Steps to Success Workshops

In 2023, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) will continue to approach each Participant who comes through our doors as an individual. Our Court Advocates diligently create an Individual Action Plan designed to stabi­lize the Participant, address immediate and long term needs, and in turn, help them strive for professional, personal and financial success. Our strength as an organization derives from our viewpoint of young people not as data points, but as people with real stories to tell about the importance of second chances—especially when empowered with the right wraparound services. 

Our research shows that our Participants need assistance in terms of their ability to obtain long term employment and income equality–--particularly in industries outside of retail and hospitality, which tend to have higher turnover rates and lack stability. It is for this very reason that AFJ tailored a unique approach to job readiness beyond the traditional resume and cover letter workshops. We want to position our Participants to be more marketable and to successfully graduate our program with professional hard and soft skills.

In congruence with our HIRE UP job readiness curriculum, which was developed in-house by our Director of Court Advocacy, we are excited to partner with the New York Junior League (NYJL) to offer Steps to Success! The workshop series, tailored towards AFJ Participants of all ages, will curate and cultivate our Participants’ professional identities. Participants will learn how to leverage their existing experience from interning, volunteering or working into transferable skills. Steps to Success, kicked off onsite at our Lower East Side community center this week, and will run on a quarterly basis for 6 to 8 weeks.

At the completion of Steps to Success, Participants will have knowledge on how to write and update a resume; how to create a profile for online job searches; how to prepare for an interview and; how to follow best-practices for professionalism on the job. Beyond covering topics like a clean social media profile, Participants will build the most important skills required by employers: conflict resolution, problem-solving, teamwork, time and project management. At the conclusion of each quarter, Participants will have a resume ready for their job searches!

If you or your company would like to offer any internship or employment opportunities to our Participants, please reach contact AFJ’s Director of Court Advocacy, Gamal Willis, at gwillis@avenuesforjustice.org.