Juma believes in the power of a first job to provide young people with the experience and the foundational soft skills needed to succeed in the workforce. Through the recent development of our Youth Talent Pipeline with corporate employers, our aim is now to help youth take their next step towards permanent employment with the right support and mentoring needed to prosper into adulthood.

With these beliefs and goals in mind, we are excited to partner with Gap Inc. to help kickoff a new season in the San Francisco Bay Area with the 2017 launch of This Way Ahead (TWA). This will be Juma’s first year involved in Gap’s flagship life skills and paid internship program.

This Way Ahead builds on the powerful connections between youth, Gap Inc. employee volunteers, and the opportunity for on-the-job learning in Gap Inc. stores. After working in Juma’s social enterprise and participating in our professional skills training, youth will become eligible to move onto an internship with TWA. These youth will also attend job skills workshops led by volunteers from Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic Stores.

Results from the TWA program are impressive:

• In 2016, over 70% of This Way Ahead interns received job offers at Gap Inc. stores after completing their internships.
• Evaluations show that teens and young adults who participate in This Way Ahead improve their confidence, maturity, and conflict resolution skills.
• Teens and young adults that are hired on as employees after completing the This Way Ahead program show greater enthusiasm and company loyalty than their peers.

Since the program launch in 2007, more than 2,600 teens and young adults of ages 16-to-24 years old have participated in TWA. By 2020, it is expected that 10,000 young people will participate, which puts Gap, Inc. on a path towards hiring 5% of their future entry-level store employees through This Way Ahead by 2025.

We are excited to be a part of this unique cross-sector partnership program, helping underserved Bay Area youth access stable employment opportunities.