Youth Employment Institute - YEI

YEI Honors Tyler Andrews

Daniel Hague — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:29:58 +0000

YEI student Tyler Andrews has been honored for his outstanding academic and personal accomplishments as the Student of the Month for January 2012. Tyler is a teen parent that has been attending YEI since November 2011.

Tyler said in his acceptance speech to the Kruse Way Rotary:

“Attending YEI has been a good blessing for me and has given me faith that I can graduate and to never give up no matter what situation you’re in. My goals after graduating YEI are attending Mt.Hood Community College for the study of audio engineering, also I want a trade for construction while I am working on my degree.

I thank you Rotary for having me here and thanks for your acknowledgement, I really appreciate it.”

Important Message for students who worked at YEI in 2011!

artizondigital — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:38:39 +0000

Until Friday, January 27th, all 2011 W2′s are available at the YEI front desk
from 8 am – 5 pm. Please bring a picture ID.

After the close of business on Friday, January 27th, all remaining 2010 W2′s will be mailed to the address on file.

If your address has changed since your employment at YEI, please contact Toye Jones at 503-280-1058 before Friday, January 27th.

Adventure ED 101

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:12:37 +0000

The Youth Employment Institute and Oregon Active have partnered up to offer a weekly class that teaches students leadership and event planning skills all while having an awesome time! The students pick several adventures they want to experience and then execute plans to make the adventures a reality. Watch the video to learn more!

YEI honors Eric Seney

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:35:28 +0000

YEI student Eric Seney has been honored for his outstanding academic and personal accomplishments as the Student of the Month for November 2010. Eric is a warm and personable young man with a great sense of humor. Eric came to YEI to obtain his GED, and while he remained dedicated to his education, he became employed with Jiffy Lube in the spring of 2010. This job is a great step towards Eric’s career goal of becoming an auto mechanic. In November of 2010, Eric graduated YEI with his GED. The staff at YEI wishes him the best of luck with all his future endeavors!

Summer Forestry Work Experience

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:09:48 +0000

This summer, over 60 Portland youth participated in YEI’s forestry work experience programs, with the overall goal of gaining forestry skills and outdoor experience through conservation and restoration projects. The Portland Youth Explorers (PYE) program engaged 34 youth ages 14 to 16 and the Urban Rangers program supported 28 youth ages 16 to 24. The Urban Rangers program focuses on developing job skills through exposure to careers in the forest industry, paid work experiences and increasing knowledge about our environment. The PYE program expands on this directive and gives youth the opportunity to earn one high school credit through classroom and hands-on instruction, weekly field trips (including horseback riding, kayaking, geo-caching and caving) and a week long backpacking trip at the end of the summer in the Wallowa Mountains.

This was the third year of the summer forestry work experience program. Partners include US Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, Urban League and Bureau of Land Management, with the majority of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Additional partners this year include Big City Mountaineers, which provided the backpacking trip to our youth, and Oregon Active, which organized the weekly field trips.

YEI Summer 201023 pictures

Chad Swenson, YEI Staff

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:24:49 +0000

Chad Swenson has been the Employment Specialist/WIA Case Coordinator here at YEI since April of 2010. Chad graduated with a degree in Behavioral Science from Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado in 2001. Chad’s first professional experience was as a behavioral therapist working with autistic children helping them to develop their social and academic skills. From there he realized his dream of living and working in a foreign country by joining the Peace Corps for two years. He was assigned to work in the Eastern European country of Albania as a Community Development Advisor with an emphasis on youth development. During this experience he learned that there are many similarities between the struggles and roadblocks of at-risk youth here in the U.S. and at-risk youth in foreign countries, which is basically how to find their adult identity in the world through education and finding a career, while navigating the problems all youth go through during adolescence. Chad took this unique experience to Portland and has been helping at-risk youth to build their roadmap towards becoming independent and productive young citizens ever since, first as a case manager, then running a literacy program for students with dyslexia, and now in his current position with YEI as Employment Specialist.

YEI Honors Amber Johnson

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:08:37 +0000

YEI student Amber Johnson has been honored for her outstanding academic and personal accomplishments as the Student of the Month for October 2010. Amber is a very pleasant student who likes to work hard towards her goals in life. In addition to working on her GED, she has been an active participant in several extra curricular programs such as Oregon Active for recreational activities and volunteering at the Free Geek computer recycling program to gain valuable work experience. Amber was also selected to participate in the Commitment to Success program which will help her reach academic and employment goals after she graduates the YEI GED program. YEI’s staff and students would like to congratulate Amber for all her hard work and we wish her success in the future.

Rose, Teen Parent Program

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:53:13 +0000

The Youth Employment Institute offered me a second chance. While most of my junior high friends went on to high school, I stayed home to take care of my baby. Even if I had wanted to continue with school, my parents were never around to help with day care, give me a ride or help me pay for food or bus fare – it would have been impossible. I knew I had to be responsible for my child, but without an education or a job, how would I support her? When I heard that YEI had day care, I decided it was time to try school again.

When I first started taking classes to get my GED at YEI, I began planning for the future for the first time. The financial aid I received from Youth Employment Institute was enough to get my daughter and me to school every day and help me pay the rent when I was broke.

I passed my GED and YEI helped me find an internship at Albina Community Bank. My Spanish speaking was highly valued because it allowed me to work with Latino customers that don’t speak English. After my internship ended, I was hired into a permanent position. I’ve now been working at Albina Bank for four years and I no longer worry about supporting my daughter.

Patricia Center

admin — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:43:33 +0000

I got pregnant when I was 14 and was kicked out of high school for my low attendance. During my teens, I had no guidance in my life and no motivation to return to high school. It was not until I turned 20 and was pregnant with my third child that I realized how hard it would be to support my kids without a high school diploma. I tried other programs, but I felt like no one there was on my side. It was important to me to be a better person, not only for the sake of my children and their future, but also for myself.

When I came to Youth Employment Institute I was paired up with a case manager who encouraged me to get my degree. The financial assistance and childcare made it possible for me to go back to school, but it was the constant moral support that kept me going. Whenever I would feel like giving up, there would be someone at YEI telling me ‘you can make it, I know you can.’ YEI gave me something no other school that I attended could – guidance and support. YEI helped me get the education that I needed to achieve my goals.

For two years and one month, I have worked at Nike as an Apparel Merchandiser. I make the products more appealing to customers by setting up the store in a special way. I love what I am doing and I love being part of a team. Youth Employment Institute helped me find my job and gave me confidence and skills to succeed. I am proud of the work that I do and of the role model I can be for my kids.

Rose Guitron

admin — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:41:30 +0000