworkneededfornextyear.NextSteps

• Programcostsforstaffingaretopfundraisingpriority:thecitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynParkwillimplementthecooperationagreementandtherebyapprovethecityfundingtosupport40%oftheprogramcosts.

• TherewillbeseveralopportunitiesforreportingtoBremer,UnitedWayandothersthatshouldbeseenashighpriorityfundraisingopportunitiesthatbothmanagementandstaffshouldbeengagedin.

PoliticalWillWhatisthepoliticalwillnecessarytooperatethiscustomizedmodeleffectivelyandefficientlyfortheBrooklyns?PoliticalwillisdefinedasbuildingthedesireandinterestinoperatingtheBrookLynkprogram.Itincludesabroadbaseofstakeholderswhosupporttheprogramanddesiretoseeitsuccessful.Insummary,thecooperationagreementtotransitionBrookLynktotheCitiesin2018isanimportantindicationthatpoliticalwillishighamongourpartners.TheAllianceprovidedaplaceforBrookLynktogrowththatbuiltpoliticalwill,primarilythroughhighlightingthatbothyouthandemployersexpresscontinuedinterestandneedforBrookLynk.

_____________________________Staffnotethattheeffortsmadetoincludeabroadsetofstakeholdersindevelopingtheprogramhascreatedsharedownership.Overthelastyearstakeholdersweredirectlyorindirectlyinvolvedinthefollowingprocesses:

• CreatingtheBrookLynkmission,vision,andvalues• DesigningtheAlumniNetworkthroughparticipatoryprocesses• Automatingtheevaluation• Implementingaparticipatoryprocessfortheyouthledjobfair• CreatingagreatBrookLynkwebsite• CraftingformalMemorandumsofUnderstandingwithreferralpartners

Thecommunitysupportforthisprogramwasevidencedbythelettersofsupportprovidedfortheprogramtocitypolicymakers.TheselettersweregatheredbytheAlliancetosharewithcitycouncilmemberspriortoagreeingtothetransitionoftheprogram.Theselettersprovidedtestimonialsfrombusinesses,communityleaders,andyouthwhodescribedthepowerfulimpactBrookLynkhashadontheirlife.TheAlliance,asayouthdevelopmentintermediary,hasplayedakeyroleincreatingtheconditionsforthegrowthandexpansionoftheprogramwhilesupportedwithprogramdesignandsupportforstaffduringchange.RegionaleconomicconditionshavealsobuiltpoliticalwillforBrookLynk.Theincreasedregional,nationalattentionontheworkforceshortagehascreatedaneconomiccontext


whereeffortslikeBrookLynkarevaluable.ThecitiesofBrooklynParkandBrooklynCenterrecentlycompletedtheirstrategicplanswhichfocusonincreasingeconomicvitalityaswellasyouthengagement.Alsooutlinedintheseplansareeffortstostrengthenthelocalworkforceandbetterconnectresidentstolocalemployers.ThisalignmenthascreatedabroaderandveryimportantopportunityforBrookLynktocontributetothemissionforbothcities.Thecities’capacitytomanagethistypeofprogramhasdevelopedsignificantly.Therehasbeentremendousinvestmentfromleadershipinbothcitiestomeetbi-monthlytolearnthemanagementprocessandtobeapartofdecision-making.CityleadershiphasalsoincreasedtheirparticipationinregionalmeetingsrelatedtoBrookLynkandhasjoinedtheExecutiveDirectorinseveralmeetingswithfunders,includingtheUnitedWayandthePohladFoundation.TheHennepinTechnicalCollegestaffhasbeenamajorsupporttotheprogram,andisnowfullysustainedbyafederalPerkinsgrant.HennepinCountyhasamissionaroundyouthworkforcedevelopmentandthisyearprovidedtheEquityGranttosupportourwork.Thisyear,manyAlliancepartnershaveputBrookLynkinternshipsintheirbudgets.NextSteps

• ContinuetogrowtheBrookLynkprogramtorespondtocommunityneed.• Simplifytheevaluation.• Createauniqueandengagingrecruitmentpiecesforfunders,employers,andpolicy

makers.• Continuetogrowstrategicpartnerships.• Continuetoidentifyandengagenewstakeholders.

ProcessEvaluationWhatdidwedotocustomizetheMinneapolisSTEP-UPmodelfortheBrooklyns?Howwelldidthecustomizedprogramwork?ProgramDevelopmentMinneapolisSTEP-UPprovidedtheirlogicmodelandevaluationsoftheirprogram,whichhelpedBrookLynktorefineourownlogicmodelandcreateourownprocessmap.Acomprehensiveevaluationplanwascreatedtocollectandmeasureprogramoutputs,processes,quality,andoutcomes.

_____________________________TheBrooklynBridgeAllianceforYouthcustomizedtheSTEP-UPSummerJobsProgrammodelfromMinneapolisforthecommunitiesofBrooklynCenterandBrooklynPark.WithtechnicalassistancefromSTEP-UP,weconsideredtheirlogicmodelandevaluationsoftheirprogramtorefineourownlogicmodelandcreateourownprocessmap.Acomprehensiveevaluationplanwascreatedtocollectandmeasureprogramoutputs,processes,quality,andoutcomes.Allthreehavebeenupdatedforthe2017programandcanbefoundintheAppendix.


OutreachAnewoutreachstrategyfor2017,theReferralPartnerprogramrecruitedpointsofcontactsat8differenthighschoolsand5youth-servingorganizationstogetyouthtoapplytoBrookLynkandattendthetrainings.Thisyear’sapplicationwashostedonlinewithSurveyMonkey.Themobilefriendlywebsitemadeoutreacheasierasstaffcouldstudentsregisteronthespot.BrookLynkreacheditsgoalof500applicantstotheprogram.

_____________________________Anewoutreachstrategyfor2017wastheReferralPartnerprogram.BrookLynkstaffrecruitedcontactsat8highschoolswithBrooklynsstudents(BrooklynCenterAcademy,BrooklynCenterSecondary,ChamplinParkHighSchool,OsseoAreaLearningCenter,OsseoSeniorHigh,ParkCenterHighSchool,RobbinsdaleArmstrongHighSchool,andHTCGatewaytoCollege)and5otheryouth-servingorganizations(YMCA,MNWorkforceCenter,AvenuesforHomelessYouth,BrooklynParkZanewoodCommunityCenter,andHennepinCountyJuvenileProbationandExtendedFosterCareServices).MemorandumsofunderstandingwerecreatedbetweenBrookLynkandtheseorganizationstosetgoalsforrecruitment,outreachstrategies,andschedules.Atotalof16BrookLynkAmbassadors(alumni)activelyreachoutattheirownschoolsalsohelpedwithrecruitingefforts.

SchoolReferralPartnersReferralPartnerGoals

Applicant TrainingCompletion

InternshipPlacement

BrooklynCenterAcademy 15 10 6BrooklynCenterSecondary 105 105 16ChamplinParkHighSchool 100 70 16OsseoAreaLearningCenter N/A N/A 3OsseoSeniorHigh 70 35 10ParkCenterHighSchool 125 100 35RobbinsdaleArmstrongHighSchool N/A N/A 3HTCGatewaytoCollege 10 5 3Total 425 325 89TheReferralPartnerswerekeyinhelpingBrookLynkreachthe500applicantsaimedfor.Eachreferralpartnershiphelpedtoinformandmarkettopotentialyouthparticipantsindifferentways.Schoolpartnersallowedstafftouseinternalcommunicationsuchasnewsletters,Schoology(anonlinelearningmanagementsystem),andotheronlineplatformstomarketBrookLynk.Staffwereablecomeoncampusanduseschoolfacilitiestohostinformationalsessionsandtableduringschoolevents,whichoftenresultedinhighernumbersofapplicantsduringthosetimes.Rightbeforethetrainings,thereferralpartnerswouldhelpsetupfollow-upsessionswithBrookLynkstaffandapplicantstoansweranyquestionsandasanotherremindertoattend.InschoolsthatwerelocatedoutsideoftheBrooklynsitwashelpfulwhentheReferralPartnerpointofcontactgottogetherstudentswholivedinBrooklynParkandBrooklynCenter(andthuseligiblefortheprogram)fortheinformationalsessions.AvenuesforHomelessYouthwasonceagainabletorefermanyoftheirresidentstoourprogram.


Thisyear’sapplicationwashostedonlinewithSurveyMonkey.Havinganonlineregistrationthatwasmobilefriendlymadeoutreacheasierasstaffcouldstudentsregisteronthespot.Theapplicationwasdesignedtoweedoutyouthwhoweren’teligiblefortheprogram,butmanyapplicantsdidnotreadtheeligibilityquestionscarefullyandthuswouldapplymultipletimes.ThiscausedmoreworkfortheBrookLynkstafftoclearoutthepartiallyfilledoutapplications.Outreachtoemployerswentwellasstaffwereabletoleverageexistingrelationshipswithemployersandotherpartnerstogetinternshipspledged.TherewasasignificantincreaseinthenumberofinternshipsbeinghostedbylocalemployersbutwealsowelcomednewemployerslikeCumminsPowerSystemsandRobbinsdaleAreaSchools.TheHennepinCountyWorkforceEquityGrantallowedforourpublicsectorpartnerstoincreasethenumberofinternshipstheywereabletohost,allowingBrookLynkstaffcapacitytobemaximized.BrookLynkworkedwithChannel12tocreatevideosaboutregisteringfortraining.Inoneofthevideos,aBrookLynkAmbassadorwasfeatured.BrookLynkalumniwerekeypartnersintheoutreachprocessandingivingpresentationstobothemployersandpotentialyouth.Itwasdifficultgainingtractionwithfaithcommunitiesandcountyserviceproviders.ManyoftheOpportunityYoutharecounty-involved,sothelackofconnectionwiththecountyserviceprovidersmadeitdifficulttorecruitthatpopulation.SuggestionsforImprovement

• CreateatargetedandsupportedoutreachstrategytoengageOpportunityYouth,includingmoreconnectionstocountyserviceprovidersandotherorganizationsservingthatpopulation.

• Attendprofessionaldevelopmentforprogramstafftoeffectivelyengageandsupportcountyinvolved/opportunityyouththroughouttheBrookLynkexperience.

• OutreachtorecruitsimilarnumbersofyouthfromBrooklynCenterasBrooklynParktomeettheBrookLynkCooperationAgreement’sgoalofequalnumberofyouthfromeachcity.

• Createreferralpartnershipswiththecountyserviceprovidersandfaith-basedcommunityorganizations.

• AllowtheAmbassadorstotakeagreaterleadonmarketingattheirschoolsandhavingtwoAmbassadorsorstudentpointsofcontactforeachschoolifpossible.Ambassadorshavethecapacitytotableatschooleventsandtakeonotheroutreachinitiatives.

• WorkwithBrooklynParkstafftocreatemarketingmaterialinthefallthateachschoolpointofcontactcansendoutwhenrecruitingbegins.

• Createasinglepageapplicationsothatallofastudent’sinformationiscollected.• Haveamorecomprehensivecommunicationsplan/pitchtoemployerswith

supportingmaterialsthatincludebrochures,evaluationsummaries,testimonials,andinfographics.

• HavetheBrookLynkAmbassadorsleadasocialmediacampaignthroughamoreorganicinitiativethatcreatesbuzzearlieron.

• Leveragesocialmediamoretobeontheradarofemployersandyoungpeople,suchasusingLinkedIntopublishsuccessstoriesandnewsaboutBrookLynk.


• Betterusetraditionalmedia(Channel12,theSunPost,andothernewsoutlets)torecruityouthandcommunicatetheworkBrookLynkdoesinthecommunity.

WorkReadinessTrainingBrookLynkadoptedMinneapolisSTEP-UP’sworkreadinesstrainingandmockinterviews,builtupontheirtraininghandbookandaddedtheMHALabsSkillBuildingBlocksandWorkCoreSkills.Onaverage,studentsratedtheworkreadinesstraininga4.3outof5.0.Onlyabout44%oftheyouthwhoappliedfortheprogramattendedtheGetReady!WorkReadinessTrainings,similartothe42%attendanceratefromlastyear.AfterscoringlowintheYPQAfortwoyearsaroundyouthinteractionandengagement,participantsweregivenachoicethreedifferenttracks,andyouthalumniandadulttrainerswereco-trainers.

_____________________________GetReady!WorkReadinessTrainingconsistedof7.5hours(includinglunch)ofinstructiononcommunication,networking,professionalism,emailandphoneetiquette,resumes,applications,andinterviews.StudentsweregiventheoptionofattendingoneoftwoSaturdays(March25thandApril1st).HennepinTechnicalCollegeprovidedtheirfacilitiesforthetraining.TransportationwasofferedtostudentsviaMetroTransitbustokens.OneachoftheWednesdaysfollowingtheGetReady!Training,mockinterviewswerescheduledatBrooklynParkCommunityActivityCenter.VolunteerinterviewerswererecruitedfromAlliancepartnersandthecommunity.Eachstudentwasaskedtobringacurrentresume,andsatthroughashortinterviewfollowedbyfeedbackprovidedbytheinterviewer.Anadditional7-hourtrainingforyouthages16andoverwhowereinterestedinapplyingforinternshipswasheldonApril8thatNorthHennepinCommunityCollege

Year AttendanceRate2015 48%2016 42%2017 45%

Onaverage,studentsratedtheworkreadinesstraininga4.3outof5.0.Whenaskedwhattheylikedmostaboutthetraining,participantsrespondedwithmeetingotherpeople(68%),Learningaboutapplications,resumes,andinterviews(68%),theinstructors(63%),theinformationsharedaboutgettingandkeepingajob(63%),andtheactivities(37%).AfterscoringlowintheYPQAfortwoyearsaroundyouthinteractionandengagement,severalprogramdesignchangesweremadetothetraining.First,therewerethreedifferenttracks(beginning,intermediate,andadvanced)thatstudentscouldchoosefrom.Eachofthelevelsweregearedtothelevelofexperiencethatstudentshadwiththeskillsthatweretaughtduringtraining.Uponfurtherreflection,thetrainingtracksforGetReady!couldhavebeenexecutedbettertoprovideamoreseamlessprocessforparticipants,staff,andtrainers.Whenusing


HennepinTechnicalCollege,BrookLynkmustcontractwithaspecificcatererfortheeven,whichcausedasignificantstrainonthefoodbudget.Transportationtotrainingcontinuedbeinganissueassomeyoungpeoplewereunabletofindaridethedayof.Someretuningprogramparticipantscomplainedthattheydidnotlearnanythingnewatthetrainings.Thereneedstobefurthertrainingwithadulttrainerstoeffectivelyengageyouthasco-trainers,sincesometrainerswerenotasgoodatitasothers.Attheendofthefirsttraining,thecertificateswerenotreadytohandoutsonoteverystudentsreceivedtheirsatthetraining.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Havingthestudentschoosewhatlevelofworkexperiencetheyconsiderthemselvesinwhentheyregisterinitiallysotheydon'thavetodosopriortotraining.

• RefinetheBrookLynkGetReady!andInternshipTrainingtobereflectiveoftheneedsofyouthanddemandsofemployers.ThisrefinedversionshouldalsoaddressthequestionaboutyouthparticipatingBrookLynkformultipleyearsandtheirneedtotakepartintraining.

• AskMetroTransitorapartneringtransportationcompanytoprovidetransportationservicesforyoungpeople.

• HostGetReady!atamorecentrallylocatedspaceandthatisaccessiblebythevariousbusroutes.

• PilotGetReady!atoneofthealternativelearningcentersintheBrooklynsandgaugethelevelofparticipationandcompletionofBrookLynkbytheparticipatingcohort.

• Completethreeseparatetrain-the-trainersessionswithtrainersthat1)allowthemtounderstandthecurriculumandBrookLynk,2)buildarelationshipwithco-trainers,and3)practicecurriculumimplementationwithfeedbackfrompeers.

