Urban Youth Empowerment in Oklahoma City

The Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City Workforce and Career Development program has helped change the lives of people who had lost hope of ever obtaining gainful employment and becoming a productive citizen. Calvin W.  was a 17 year old single black male when he enrolled in the Urban Youth Empowerment RISE Program (UYEP) in May 2016.  Due to a learning disability he was falling behind in school and was at risk of not completing the academic requirements to graduate from high school. Upon enrollment into the Urban Youth Empowerment RISE Program, Calvin was failing three required classes needed for successful high school completion.

Calvin was also in jeopardy of not passing the Oklahoma State mandated End of Year Instruction exams. Not passing the required classes and exams would have resulted in Calvin not graduating on schedule and could have easily caused him more hardship that would have created potential barriers to employment success. With the assistance and collaborative efforts of his UYEP case manager, Mr. James Mclemore, Calvin received weekly tutoring and homework assistance to pass his classes. Calvin’s career pathway goal of becoming a welder was identified when completing the Career Cluster Survey and the development of his Individual Career and Educational Plan. Calvin also participated in work readiness training, mentoring, and a paid internship with a remodeling company where he learned valuable hands on work skills and soft skills that will benefit him in future employment opportunities and other life goals.

Since his enrollment in UYEP, Calvin has graduated from high school. Calvin is now enrolled in Guthrie Job Corps Career Advanced Training working to obtain a vocational certification in the Advance Electrical program. He has received monetary incentives as he approached and met planned benchmarks. Overall, Calvin has benefited from collaborative efforts in the Workforce & Career Development program while learning about other programs that the affiliate has available to assist with his overall goal of being self-sufficient. Calvin has enjoyed being involved with ULOKC and is pleased with the opportunity to advance in his career and life goals.

To learn more about programs at the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City Click Here.