The number of teens and young adults, ages 16-24, disconnected from both work and school in the United States fell for the eighth year in a row, from a recession-fueled high of 14.7% in 2010 to 11.2% in 2018. However, it is projected that the Covid-19 pandemic will cause youth disconnection rates to potentially spike to one-quarter of all young people. With students physically disconnected from schools, and unemployment the highest since the Great Depression, young people with the fewest resources, particularly youth of color, economic disadvantage and/or disability, will be left even further behind their peers and face the highest barriers to reconnection.
To this end, Atlanta GLOW was selected as a FY 2022 subrecipient of grant funding from Cobb County’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation. Federal ARPA funding supports our Leadership Education/Equity and Advancement Program (LEAP) initiatives in Cobb County, Georgia. Congress approved ARPA in 2021 to help local governments recover from the pandemic and to stimulate the economy. Cobb County worked with a consultant to engage residents, nonprofits, and community groups in how best to distribute these funds. Of the 261 applications received by the county, only 85 received funding after extensive vetting through a committee process.
Funded under the Economic Development grant priority, Atlanta GLOW's funded initiatives include the following activities for youth, ages 14-25, in Cobb County:
-
1-on-1 & Group Mentoring. We connect young women with positive and professional role models who serve as advocates in helping them achieve their goals and make healthy decisions. Learn More
-
Life Skills Training. We help young women build the competencies and confidence they need to achieve self-sufficiency, set long-term goals, and lead healthy, productive lives. Learn More
-
Leadership Development. We expose young women to amazing leaders and engage them in youth-led civic engagement opportunities to help them make a difference in their communities. Learn More
-
Financial Literacy. We help young women learn all the basics of finance—including how to make money, budget and save—and empower them to take control of their financial future. Learn More
-
Workforce Development. We help young women overcome barriers to employment with paid, entry-level work readiness training and job placement opportunities. Learn More
Through our three-year, ARPA-funded initiative, Atlanta GLOW provides a multi-pronged mentoring approach to help reroute, lead and launch traditionally marginalized young women and girls of color, ages 14-25, who are disconnected or at risk of disconnection, towards lives filled with opportunities for skills development, upward mobility, civic engagement and career advancement. Our LEAP initiative engages low-income, minority and/or disabled female youth in evidence-based mentoring, life skills training, workforce readiness, and leadership development activities delivered utilizing a Positive Youth Development framework that emphasizes strengths-based leadership and promotes goal setting, career exploration, resilience building and civic engagement.