MatchingThematchingprocesswassimilartoMinneapolisSTEP-UP’s,althoughwithfarfewerapplicantsandinternshipopportunities.BrookLynkmatchedthestudentsbasedontheirage,transportationoptions,skilllevel,workexperience,careerinterest,andtheirattendanceattrainingevents.Additionally,BrookLynkonlyhadonetierofinternshipscomparedtothethreethatSTEP-UPusestoseparatelevelsofinternships.Thematchingwaseasierthisyearsincethiswasthethirdtimethatstaffhadgonethroughthisprocess.BrookLynkstafftookalmostafullworkdaytomatch104youthtointernships.Eighty-twopercent(82%)ofthesupervisorsansweredthatatleastoneoftheirinternswasagoodmatchfortheirorganizationsandpositions.Sixty-sixpercent(66%)ofinternsexpressedthattheirinternshipshelpedthemfocusonspecificcareerpathwaysthatalignedwiththeirlifegoals.

_____________________________InthemiddleofApril,Alliancestaffmettogethertomatchstudentstointernships.Thiswascompletedaweekearlierthanlastyearsothatemployerswouldhaveextratimetoonboardtheirinternsandalsotoallowforyouthtoknowtheirmatchstatusbeforetheyouthjobfair.Ascorecardforeachinternwascreatedwithdemographicinformation,


opportunityyouthstatus,transportationoptions,availability,trainingandmockinterviewattendance,trainerevaluations,andpersonalinterests.Similarscorecardswerecreatedforeachpositionusingthejobdescriptionssentinbyemployers.Thesewereallconsidered,alongwithjobrequirementsanddescriptionssubmittedbyemployers.Theprioritiesformatchingwereasfollows:

• OpportunityYouth• Internshipswithagerequirements• Internshipsinlocationswithnopublictransportationoptions• Skill-levelexpectationfromemployersandskill-levelofinterns• Workexperience• Careerinterestsofstudentsmatchedwithcareerfieldsofinternshipsand/or

employers• Attendanceattrainingsandmockinterview,andtrainerandinterviewratings• Overallmixofethnicity,gender,school,andcityofresidencearebalanced

OncematchedInterncandidateswerecontactedbyphonetoexplainthejobstheywerematchedtoandaskediftheywouldaccept.Ifso,thecorrespondingsupervisorsweregiventhecandidate’scontactinfotosetupaninterview.Aftertheinterviewsoccurred,bothinternsandsupervisorsmadeafinalchoiceatwhichtimetheemployerstartedthehiringprocess.Thematchingwaseasierthisyearsincethiswasthethirdtimethatstaffhadgonethroughthisprocess.Knowingsomestudentsandsupervisorsfrompreviousyears,andmeetingthenewstudentsatthetrainingsallowedstafftobemoremindfulabouttheyoungpeoplethatwerebeingmatched.Thisyear,OpportunityYouthwerenotrestrictedonlytospecificinternships,whichallowedthemtobematchedtocareerfieldsthattrulyinterestedthem.Theamountoftimebetweenmatchingandinterviewswasstillanissue.Therewasonlyaone-weekwindowtomatchandcontactallofthestudentsandsupervisors.Andsomeemployersturnedintheirjobdescriptionslatesofinalmatchesforthosepositionsdidn’thappenuntilalmosttheinterviewtime.Callingstudentsindividuallytodoanoverviewoftheirmatchpositionwastimeconsumingandnotalwayseffectiveinexplainingthenecessarynextsteps.Bothinternsandsupervisorswerenotalwaystimelyinrespondingtocommunications,whichmadeitdifficulttobeginthehiringprocess.Youthwhoweren’tmatchedwithaninternshiphadtransportationissues,conflictswiththeirsummerschedule,ordidn’twantthepositionsoffered.Employerswhohadpledgedinternshipsbutwerenotultimatelymatched,decidedlateronthattheyhadnocapacitytoofferaBrookLynkinternship.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Considergivingatwoorthreeweekwindowbetweenmatchingstudentsand

contactingtheemployers,whichwillallowtimeforinternstothinkabouttheirmatchdecision.


• Requirealljobdescriptionstobesubmittedbysupervisorspriortomatching.Also,eachdescriptionformneedstoberevisedbyprogramstafftoensureithassufficientdetailstoensureahigh-qualitymatch.

• Potentiallyhosttheinternshiptrainingafterstudentshavebeenmatchedtotheirinternships.Thiswaytheyknowwhatisneededoftheminordertosuccessfullylandtheinternshipandtoeffectivelycommunicatethenextstepsandwhattheirinternshipwillentail.

• Youthshouldberequiredtoattachacopyoftheirresumetotheinternshipapplicationtostreamlinetheprocesswhensharingcontactinformationandresumesofcandidateswithsupervisors.

YouthJobFairMinneapolisSTEP-UPDiscoverprovidesjobopportunitiesforyoungeryouth(usually14-15yearsold)whoarenewtotheworkforceandlookingfortheirfirstjob.AtthistimeBrookLynkonlyoffersinternshipsforyouth16yearsandolder.Inresponsetothelackofjobopportunitiesforyoungeryouth,aYouthJobFairwasstartedthisyeartotrytoconnectthemwithlocalemployerslookingtohire.AscanofsuccessfulyouthjobfairsaroundthecountryincludedinterviewswiththeorganizationsthatrunsomeofthemoresuccessfuleventsinSanFrancisco(UnitedWay)andBoulder(WorkforceBoulderCounty).BrookLynklearnedthatmakingtheeventsyouth-centerediskeytohavingyouthattend.Totargetyouthmeansfocusingontheirinterests(funandengaging)andspecificemploymentneedswhendesigningtheevent,workingwithschoolstomarket,providingtransportationtotheevent(and/ormakingiteasilyaccessiblebypublictransportation),andprovidingadditionalworkreadinesssupports(includingmockinterviews,resumebuilding,professionalnetworking,applicationlab,etc.)attheevent.Youthwereincludedontheplanningcommitteeofthosejobfairs.Understandingthatmostyouthhavenoideahowajobfairworks,providingon-siteorientationsforyouthastheyfirstarrive,canhelpthemfeelmoreconnected.Gettingtherightemployerstoshowupisalsokey.Bothorganizationswetalkedtotargetedemployerswhohadactualjobopeningsforyouth(andespeciallyforthoseages14-15)andwhowereabletointerviewandhireon-siteatthejobfair.Thishelpeddecreaseahugebarrieringettingdisconnectedyouthconnectedtojobs.Althoughtheyweremarketedasyouthjobfairs,theyalsoincludedvolunteeropportunities,internships,andasmentionedpreviously,workreadinesstrainingsandresources.Finally,inordertogaugesuccess,theysurveyedyouthandemployersaftertheeventstounderstandhowmanyreceivedjobsduetothejobfairs.BrookLynktooktheselearningsandattemptedtoimplementthemforthisfirstYouthJobFaironApril29,2017.AplanningcommitteeconsistingofBrookLynkalumniandrepresentativesfrommanyoftheAllianceandyouth-servingorganizationpartnersmetevery3weeksbeginninginFebruary2017.Threesubcommitteeswereorganized:VolunteersandSponsors,MarketingandYouthEngagement,andLogisticsandEmployers.Asidefromtheplanningcommitteemeetingsthesubcommitteesalsometontheirown.


