New Levels to Level Up!
Employment readiness development, career assistance and employment placement are an integral part of the supportive services that we provide at Ignite. The goal for each client is to secure employment in a career-based path. We also provide focused career and employment support through our specialized job/career program, called Level Up! Level Up! provides youth with an opportunity to develop basic job skills through coursework, peer interaction, and a six-week internship.
Taught by Ignite’s Employment Placement Manager, Shana McKinney, Level Up!’s intensive classroom component lasts for four weeks and covers topics such as the job seeking process, resume and cover letter requirements, interviewing skills, mock interviews, workplace-etiquette, conduct and dress, workplace conflict resolution, and good and bad workplace habits. Shana explains why Level Up! is so meaningful to our clients: “Level Up! provides the youth-clients with an interactive yet real world approach to the expectations and requirements of the work force. These classroom lessons and hands-on experiences/internships are the exposure that these youth-clients need to help positively reshape and influence their outlook and contribution to their community.”
With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic into the summer months, the Level Up! program has had to adjust and recently developed a hybrid model for working with youth. This model incorporates both in-person and virtual interactions. It includes limited onsite classroom participation and virtual meetings, online assessments, and lectures, as well as virtual learning sessions that provide real time feedback and interaction. The hybrid model ensures everyone’s safety while at the same time maintaining the effectiveness of the program.
This new normal of learning and work has gotten off to a strong start with this summer’s four youth participants, who are also enrolled in One Summer Chicago, the City’s summer jobs program for youth and young adults. Ignite is serving as the One Summer Chicago workplace site for our youth. This give us the ability to provide a safe, inclusive, and easily accessible place for them to gain experience and knowledge. And it also provides the youth with a deeper understanding of Ignite and the work we do. The youth are working in a variety of positions at Ignite, including Community Hub Peer Educator, Operations Associate, Operations Administrator, and Receptionist. These positions offer experience in operations and office and project management and also foster leadership development.
One of this summer’s Level Up! participants is Belfort House resident, DeAndre. He is working as a Peer Educator at our Community Hub. He explains his reasons for enrolling in Level Up! and One Summer Chicago:
“I chose to do One Summer Chicago, because it allows me to help kids and work with other youth. For example, I’m helping [Ignite’s] Community Hub get everything in order for a community baby shower that they are holding there, for the people around the community that are having kids or already have kids. I also chose to do One Summer Chicago, because it’s a program that allows you to gain leadership skills such as a hard work ethic. I hope to gain a better concept of help that we can give each other as youth and adults and help each other be better.”
If you’d like more information about Ignite’s Level Up! program and/or how to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Shana McKinney, Ignite’s Employment Placement Manager, at smckinney@ignitepromise.org or (773) 548-4443 x341.