With the current pandemic, programs involving workplace visits now call for creative solutions. As a youth development and mentorship organization, it is our responsibility to meet our students where they are and where circumstances have led them. For our Step Up teens and young womxn, the majority of which are from underserved communities and marginalized groups, it is even more crucial we don't limit their opportunities because of the pandemic but instead be innovative and double down in our commitment.
The creation of the Step Up Experienceship Program, which launched this month, will allow 50 teens and young womxn from across the country to have a virtual experience at 13 companies in three industries: entertainment, media and professional services. These two week long "experienceships" allow Step Up teens and young womxn the opportunity to explore and learn about a specific industry through a company's perspective and culture. From attending staff meetings, working on small projects and hearing from company leadership, these students will engage in a professional setting and begin seeing themselves in these environments. In addition to skill-building, the exchange of social capital and ability to establish a network of mentors and role models gives them significant leverage as they move forward on their career journey. It is through these programs that we can strengthen the workforce pipeline, even during a global pandemic.
In addition to our career-readiness programs, at Step Up we are deeply committed to fostering a community where teens and young womxn can come together and feel safe and celebrated. At the Experienceship Orientation session when asked what they were most excited about, one teen answered, "to connect with other people and be part of something, especially in times like this." Through the Experienceship Program, students will be broken into cohorts by industry and will meet together with a staff facilitator so they can process and share their experience. Together, they will present at the Experienceship Capstone event on what they have learned both individually and as a cohort. They are craving connection and belonging, now more than ever, so let's make sure we give them every opportunity to find it while seeing and dreaming all that is possible.
Thank you to the companies that have partnered with us on this new program and are providing the access and opportunity to Step Up students:
- 24|Seven
- Accenture
- Birdies
- C’est Moi
- Collab
- Hulu
- Human Marketing
- Innovation Protocol
- MediaMath
- Mosaic Media Group
- NBCUniversal
- Skylar
- Untitled Entertainment