Themarketingteamcreatedarecruitingvideo.Itwaswellproducedbutunfortunatelynotmanypeopleviewedit.Attheevent,14employersand4organizationsprovidingworkforcedevelopmentrelatedservicesattended.Twoemployersdroppedoutoftheeventatthelastminute.SeveralbusesprovidedbyOsseoAreaSchoolspickedupstudentsatvariousschoolsintheareatobringthemtotheYouthJobFairandreturnthem.WorkshopswereofferedtwiceanhourtoprovideanintroductionforyouthontheJobFair.ThecomputerlabwasavailableforyouthandstaffedbytheYMCAtoprovidesupportinresumebuildingandfillingoutonlineapplications.BrooklynPark’sRec-on-the-Govanwasoutsidetoproviderecreationactivitiesforanyyoungersiblingswhowereattendingwithyouth.RefreshmentswereprovidedbyOsseoAreaSchools.Duringtheevent,therewasmusic,aselfiephotobooth(withalivefeedofpicturesandtweetsprojectedontoascreen),andadrawingforprizeseveryhour.BrookLynksampledyouthandemployersatthejobfairtounderstandwhattheirexperienceswereandtogetpreliminarydataonhowsuccessfulthejobfairwasatmatchingyoungpeoplewithjobopportunities.Youthratedthejobfaira3.5(outof5.0)andemployersgaveita4.6rating.Ninety-sixpercent(96%)ofyouthsaidtheywouldrecommendittoafriendand100%ofemployerssaidtheywouldattendanotheryouthjobfair.Employerssaw23to75visitorstotheirboothsandreceivedupto50applicationsfortheirpositions.However,only5interviews(allattheirbooths)weregivenandonly1jobofferwasactuallyextendedonsite.Staffalsofollowedup6weeksaftertheeventwithemployerstoaskthemhowmanyyouththeyinterviewedandhired.Itwasdifficulttofollow-upwithmostemployersandevenwhenreached,theyhaddifficultyrecallinghowmanyinterviewsandjobofferswereextendedtoyouthcontactedinitiallyattheyouthjobfair.Bestestimatesarethat6interviewsoccurredfromthoseinitialcontacts,butnoneresultedinanactualjob.Althoughhalf(51%)ofyouthfeltthatthejobfairmettheirexpectations,all(100%)employerswhoparticipatedfeltthismettheirexpectations.Duringfollowupwiththeemployersoveramonthlaterthatitwashardforthemtoseparateoutwhichapplicantshadcomefromthejobfairspecifically.Thehopewasthatemployerswouldcomewiththerightstafftointerviewandhireonthespot,butonlyafewinterviewshappenedatthebooths,andnoneintheroomswehaddesignatedforsuch.Thereseemstobeafundamentaldifferenceinhowtheemploymentsystemcurrentlyworks,andwhatwethinkdisconnectedyouthneedinordertogettheirfootinthedoor.Forthemostpart,humanresourcedepartmentstaffsenttojobfairshavenodecision-makingcapacitywhenitcomestohiring.Theyaremostlytheretoraiseawarenessabouttheircompaniesandtheemploymentopportunitiestheyoffer.Theymostlyencourageapplicationthroughonlineportals,oratthemost,collectresumesforwhenthereareopenings.Youngpeoplewhoaren’tconnectedtothejobmarketneedamorestraightforwardpathtogetthatfirstjobonthedayoftheevent.Workingwiththepublicpartnerswasessential.Howeverthereisalsoalearningcurveforeveryonetounderstandhowayouthjobfairisdifferentfromajobfairtargetingadults


(whichmosthadmoreexperiencewith).BrookLynkwillneedtogetschools,libraries,workforcedevelopmentcenters,andotherpublicinstitutionstothinkdifferentlyabouthowtosupportyoungpeopletogettingtheirfirstjobs,andreachingouttotheyoungpeopletheyareconnectedto.Manyyoungpeoplethinkoftheirnextstepsasafewweeksaway.Companieshiringseveralmonthsoutmeansthatthosejobsarenotevenontheradar.Asemployerswerebeingrecruitedforthejobfair,manywhohireyoungeryouthsaidthatajobfairinAprilwastoolate.Theyhirehundredsofyouthforsummerjobsatschoolsandrecreationprograms,buthiremanyoftheminMarch.Thus,toparticipatetheywouldliketheJobFairtobeheldearlierintheyear.Foryouth,itisclearfromexperiencethatdoingthejobfairinMarch,orApril,wouldbeachallengeforyouthtoplanthatfarahead.Developmentally,youthtakeactiononwhatisneedednow.Theyarelessplanfulthanadults,andoftentimeslifecircumstancesandresponsibilitiesrequiredofthemfromparentschangeplanstheymaymake.Thisisespeciallytrueforyouththathavesignificantbarriers.Structurally,thereweresomelessonslearnedaswell.Theplanningcommitteewasmissingsomekeypartners,includingrepresentativesofculturalgroupsandsomeoftheAlliancepartners.Afeworiginalcommitteemembersleftthegroupmidwaythroughtheplanning.Fewerteammeetingswouldhaveallowedthesubcommitteestomeetseparatelyandgetmoreworkdone.TheVolunteerandSponsorsgroupwaslessclearabouttheirrole,maybewasresponsibleforareasthataretoodifferent,andneededtowaitforothergroupstofinalizetheirpartsfirst.Regardingsponsorshipstwokeyquestionsemerged:Whatistherightwaytoengagesponsorship,whatarethelevels,whataretheneeds?TheBusinessOutreachandLogisticsgroupneededmorepeopletodooutreachthanjusttheProgramCoordinator.CreatingthemarketingmaterialtookupalotofthetimeoftheBrookLynkspecialist.Therewasascramblerightbeforetheeventtoorganizetheworkshopsbecausenoonewasassignedtoitoriginally.Only$1900outofthe$5000budgetedwasspent(notincludingin-kinddonationsforbuses,roomrental,food,etc.).Onthedayoftheeventtherewasadeafstudentwhoattended.Therewerenointerpretersscheduled;thankfully,oneoftheparentsknewASLandcouldinterpret.ThebusdriversdroppedstudentsoffattheotherendoftheNorthHennepinCommunityCollegecampusfromwheretheeventwasheld.Nodatawascollectedonhowmanyyouthtookadvantageofthebuses.Sincethisisthefirstyearoftheevent,thereweremanyshortfallsandlessonslearned.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Recruitemployershiringforpositionsandtrainthemtohireonthespot.• Settleoncertaindetailsbeforemeetingwithplanningcommittee,suchasdates,

budget,andlocation.• Reachouttoemployersandyouthworkforcedevelopmentorganizationsyear-

roundtoplanforthisevent.• Reconfiguresubcommitteesbasedonlessonslearnedfromthisyearaboutwhich

tasksarealigned:VolunteerswithLogistics,andSponsorswithMarketing


• Createamarketingrolloutprocess,startingwitha“savethedate”or“keepaneyeout”notice.Makesurethemarketingistimedearlyenoughsoeveryonehasenoughadvancenotice.

• Attendotherjobfairsduringtheyeartomeetrecruitersandorganizations.• ConsiderpartneringwiththeCityofMinneapolis’TeenJobFair.• Scheduleinterpreters(includingASL)foryouthwhoneedlanguageservicesand

considerotherwaystoensureaninclusiveevent.• Havevolunteersonthebusestocounthowmanyyouthusethem,andtoprovide

supportoranswerquestions.• Askforcontactinformationofbusdriverstomakesurethatstudentsgetpickedup

anddroppedoffatthecorrecttimesandlocations.• Createanevaluationplantobetterassessthejobfair.

InterviewsandOnboardingTheinterviewingandonboardingprocesswasadoptedfromtheMinneapolisSTEP-UPmodel.BrookLynkalsoprovidedamorecomprehensivesupervisor’strainingtoincludeMHALabsSkillBuildingBlocksandparentswereinvitedtotheinternorientation.For66%ofsupervisors,itwastheirfirsttimeemployingahighschoolstudent.Eighty-ninepercent(89%)ofthesupervisorsthoughttheSupervisorTrainingwashelpful,especiallyinhelpingthemunderstandhowtoworkwithandrelatetohighschoolstudents.However,someemployersstillhadissueswithonboardingtheirinterns.

