Mama Gwen gives homeless teens job training

Mama Gwen has found jobs for hundreds of homeless kids. Through job training, we help kids build a better future.

Young people living on the streets have so many obstacles standing in the way of finding a job. Many have no education, no one to look up to for guidance – to show them how to write a resume, where to look, how to prepare for an interview – they’re completely unfamiliar with what it takes to land, and keep, a job.

It’s a tough equation, but at Covenant House we know that helping our kids find jobs is the first step to financial independence and a life off the streets, and therefore it is one of our primary goals.

Through our job training and readiness programs, homeless teens can gain skills in a specific vocation and also learn what they need to know about job hunting and the professional world. We also give them interview clothes. Job training programs include courses in the culinary arts, desktop publishing, healthcare, public safety, computer skills, woodworking, and more.

But what makes Covenant House job training programs so special are the caring men and women who work with our kids day in and day out, often taking on the role of loving parental figure as well as job coach.

Our counselors are sensitive to the fears that young people experience when it comes to looking for employment and handling the responsibility that keeping a job requires. They know that not all of the answers can be found in a classroom or a textbook.

So they make themselves available to kids by listening to their concerns and offering reassurance. Sometimes that might mean a pre-interview pep talk, giving advice on dealing with a demanding boss, or even just help with choosing the right outfit for that important first meeting. These caring professionals are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure our kids find a job to help them get off the streets.

For more information about job training programs at different Covenant House locations, check out Our Houses.

Mama Gwen makes it her personal mission to be involved with every kid as they begin the process of finding a job. “There is nothing like the transformation that happens when a young man or woman puts on a suit for the first time,” said Mama Gwen. She loves watching that rush of self-confidence and pride that her kids feel when they start to see themselves as hardworking members of their communities. Read more about Mama Gwen.