My Turn

CONTACT:

156 Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
508-580-7543
www.my-turn.org

Barbara Duffy, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

The Massachusetts Youth Teenage Unemployment Reduction Network (MY TURN) was established in 1984 by a Brockton High School alumnus and businessman, to provide opportunities for at-risk youth in his home town.

Its idea is practical and straightforward: "to fundamentally change the educational process so that young people graduate with career readiness and clear plans for the future". Its method is to network with all relevant institutions--community colleges, chambers of commerce, businesses, unions--and to create supportive pathways for students to explore. MY TURN starts with teenagers and sticks with them through schooling and early jobs. Each student has an Individual Career Plan Portfolio to document progress, and is paired with established students and workers in their fields of interest. They go with workers on "job shadows"--a program which grew from 80 in 1996 to over 1,000 in just two years. They also learn practical skills--budgeting time, preparing for interviews, organizing their lives, choosing courses wisely and dressing for work.

MY TURN needs broader philanthropic support to keep growing in response to demand for services.

(1998: HUMAN SERVICES: Children and Youth: General)