_____________________________Employersandstudentswerenotifiedofthestaff’smatchesattheendofApril,afterwhichinterviewswereconducted.Employersweregivenafewweeksfortheirinternalhiringprocessestoonboardtheirinterns.OnMay26th,supervisorsgatheredatNorthHennepinCommunityCentertoreceiveSupervisorTrainingonwhattoexpectwiththestudentstheywouldbeworkingwith,theMeasuresofHumanAchievement(MHA)tooltheywouldbeusingtoprovidecareerskillfeedbackwith,andotherlogisticalissuesrelatedtothesummerinternships.AnInternOrientationwasheldatBrooklynParkCommunityActivityCenteronJune9thasafinalpreparationforstudentsandparents.ForthoseinternswhoneededhelpwithtransportationMetroTransitprovidedaworkshoponhowtotakepublictransit.FireflyCreditUniongaveanotherworkshoponfinancialliteracy.Oneofthebigchangestothisyear’sprogramwashavinghiringcoordinators(atemployerswith4ormoreinterns:Cummins,BostonScientific,CityofBrooklynCenter,CityofBrooklynPark,OsseoAreaSchools,BrooklynCenterSecondary,RobbinsdaleAreaSchools,HennepinTechnicalCollege,NorthHennepinCommunityCollege,andAnokaHennepinSchoolDistrict)playakeyroleinprovidinginformation,relayingcommunications,andmakingsuretheonboardingprocesswasgoingsmoothlyasasupportfortheirorganization’sinternsandsupervisors.For66%ofsupervisors,itwastheirfirsttimeemployingahighschoolstudent,sotheyneededsomesupportbeforestartingtheinternships.Eighty-ninepercent(89%)ofthesupervisorsthoughttheSupervisorTrainingwashelpful.


Therewasfeedbackfromsupervisorsthattheywereimpressedbythelevelofpreparednessthatinternsdisplayedduringtheirinterviews.Contactingtheinternspriortotheirinterviewstogivetheminformationthattheywouldneedfortheirinterviewandonboardingprocess.Forthemostpart,studentsandsupervisorswereresponsivetothecommunicationsbeingsenttooneanother.MostoftheinterviewsandonboardingtookplaceinthetimeframethatBrookLynksuggested.However,someinterviewstookplaceclosetothestartingdatesoftheinternships,sotherewasalonggapforstudentswaitingtohearbackforaninterview.Somesupervisorsandinternswerenotresponsivetoemailandphonecommunications,ortheybothhadconflictingschedulesthatmadeitdifficulttoorganizeatimetomeet,whichcausedsomeinterviewstobeconductedmuchlaterintheprocess.Afewstudentsdidn’thaveproperdocumentationforworkingortheywereintheprocessoforderingthem,whichsloweddowntheonboardingprocess.Somestudentshaddifficultywithhavingaccesstotransportationtotheirinterviewsiteduringbusinesshourswhileothersfacedchallengeswithsettingupabankaccount.Asignificantpercentageofopportunityyouththatwerematchedtoaninternshipdidnotcompletetheinterviewing/hiringprocess.Afterschoolwasletouttheseyouthnolongerhadsupportfromschoolstafftoencouragethemtoparticipate.SomestudentsdidnotrespondtocommunicationsfromsupervisorsandBrookLynkstaff.Thereseemedtobealotofuncertaintyandquestionsfromsupervisorsabouttheinternalhiringpracticesatvariousemployers,forexample,wherewillinternsbeofficed,dotheygetaccesstotechnology,whenaretheyexpectedtostartandfinishtheirinternships,andiftheyareeligibleforbenefitsandvacation.Forthoseemployersthathadmappedoutanonboardingandhiringprocess,theprocessitselfwasefficientandeffective.Itallowedfortheemployerandtheinterntounderstandwhattheyneededtocompleteandbywhenanditprovidedatrackerforprogress.TheconsistentcommunicationbetweenBrookLynkstaff,studentsandsupervisorsprovedtobeeffectiveinsupportingeachthroughtheinterviewingandonboardingprocess.InternsandsupervisorscontactedtheBrooklynkstaffiftheyneededadditionalsupportorhadquestions.Withtheexceptionofa5-7students,theinitialmatchesprovidedtosupervisorsweresuccessful.Eighty-twopercent(82%)ofsupervisorsagreedthattheirinternswereagoodmatchfortheircompanies.SuggestionsforImprovement

• MeetingalloftheworksitehiringcoordinatorspriortomatchingandinterviewingtogothroughBrookLynkinternshipprogrammingsteps.Thecoordinatorswouldthenrelaythisinformationtothesupervisorsattheirworksite

• Lookintowaysthatstudentscanaccessfreebankingapps.• Askinternsintheinternshipapplicationwhethertheyhavetheproperwork

documents.


• Scheduleaninterviewdateaheadoftimeforsupervisorsandinternsatthevariousemploymentlocationstoreduceconfusionastowhentheinterviewswillbetakingplaceandhowtocoordinate.

• Haveeveryinternshipcandidatesubmitacopyofhisorherresumepriorwhencompletingtheinternshipapplication;thiswillhelpstreamlinetheinterviewingprocess.

• HaveprogramstaffworkwiththevariousinternshiplocationstooutlineanddetailtheinternalhiringprocessofBrookLynkinterns.Andthen,coordinateamandatoryworksessionwitheverysupervisorattheirlocationthatwilloutlinetheprocess,policies,andanswerlogisticalquestionsthattheymayhave.

• Keepacopyoftheonboardingproceduresforeveryemployerworksitesothatjobcoachescanfollowupwithstudentsasnecessary.

InternshipsAsmentionedpreviously,BrookLynkdiffersfromMinneapolisSTEP-UPinthatBrookLynkinternshipsarenotseparatedintothreetiers(Achieve,Discover,andExplore).Otherwise,theinternshipsaremodeledoffoftheSTEP-UPprogram:theyarepaid,supervisorsfromtheemployersmentortheinterns,therearesitevisits,andemployersandinternsreceiveweeklyupdatesfromBrookLynkstafftosupportlearning.Ninety-one(91)outoftheoriginal96internssuccessfullycompletedtheirinternships.Averyhighpercentage(93%)ofsupervisorsexpressedthattheirinternprovidedgreatvaluetotheirorganization,department,andwork.Trainingandprovidingongoingsupportforboththeinternsandthesupervisorswaskeytoasuccessfulinternship.Internsbelievedtheylearnedimportantworkskillsthroughtheirinternshipexperiences(with84%answeredCompletelyTrueorMostlyTrue).

_____________________________Internshipsbeganmid-Juneandwerecompleted8-11weekslater,dependingontheemployer.Supervisors,orsomeonetheydelegatedto,wereresponsibleformentoringthestudentsandhelpingthemlearnaboutcareerpathsandworkskills.TheinternshipswerethecoreexperientiallearningopportunityoftheBrookLynkprogram.Allinternshipsbeganasplanned.Ninety-one(91)internssuccessfullycompletedtheirinternship.Fiveinternsdidnotcompletetheirinternshipbecausetheywereterminatedforjobperformancerelatedissues,familychallenges,andlifecircumstances.Internswereplacedinavarietyofdifferentindustriesandpositionsintheircompanies.Theworksitesvisitedwerewelcomingandaccommodatingspaces.Newforthisyear,eachinternhadacapstoneprojectthattheyworkedonduringthesummer.Thisprovideddirectionfortasksthattheycouldcompleteduringtheirinternship.SomeinternshiplocationssuchasCumminsPowerSystems,BostonScientific,CityofBrooklynCenter,andOsseoAreaSchoolsorganizedtheirsupervisorstoworkcollaborativelyontheirintern’scapstoneprojects.Internsbelievedtheylearnedimportantworkskillsthroughtheirinternshipexperiences(with84%answeredCompletelyTrueorMostlyTrue).Internswereabletohaveabetter


