Sometimes the best solution to a problem can’t be solved by just one person or one organization. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” said Helen Keller.
It was that very spirit of partnership that brought several local nonprofits together. Recently, the organization Generation, United Way of Northeast Florida, and LISC hosted a community forum for residents in the Eastside/Springfield neighborhoods.
The partnering agencies are focusing services and resources in the targeted neighborhoods and using critical research to figure out solutions.
Research conducted by Jax non-profit coalition, and the Community Leaders Igniting Mobility (CLIMB), also a not for profit entity, suggests major barriers exist when it comes to employment and creating personal success for low-income individuals. Some of the barriers that hinder success include transportation, childcare, and housing.
The community forum offered on-the-spot job opportunities and discussions on sustainable housing, education and building generational wealth. A combination of fifty teachers, students and community supporters attended the forum held at R.L. Brown Elementary School on the Northside.
Participants were asked to join work teams from other neighborhoods to discuss options and ideas for the future. CLIMB is connecting leaders across downtown Jacksonville neighborhoods to bring the whole community of leaders together to identify, understand, and disrupt the roadblocks to mobility for citizens of Jacksonville.
According to the organization, more than 75 million young adults are out of work globally, and three times as many are underemployed. The Generation is a youth employment nonprofit with a dual mission to empower young people to build thriving, sustainable careers and to provide employers the highly skilled, motivated talent they need.
To date, more than 21,000 young adults have graduated from the Generation program, which prepares young adults for careers in nearly 80 cities and 200 locations across seven countries, with four countries in pre-launch. The local nonprofit partners will be reporting on the data and information collected in the community forums and will be shared with community organizers and the public.
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