The women of Impact100 East Bay joined us as partners in our work in a way that we haven’t experienced before.
Opportunity Junction’s mission is “to help motivated Contra Costa job seekers develop the skills and confidence to launch careers that lead to financial security.” Launched in 2000, Opportunity Junction has grown from a start-up nonprofit running a single job training and placement program into a regional hub with five programs that help residents address barriers to employment or advancement in their careers, all offered at no charge to participants. Programs include: a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program; a suite of services for 18-24 year-olds; Career Counseling and Placement Assistance; and an evening Technology Center that offers free computer classes, internet access, and an annual Do-it-Yourself Tax Assistance program. We enrolled 187 motivated, low-income job seekers into job training, career counseling, and our youth program. We placed 131 into employment, averaging $17.09 per hour. Altogether, we served 1,092 local residents, despite the pandemic and the lockdown. The grant we received from Impact100 made a huge difference to the transition-aged youth in the area who were facing significant employment barriers. It allowed us to test out the best ways to help these young people develop the skills they needed to launch careers. The longer time horizon for these grants makes it possible to evaluate and iterate the program design in order to achieve the most impact. The women of Impact100 East Bay joined us as partners in our work in a way that we haven’t experienced before. One member offered her skills as a videographer. Another provided consultation on staff development. They come from varied professional backgrounds and have so much to contribute.