understandingoftheirinterestsandhaveexposuretodifferentrolesandpositionswithinandoutsidetheirworksite.However,someinternsexpressedthattheydidn’tfeelchallengedattheirinternshiporthattherewasnotenoughtodo.Andsomeinternshipsdidn’tseemtobemeaningfulorimpactfulfortheintern.Eighty-onepercent(81%)ofsupervisorssaidthattheirexpectationsofinternjobresponsibilitiesandworkloadmatchedorwereexceededbywhatactuallyhappened.Almosthalf(47%)ofthesupervisorsrespondedthattheyspentover7hoursaweeksupervisingtheirinterns.Sixteenpercent(16%)spentonly1-2hoursinsupervision.Somesupervisorsexpressedchallengesinfindingtimetoadequatelysupervisetheirinternsastheyjuggledotherworkresponsibilities.Therewereseveralreturningsupervisorsthatwereabletosupporttheirpeersandbeon-sitementors.Supervisorswereintentionalaboutcoordinatingopportunitiesfortheirinternstomeetnewindividualsandexpandtheirexperiences(growtheirsocialcapital)On-siteinternshipcoordinatorsplayedakeyroleinsupportingBrookLynkstaff,youth,andsupervisorswithissuesandquestionsrelatedtotheorganization.Supervisorsdidnotalwayscommunicateearlywhentherewereconcernsabouttheirinterns.Thisinformationgenerallycameupduringthesitevisitswhenitwasalmostattheendoftheinternships.Afewoftheinternsalsodidn'texpresstheirconcernsuntiltheendoftheirinternships.Someworksitesdidnothaveenoughtasksfortheirinterns,consideringtheamountoftimethatwasavailable.ThiswasmosttrueinworksitesthatwereparticipatinginBrookLynkforthefirsttime.Someinternalprocessesandculturesoforganizationslimitedinternsexperience.Itappearedasifsomeinternshippositionswerenotcreatedoroutlinedbythedirectsupervisor,butbysomeoneelse,andthiscausedsupervisorstonotbeclearonwhattheirintern’sscopeofworkentailedorwhattheirspecificresponsibilitywas.Thereprovedtoberacial,religious,andotherformsofinequitiesatsomeemployersthatdirectlyimpactedyoungpeople.TheHennepinWorkforceGrantdatareportingrequirementswerenottimely,noradequatelycommunicated.ThismadeitdifficultforBrookLynkstafftocommunicatedetailstoemployers,collectWorkforceOneinformationfrominterns,andtoultimatelyexecutethegrantrequirementsinatimelyandeffectivemanner.HavingtwoJobCoachesallowedforstafftoallocatemoretimetomeetwithyouthandprovidesupport.Staffcapacitiestocheck-inwitheveryinternandsupervisorwerestillstretchedthinandcompromisedthedepthofengagementwitheach.Thereweresomeinternsandsupervisorsthatfeltdisconnected.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Createreferralpartnershipswithserviceprovidersthatcanofferresourcesforstudentsthroughoutthesummer.

• Targetnewsupervisorsandinternswithhigherneedsformoregreatersupport.Establishongoingcommunicationbyemailingorcallingbothinternsandtheirsupervisorstocheck-inshortlyaftertheon-boardingphase.


• Encouragesupervisorstohavealeastoneweeklycheck-inwiththeirinterntogoovertasks,discusschallenges,andestablishsummergoals.

• Providemoreclarityforsupervisorsabouthowtoplancapstoneprojects.• Hireapart-time,seasonaljobcoachwhocanprovidesupportsforinternsand

supervisorsduringthemonthsofMay–August,includingsendingoutandmanagingcommunicationswithinternsandsupervisors,conductingsitevisitsandfacilitatingweeklycheck-inswithacohortofinterns.

• Whenreviewinginternshipdescriptionforms,confirmtheaccuracyoftheinformationwiththesupervisorsandmentors.Thiswillallowfortheretobelessconfusionaboutwhattheinternshipentailsandwhattheyarecommittedto.

• MakeitclearduringsupervisortrainingthatBrookLynkshouldbeinformedassoonaspossibleaboutupdatesaroundchangedenddates,changedsupervisorroles,andanyotherrelevantinformation.

• Facilitategroupcheck-insforBrookLynksupervisorsandmentors.Thiswillallowforstafftohavemorefrequenttouchpointswiththemandtohelpmediateanyissuesandprovidesupportswhereneeded.

• Ifsupervisorscannotallocateenoughtimetoactuallysupervisetheintern,ortocoordinateameaningfulinternship,BrookLynkshouldstronglysuggestthatanothersupervisorbeassignedtotheintern.

Check-insandEnrichmentOpportunitiesMinneapolisSTEP-UPofferssomeadditionaltrainingopportunities(e.g.financialliteracy).BrookLynkStaffwantedtoaddamoreinvolvedcomponentwhichallowedtheinternstomeettogetherregularly,developasenseofbelonging,allowforreflectionontheinternshipexperience,andworkoncareerdevelopmentandskills,andpostsecondaryawareness.Aweeklycheck-induringtheinternshipperiodwasaddedtotheBrookLynkprogram,similartowhatwasdevelopedintheCityofSt.PaulRightTrackyouthemploymentprogram.Sixty-twopercent(62%)ofinternsonaverageshowedupfortheweeklycheck-ins.Internswhoattendedreportedthattheydevelopedasenseofbelongingandmutualsupport,wereabletoshareandreflectontheirexperiences,discusssolutionstoproblemstheywerefacing,andworkonimprovingcareerskills.Stafffoundthecheck-insavaluableplacetoconnectwithinternstobettersupportthem.Theinternswhoparticipatedinenrichmentopportunitieswereabletobetterunderstandtheirowncollegeandcareergoalsafterthevisits.

_____________________________Weeklyinterncheck-insoccurredonsevenFridaysduringtheinternshipatNorthHennepinCommunityCollege.Internswereassignedtooneofthree1.5hourlongsessionsdesignedtoprovideadditionalsupportforinterns.Internshadtimetoreflectontheirexperiences,discussproblemstheyfacedandpossiblesolutions,learnmoreaboutMHALabsBuildingBlockskills,andbuildcommunityamongeachcohortthroughactivitiesandcollaborativework.Check-insprovidedanopportunityforyouthtobuildacommunitywithoneanotherandalsoforstudentsmeetnewpeople.Thecheck-insincludedopportunitiesformultiplecommunicationstyles:internshadtheir


ownpersonalreflectiontime,discussedtopicswithinsmallgroups,andsharedoutwiththelargergroup.Planningwasmadeeasierbystaffcompilinganongoinglistofactivitiestododuringcheck-inssothatitwasonhandeachweektoeasilyputintotheagenda.Separatingintothreeinterncohortscreatedagoodgroupsizethatwaslargeenoughtodoavarietyofactivitieswhilealsosmallenoughwhereeachinternhadachancetoshareabouttheirexperience.Havingtwostafftocoordinatetransportationandfacilitatethecheck-insprovedtobemuchmoreeffectivethaninyearspast.Onecouldset-upwhiletheotherwouldtransportthestudents.However,coordinatingandfacilitatingthreeback-to-back-to-backcheck-insonFridaysalongwithprovidingvantransportation,wasdrainingforBrookLynkstaffandmadeforlongdays.Onaverage62%ofinternsshowedupfortheweeklycheck-ins.Internsatfirststruggledwiththeaccountabilityandresponsibilitythemethatstaffhadexpressedatthebeginningofthesummer.But,theybecamebetteratbeingresponsiblewithcommunication.Newandyoungerstudentsattendedcheck-insmorefrequentlyandparticipatedmorewillingly.Manyreturningandolderstudentsattendedwithlessfrequencyandstatedthattheyweren’tfindinganyvalueinthecheck-ins.Therewerefewerinattendanceatcheck-inseachweek.ThisisespeciallytrueofstudentsthatmighthaveneededmoresupportfromBrookLynkstaff.SomemovedoutoftheBrooklynsareasduetounforeseencircumstancesandhaddifficultycomingtocheck-ins.Eighty-one(81%)ofstudentswhoattendedrespondedthattheythoughtthecheck-inswerevaluable.Theyreportedthattheydevelopedasenseofbelongingandmutualsupport,wereabletoshareandreflectontheirexperiences,discusssolutionstoproblemstheywerefacing,andworkonimprovingcareerskills.Studentsfeltcomfortablesharinginthelargegroupandprivatelywithstafftheissuesthattheymayhavebeenfacing.Thisallowedstafftobeawareofwhatsupportstheymayneedtoprovideeithertotheinternorthesupervisor.Inadditiontothecheck-ins,BrookLynkofferedenrichmentopportunities,includingvisitstotheUniversityofMinnesota—TwinCities,ConcordiaUniversity,andGeneralMills.Anaverageof23youthattendedtheenrichmentopportunities.Studentswererespectfulandengagedinthediscussionsandactivitiesonallthreeenrichmentevents.TheUniversityofMinnesotavisitwasparticularlynotableasstudentswereabletohearabouthowtoprepareforcollege,atypicalcollegeschedule,andresourcesthattheycanuseoncampus.TheGeneralMillssitevisitallowedthestudentstotourthefacilityandhearfromdifferentemployeesontheirpathwaytotheirparticularroles.Theemployeeswerefromdiversebackgroundswhichallowedthestudentstoseerepresentationamongthepanelists.Byfar,theGeneralMillssitevisitwasthemostpopulareventforthoseinternswhotookadvantageoftheenrichmentopportunities.Theyvaluedseeinghowalargecorporationfunctionedandtheinsightthevisitprovidedtotheirowncareergoals.Eventbritewasusedtosigninternsupforenrichmentopportunities.Sincethewebsiteisopentothepublic,therewereafewnon-BrookLynkparticipantsthatsignedup.The


