Needs
We are positioned to impact up to 70 lives through our Mentoring Program in 2024. Compassion Planet invests just over $22,000 for each young person (aka - trainee) to complete our Mentoring Program.
Our signature program offers 1,100 to 3,200 hours of services (up to 20 months) designed to help facilitate positive growth, healthy mentoring relationships, personal coaching, and pathways to a lifetime of independence. Adult Mentors (staff and volunteers) are trained on how to work in trauma-informed environments. They also complete monthly training in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI).
In summary, our Workforce Development provides on-the-job training through paid internships in controlled environments at a dozen locations including seven social enterprises owned and managed by Compassion Planet.
In these environments trained mentors work together to empower youth with employment skills, workplace dependability skills, and a strong work ethic to ensure sustainable employment. A multi-range of on-the-job training skills may include customer service, computer coding, inventory controls, sales & marketing, merchandising, digital marketing, warehouse & shipping, event planning, light construction, food service, maintenance, gardening, and more.
Along with on-the-job training, youth interns participate in paid, career-training workshops that include Computer Tech Labs, Thumbs to Hands trades workshops, Farm-to-Fork training, Culinary Arts Academy, D.E.E.P. Learning field trips, Dress 2 SOAR, and Advanced Workforce Training (please click the "our program" tab to learn more).
Participating youth in the Mentoring Program also receive weekly one-to-one mental health coaching sessions with our clinical social workers. Coaching helps youth work through trauma, anxiety, addictive traits, and childhood pain while offering tools and pathways to find wholeness. We also provide Mental Health services and Educational Therapy on coping skills, conflict management skills, healthy relational skills and boundaries, emotional intelligence, and personalized topics to find wholeness.
In addition to Workforce Development training, Career Workshops, and Mental Health services, trainees receive basic life skills training, soft skills training, and career coaching at weekly Compass Classes. Interns will also acquire career-related certifications in ServSafe, OSHA 10, and CPR.
Upon graduating from the Mentoring Program, trainees enter our Aftercare program. This lifelong program includes services and helps ensure they stay connected to a community. Our goal is to help ensure lifelong growth and success. Compassion Planet’s Aftercare Program includes. Trimester check-ins, alumni events, housing opportunities, and access to emergency funds and coaching to support graduates if challenges arise.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 through Big Day of Giving 2025. Funds raised this year will be split three ways and will help underwrite:
1. Career Workshop Training ($5,000) Provides resources that will introduce trainees to potential careers in the trades, computer tech careers, culinary arts and food services careers, farm-to-fork careers such as healthy food supply and nutrition, and advanced workforce development training.
2. Mental Health Coaching ($5,000) Provides resources and assessment for weekly one-to-one sessions and helps youth overcome trauma, anxiety, and mental health challenges.
3. Workforce Development Internships ($5,000) Provides resources for unemployable youth to learn how to achieve independence through gainful employment and acquiring essential employability skills. Training includes certifications in Servsafe, CPR, and OSHA 10 as well as 20-32 hours per week of on-the-job training.