Foundation investments in real work experience for vulnerable youth can show the value of education for future employment and encourage higher self esteem and ambition.

FSW’s Youth Business Center, which provides life skills and job training for court-involved and other youth at high risk for delinquency

Ruthie comes from a struggling family where there has been a lot of tension. She fought often with her mother and siblings, skipped school and didn’t think much of her life. Her mother could not afford school supplies. At age eleven, Ruthie got caught trying to steal them from a school closet. Her brother, who was on parole, brought her to the Youth Business Center, where the staff recognized that Ruthie was at high risk for delinquency. Counselors allowed her to participate in the programming. Ruthie felt welcomed and learned trade skills.

Ruthie attends the Youth Business Center regularly, was promoted to a leadership position in the media program, obtained a part-time job in the community, and is working toward a GED. She is now involved in a program that will help her to earn a nursing certificate. Ruthie says, “The Youth Business Center has helped me to believe in myself. I now know that the sky is the limit for me.”