campusvisittoConcordiaUniversitywasgenericandmaybedidn’thavetheimpactitcouldhaveifitwerecoordinatedwithastudentgrouporotherofficeatthecollege.SuggestionsforImprovement

• DividethegroupincohortsbasedonBrookLynkexperiencelevel.Thiswaycontentcanbetailoredtotheneedsoftheinterns.

• Createtheagendaitemsforcheck-inbeforetheinternshipbeginssothatthereisgreaterdepthofthoughttowardshowlessonswillbecommunicatedandwhatactivitieswilltakeplace.

• Makecheck-insmandatoryforeveryonesothatinternsmakethemostoftheirinternshipexperiencebygainingprofessionaldevelopmentskills.Jobcoacheswouldalsohavegreaterawarenessofhowinternshipsarefairingandcouldaddressissuesmorereadily.

• Engageyouthtofreshen-upthecheck-incurriculumaroundtheirownneeds.Forexample:hostanetworkingsession,aLinkedInsession,MicrosoftOutlook101,orothertechnicalsessionsthatallowthemtowalkawaywithimmediateskills.

• Incorporatemorechallengingsessionswhereeachsessionbuildsoffoftheprevious.Identifysomethingthatstudentsshouldhavewalkedawaywithafterattendingeachcheck-insession.

• Useanelectronicsign-upsheetonGoogleDrive,whereinternscansign-upforvanpick-upanddrop-offfromcheck-in.

• Sendingoutaweeklyupdatestosupervisorsaboutthecontentthatisgoingtobediscussedatcheck-inandprovidingwaysthattheycanengagetheirinternindiscussingaboutit.

• Coordinatesitevisitstonon-traditionalemployerslikegovernmentagencies,non-profits,orcommunity/technicalschools.

• Requirethateachattendeecomepreparedwithanotecardthathasquestionstheywouldliketoasktheschoolortheemployerduringsitevisits.

CelebrationBrookLynkendedthesummerprogramwithacelebrationfortheinternsandsupervisors,andtheirfamilies.Internssharedamazingstoriesabouthowtheirexperiencesimpactedtheirlives.SomeBrookLynkstakeholderswerepresent,butweweren’tabletogetmembersofthemediatoattend.

_____________________________OnAugust11th,interns,theirfamilies,andsupervisorsgatheredattheGrandHallatNorthHennepinCommunityCollege(NHCC)tocelebratetheendoftheinternships.Theeventstartedoffwithdinner,followedbyareviewofthehistoryofBrookLynkandalookintothefutureoftheprogram,presentationsfrominternsandsupervisorsabouttheirexperiencesandtheimpactBrookLynkhad.InternswhohadparticipatedinBrookLynkfor3yearswererecognizedalongwiththoseadultswhohavebeenchampionsoftheprogram.Aportionofthetimewasalsodedicatedtorecognizealltheinternsandsupervisorsfortheirwork.


Agroupof8BrookLynkinternsmetduringthecourseofthesummertocreatethevision,organize,decorate,andspearheadtheevent.Thedatewasselectedbecausemostinternshipshadbeencompleted,yetbeforestudentsstartingcollegeouttownhadtoleave.Unfortunatelywiththeincreasednumberofinternsthisyear,themaximumsizecapacityoftheroomlimitedthenumberofguestsallowed.Similartolastyear,therewasnomediapresenceattheevent.Thefoodandawardexpenseswentoverbudget.SuggestionsforImprovement

• Findalocalbusinessororganizationwhowouldbewillingtofundtheevent.• Sendoutcalendarinvitestobothstudentsandsupervisorsatthebeginningofthe

programaboutthecelebration.• Sendapressreleasetomediaoutletsatleastonemonthpriortotheevent.• Findaneventspacewhereweareabletohostalargereventwithmoreattendees.

EvaluationMinneapolisSTEP-UPusesMHALabsSkillBuildingBlockstoassesstheirinterns’skilldevelopment,buttheframeworkisnotasembeddedintheprogrammingaswithBrookLynk.STEP-UPmeasuressomelong-termoutcomes(e.g.highschoolattendance,graduationrate,behaviorandgradesandtestscores,andcollegeenrollment/persistence).Surveysaregivenouttostudentsbeforeandafterworkreadinesstraining,andthereisanformalprogramevaluationprocess(asevidencedbythisreport).Mostoftheevaluationframeworkwasalreadyinplacefromlastyear.However,significantworkwasdonetoautomatethedatacollectionandanalysistodecreasetheamountofworkrequiredtoevaluatetheprogram.Thisyear,100%ofsupervisorsfilledoutaperformancereview(comparedto65%lastyear.)

_____________________________ForthethirdyearofBrookLynk,mostoftheevaluationframeworkwasalreadyinplacefromlastyear.However,effortwasputintoautomatingthedatacollectionandanalysisinanticipationthetransitiontotheCitiesnextyearandadecreaseinthehoursscopedfortheevaluation.Alloftheapplicationsandsurveysweremovedtoanonlineplatform(SurveyMonkey),whichallowedustotrackandidentifywhereapplicationsandsurveyswerecomingfrom.Thenumberofqualitativequestionswasdecreased,sincetheyrequiremoretime-intensiveanalysis.Towardstheendoftheinternships,supervisorswereaskedtoevaluateandprovidefeedbacktotheinternsoncareerskillsviaanMHALabsassessmenttool.Thisyear,100%ofsupervisorsfilledoutaperformancereview(comparedto65%lastyear.)Yet,performancereviewswerenotalwaysbeingcompletedpriortotheinterns’enddates.Thismaymeanthatsupervisorswerenotusingthefinalperformancereviewtohaveaclosingconversationwithinterns,whichisconsideredacriticalpieceofahigh-qualityinternshipexperience.Youthandsupervisorsprovidedhonestandtransparentfeedbackintheirsurveysandperformancereviews.However,collectingsurveysandperformancereviewsfrom


supervisorswaschallenging.Thiswaspartiallyduetothefactthatsomesupervisorsthatwerelistedonthepositiondescriptionwereactuallynotthesupervisorsduringtheinternships.BrookLynkstaffwereonleavewhileafewinternshipswrappedup,whichmadecollectingyear-endsurveysandperformancereviewsdifficultfortheevaluator.SuggestionsforImprovement

• IncludeperformancereviewandsurveydeadlinesonthesheetdetailingimportantBrookLynkdatesthatispassedoutatthebeginningoftheprogram.

• Communicatemid-Julywithsupervisorsonhowtocompletetheperformancereviewandprovidealinktothesupervisorsurvey.Makesuretotalkaboutperformancereviewsandsurveysduringsitevisits.

• Havethestudentstaketheirinternsurveyatthelastcheck-intoensureagreaternumberofresponses.

• CreateprofilesontheBrookLynkwebsitewhereinternsandsupervisorscantracktheprogressoftheirperformancereviewsandsurveys.

