SEPTEMBER 2009 E-BULLETIN

JFY Executive Director to Speak on Capitol Hill
JFY's Executive Director Andrew Abrahams will speak on Capitol Hill on September 15th as a part of a panel discussion on identifying and improving quality practice in youth programs at the National Youth Employment Coalition's (NYEC) Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet) Accreditation Ceremony and Forum. JFY is one of only four organizations nationwide that received recognition through the NYEC PEPNet Accreditation Pilot.

NYEC is a national membership network that improves the effectiveness of organizations that seek to help youth become productive citizens. Toward this end, NYEC sets and promotes quality standards; tracks, crafts and influences policy; provides and supports professional development; and builds the capacity of organizations and programs.

"We are thrilled to be recognized nationally for the work we have been doing in Chicago for thirty years," JFY's Executive Director Andrew Abrahams said, "We are looking forward to meeting the other organizations in D.C. and working together to impact more of our nation's youth."

Attending the panel discussion with JFY's Executive Director is JFY Graduate Maurice Finley.

Building on the NYEC PEPNet Recognition process from 1996-2003, NYEC launched a new PEPNet Accreditation pilot process to identify quality youth programming and promote continuous improvement in the fields of youth development, workforce development and education. The process involved each organization undergoing a quality self-assessment, completing a continuous improvement process, submitting a comprehensive written application and receiving a rigorous three-day site visit from two to three experienced, highly qualified youth work professionals. Based on reviewer recommendations, the NYEC PEPNet Accreditation Commission accredited four youth-serving organizations: Arizona Call-A-Teen Youth Resources, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ), Jobs For Youth/Chicago (Chicago, IL), Our Piece of the Pie (Hartford, CN) and The Work Group's New Jersey Youth Corps Program (Pennsauken, NJ).

Higher Average Wage for JFY Grads & FY10 Highlights
Despite the economy, JFY graduates in FY09 earned an average wage of $9.40/ hour in comparison to $9.32 in FY08. Compared to Illinois' average wage of $7.75/ hour in the same fiscal year, JFY graduates earned almost $50 more per week based on a 30-hour work week.

Earning a paycheck was exciting for Jemima and Candice (pictured right).Working as a part of JFY's summer job program, Jemima Graham and Candice Klimczak received their very first paycheck EVER! They were not alone. Four other GED students received their first paycheck ever in the summer job program.

For the summer job program, JFY made 102 job placements. The program will conclude on September 30th.

JFY has had a number of program highlights from the past two months of this fiscal year (July-August), including: