Youth Programs
ODEP's youth demonstration program is comprised of six types of programs designed to serve youth with disabilities and increase their educational opportunities and employment possibilities, and impact systems change.
- The Innovative Youth Demonstration Grants (IGs) demonstrated how youth programs can build the capacity of WIA Youth Programs to better serve youth with disabilities through projects that develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate new or improved approaches that generate knowledge and promote best practices to WIA-assisted youth programs (concluded in 2004).
- The High School/High Tech (HS/HT) program enhances expectations, educational achievements, and eventual employment outcomes for youth with disabilities through transition-related services. The programs serve both in-school and out-of-school youth with disabilities in a full year program that includes corporate site visits, mentoring, job shadowing, seminars, guest speakers, and paid internships. The HS/HT projects provide opportunities for students with disabilities to explore careers in technology-related occupations The first incarnation of the program - the two-year High School/High Tech (HS/HT) State Grant demonstration program (concluded in 2004) assisted states in developing statewide HS/HT infrastructure and operations and integrating HS/HT programs into WIA-assisted youth services in the state.
- The current HS/HT initiative, the HS/HT State Development and Implementation program, provides one year development grants and up to five years of implementation funding to help states, in partnership with the state Workforce Investment Boards (WIB's), implement statewide HS/HT programs and integrate them into the youth services funded under the WIA.
- The Innovative State Alignment Grants for Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Through the Use of Intermediaries ("State Intermediary program") provides up to five years of funding to work with states in designing, implementing, and evaluating state-operated local intermediary demonstration projects to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.
- The Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities (Faith- and Community-Based Mentoring), build capacity and knowledge of faith-based and other community-based organizations to provide and sustain mentoring services to youth with disabilities through smaller intermediary organizations.
Guideposts for Success: Quality Youth Transition Services
Through the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Y), Guideposts for Success have been developed and are being tested in ODEP's youth programs. The Guideposts are based on research that has identified educational and career development interventions that can make positive effects in the quality of transition services for youth. There are five guideposts: school-based preparatory experiences; career preparation and work-based learning experiences; youth development and leadership; connecting activities; and family involvement and supports.