DISCUSSIONNextevaluationquestionsandrecommendationsforimprovingtheBrookLynkprogramarediscussedbelow.NextEvaluationAsBrookLynktransitionsfromincubationtooperationattheCities,theevaluationwillchangeaswell.Thisthirdyearevaluationuncoveredadditionalquestionsforfurtherstudy.

• Whatspecificcharacteristics(program,staff,supervisor,employer,orintern)leadtoahigh-qualityinternship?

• WhatarethebenefitsoftheBrookLynkprogramtoemployers?• WhatarethebenefitsoftheBrookLynkprogramtotheyouthworkforce?• Whatisthevalueofthisprogramtothecityanditspartnersingrowingvitalityinthe

community?Thescopeoftheevaluationwilldecreasebytwo-thirdsnextyear.Astheprogrammaturestheevaluationwillshifttowardsprimarilyperformancemeasurement.Theevaluationwillstillincludereportonoutputstotrackyouthandcommunitypartnerparticipation.Thequalityassessmentwillonlyfocusontheinternships.Ashasbeendiscussed,thequalitymeasureswillbecross-tabbedwithotherdatatoidentifywhatleadstoahigh-qualityinternship.Performancereviewswillbeusedtomeasureyouthoutcomesregardingcareerskills.Theend-of-the-yearsurveysforinternsandsupervisorswillbeusedtomeasureyouthoutcomesandbusinessoutcomesaroundqualityandsatisfactionofthosestakeholders.Thecapacitybuildingandprocessevaluationswillbereplacedbypost-eventdebriefsthatwillcapturewhatworked,didn’tworkandsuggestionsforimprovements.Thiswillbereportedminimally.Forexample,fornextyear,thismayspecificallyincludethealumninetwork,thejobboard,andthejobfair.


RecommendationsforImprovingBrookLynkTheevaluationreportgeneratedover100suggestionstoimprovetheBrookLynkProgram.Theserecommendationsaresummarizedbelow.

1. LaunchtheAlumniNetworkandJobBoard.DeveloptheAlumniNetworktokeepincontactwithalumniandprovideongoingsupportandnetworkingopportunities.Designprofessionaldevelopmentaroundsocialnetworks.Developthejobboardtoprovideinformationaboutlocalinternshipandjobopportunitiesforyouth.

2. ConsidernewstrategiestomeetwithneedsofandattractOpportunityYouth.

CreateatargetedandsupportedoutreachstrategytoengageOpportunityYouth.Establishstrongerpipelinestonon-profitsandpublicagenciesthatdirectlyworkwithcounty-involvedyouth(CIY),torecruitandsupportthemintheirBrookLynkinternship.Attendprofessionaldevelopmentforprogramstafftoeffectivelyengageandsupportcountyinvolved/opportunityyouththroughouttheBrookLynkexperience.CreatereferralpartnershipswithserviceprovidersthatcanofferresourcesforstudentsthatmayhavefurtherneedsthanwhatBrookLynkcanprovide.

3. Buildthecapacityofemployerstoimproveinternalprocessesandsupport

supervisordevelopment.Providetechnicalassistancetoemployerstoimprovetheirinternalprocessesforhiringyouthandforsupportingsupervisors.MeetingalloftheworksitehiringcoordinatorspriortomatchingandinterviewingtogothroughBrookLynkinternshipprogrammingsteps.

4. Continuetoengageyouthinco-creatingtheBrookLynkprogram.Refinethe

BrookLynkGetReady!andInternshipTrainingtobereflectiveoftheneedsofyouthanddemandsofemployers.ThisrefinedversionshouldalsoaddressthequestionaboutyouthparticipatingBrookLynkformultipleyearsandtheirneedtotakepartintraining.Engageyouthtofreshen-upthecheck-incurriculumaroundtheirownneeds,forexample:hostanetworkingsession,aLinkedInsession,MicrosoftOutlook101,orothertechnicalsessionsthatallowthemtowalkawaywithimmediateskills.

5. RedesigntheYouthJobFair.Considernewstrategiestorecruitmoreyouthand

businessestoattend,andtomatchjobseekerstoemployerswithjobopeningsattheevent.Recruitemployershiringforpositionsandtrainthemtohireonthespot.Outreachforemployersandyouthworkforcedevelopmentorganizationsyear-round.

6. Createdeeperengagementwithschoolpartnersasstrategicpartners.Consider

newstrategiestoimprovethepercentageofinvitedyouthwhoattendworkreadinesstraining,includingworkingwithschooltoofferworkreadinesstrainingduringschool-dayorafterschoolprogramming.Considerwaystoprovideinternswithmoretrainingaroundjobskillsemployersneed(Outlook,Excel,etc.)includingworkingwithschoolsandhaveemployersprovideOn-The-JobTraining.

7. ContinuetorefinetheyouthoutreachstrategywiththeReferralPartners.Create

referralpartnershipswiththecountyserviceprovidersandfaith-basedcommunity


organizations.AllowtheAmbassadorstotakeagreaterleadonmarketingattheirschools.WorkwithBrooklynParkstafftocreatemarketingmaterialinthefallthateachschoolpointofcontactcansendoutwhenrecruitingbegins.HavetheBrookLynkAmbassadorsleadasocialmediacampaignthroughamoreorganicinitiativethatcreatesbuzzearlieron.Betterusetraditionalmedia(Channel12,theSunPost,andothernewsoutlets)torecruityouthandcommunicatetheworkBrookLynkdoesinthecommunity.

8. CompletethetransitionofBrookLynkfromtheAlliancetotheCities.Continue

withtheBrookLynkSteeringCommittee,andputenergyintoestablishinganewadvisoryduringthetransitiontoensurepositiveyouthoutcomesduringthischange.

9. Continuetoexpandbusinessoutreachtoengagemoreemployers,andinmore

typesofcareerfieldsandopportunitiesfor2018.Createauniqueandengagingrecruitmentpiecesforfunders,employers,andpolicymakers.Continuetogrowstrategicpartnerships.Continuetoidentifyandengagenewstakeholders.Haveamorecomprehensivecommunicationsplan/pitchtoemployerswithsupportingmaterialsthatincludebrochures,evaluationsummaries,testimonials,andinfographics.

10. EngagemorecommunitypartnerstosupportBrookLynk.Createan“engagementladder”forcommunitypartnerstogetinvolved,fromdonatingfinancialorin-kindsupport,toparticipatinginatrainingorevent,toprovidinginternships,tojoiningabusinessadvisory.FindalocalbusinessororganizationthatwouldbewillingtofundtheBrookLynkcelebration.

11. Determinehowtostrategicallybuildresourcescollaboratively.Staffidentified

theneedtodevelopacollaborativetimeline,expectations,andclarityregardingfundraising.Refinetheunderstandingofthebudget,andbuildadetailedplanforfundraising,partnership,andwaystomanageexpenses.

12. Simplifytheevaluationfurtherfocusonthedatapointsthatmostdirectly

answerthepoliticalandperformancemeasurequestionsthatwillarise.Createasinglepageapplicationsothatallofastudent’sinformationiscollected.Havethestudentstaketheirinternsurveyatthelastcheck-intoensureagreaternumberofresponses.Sendearlierandmoreconsistentcommunicationstosupervisorsandhiringcoordinatorstoensurethattheycompletethesurveysandperformancereviews.Continuetoimproveandvalidatetheprocessofassessingqualityintheinternshipexperiencesatemployerlocations.Considerwhatotherdatashouldbecollectedandanalyzedthatmayhelptounderstandthecharacteristicsofahigh-qualitysupervisor.


FURTHERINFORMATIONForfurtherinformationontopicsanddatadiscussedinthisreport,pleaserefertotheYouthEmploymentProgramwikisiteatthefollowingaddress:

https://sites.google.com/site/bbayouthemploymentprogram/APPENDIX

• BrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramLogicModel

• BrookLynkYouthEmploymentProgramProcessChart

• 2017BrookLynkEvaluationPlan

• 2017BrookLynkOutputs

2017 brooklynk year-end report final · 2017 final report rebecca gilgen executive director the...

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