Youth Initiatives

In pursuits of Mayor Dyer’s One Fresno vision of ‘an inclusive prosperous, beautiful city where people take pride in their neighborhoods and community.  A government that listens, keeps its promises, and is owned by the people,’ the City of Fresno has created the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program.  Through a $7.4 M grant from California Volunteers and the State of California, the City will be able to hire youth ages 16-30 years old, pay them a livable wage, provide training and wrap-around services and put them on a career pathway for future City or outside organization employment in that field. This program will advance two of the six mayoral priorities, inclusive economic development and youth leadership. Good inclusive economic investment includes creating opportunities for our most vulnerable, so that they might ultimately realize economic mobility. This program will assist us in reaching this goal by providing resources necessary to invest in our young people in an inclusive way. Ultimately, it will assist us on our journey towards realizing a ‘One Fresno.’ Strategic objectives to meet this goal include:

• Identifying the highest need 16-30 year-old youth and providing opportunities for entry-level employment in city government; and career paths for future upward mobility
• Removing existing barriers of vulnerable residents for training and employment with the City of Fresno
• Providing job training, case management and mentorship through existing partnerships for all fellows in the program
• Providing fellows with tools for success in future employment at the City of Fresno or other outside organizations
• Providing a living wage for fellows throughout the duration of the program.

The One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program will focus on successful skills development, mentorship and case management for our most vulnerable youth which will ultimately change the path of our future workforce. Built on four core components 1) recruitment, 2) training and skills development, 3) mentorship and case management and 4) employment, the program will enable City of Fresno youth ages 16 to 30 who may have difficulty finding employment gain skills, experience, and have a source of income over the course of two years and beyond. This program will help participants expand their horizon for gainful employment opportunities. The City of Fresno believes that, to enact positive change in someone’s life, you must provide them an opportunity and encouragement to succeed. Challenges like availability of gainful employment, the ability to earn a livable wage at an entry-level job, high barrier employment for people that have a criminal background or have had an unstable childhood are just some of the complications with which Fresnans are faced. We are specifically targeting our outreach and recruitment efforts to those that have one or more of the above barriers to participate in the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program. We want to encourage young people that positive change is not only possible, but that respected employment can be the change they are seeking. The City of Fresno has identified an array of entry-level and career paths in various City departments. These pathways will provide both hands-on and technical training to equip each fellow with experience and know-how to qualify for future permanent employment. Through a partnership with Career Nexus, potential fellows will apply for the program, be assessed by trained staff and provided next steps for employment and training specific to the field each fellow is interested in.  

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