TALLER SAN JOSE (3) - 2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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college or apprenticeship. In fourteen years, Taller San Jose has helped over 4,000 young people in Central Orange County reshucture their lives, finish their education and develop marketable job skills. TIle Orange COlmty Conservation Corps (OCCC) serves at-risk young adults through employment, training and educational programs that build self.sufficiency and benefit the community through conservation~related projects. OCCC strives to help troubled youth enter the workforce and become successful, productive members of society. The OCCC employs more than 220 youth each year from throughout Orange County to work on projects for local cities, county agencies, and nonprofit organizations. As a transitional work and job tmining program, the OCCC recruits and employs 18-25 year old marginalized youth and trains them to work on OCCC's projects in habitat/trail/park restoration, construction, and recycling. OCCC offers corps members paid work experience and helps them develop a strong work ethic and leadership skills. All corps members must also be enrolled in an educational program. The OCCC is affiliated with the John Muir Charter School, which is administered by the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools. OCCC corps members who do not have a high school diploma are enrolled in the OCCC/John Muir Charter School to complete their degree and pass the California High School Exit Exam. Those corps members who already have their high school diploma are required to enroll in a community college, Regional Occupation Program (ROP) or local trade school. OCCC corps members reflect these characteristics: Average age: 20 years; Education: 81% have not completed high school; Residency: 30% live in Santa Ana; Coul.t-iltvo!vemeut: 65% are or have been court-involved, including on probation/parole; 30% are gang-affiliated; Family: 26% are parents and 13% are or have been in foster care. The proposed Green Construction Program will target low-income, Santa Ana youth who are between the ages of 18 and 21, with right-to-work documents and who share one or more of the following characteristics: are deficient in basic skills, have dropped out of school, are homeless or foster youth, are pregnant 01' parenting 8 child and/or are current or past offenders. The program will provide WIA elements 1 through 10. Each partner agency will recruit 10 students (20 total) to the Green Construction Program. Taller San Jose will utilize the following recruitment effOlts: 1) Community Outreach Coordinator-8 staff member actively markets the program to potential students and organizes recruitment efforts at, among other locations, local churches, jails, community centers, other youth-serving nonprofits, etc.; 2) Referrals from current Taller San Jose students - about 65% of students are referred by a friend or relative; 3) Refer,rals from community partners including: the Orange County Probation Depaltment, the Santa Ana WORK Center, Santa Ana Regional Occupation Center (ROP), Centennial Education Center, La Familia, Youth Provider Network, Daisy Wheel Network, as well as nonprofit institutions, including: Christ Our Redeemer CDC, Jamboree Housing, Orangewood Children's Foundation and Phoenix House; and, 4) Local newsprint publications such as the free PemlYsaver. OCCC will recruit 10 youth primarily from its Corps 2 Career Program-those who have already successfully completed job training and education at the Corps and are working with OCCC staff to transition into the workplace. In exceptional circumstances, and determined on a case-by-case EXHIBIT A 2 ,pol1Sored by tlu Slum of St. j01ep7J of Onmge