Creating First Impressions
Securing futures by empowering ALL youth
OUR VISION
Creating First Impressions envision a world where every young person in the U.S has the ability to reach their highest employment potential, ultimately securing their economic future.
OUR MISSION
Creating First Impressions exists to break the cycle of poverty and addiction amongst disadvantaged youth by delivering a program that gives youth 14-25 years old a better sense of career adaptability, responsibility,, clear goals and the skills to reach these goals.
OUR PROGRAMS
Career Adaptability Core (8-12 weeks)
Designed specifically for disadvantaged youth (struggling with homelessness, substance abuse, poverty, etc) age 14-12 weeks and features a greater San Diego area, this interactive and facilitate program runs 2hr/week over the course of 8-12 weeks and features a career planning and the life-skills curriculum that covers three key areas:
- Career Readiness – Setting 5 years goals and employment objectives, college planning, transferable skills, resume writing, mock interviewing.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness – Communication, workload and time management, working productively in teams, navigating challenges on the job
- Financial Literacy – financial goal setting, budgeting, earning, spending, saving and borrowing
Free-of-charge to qualifying organizations serving vulnerable populations
A Ia Carte Workshops (3 hrs)
Designed more broadly for the general youth population ages 14-25, CFI also offers one-time workshops that organizations can choose from if they are unable to offer the core program or if they want to help youth focus in one core area.
- Career Readiness & Employment Objectives
- Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Resume Writing & Interviewing 101
- Financial Literacy & College Planning
Fee per Workshop
OUR IMPACT
Research shows that adolescents higher in career adaptability have a greater sense of thriving and are more successful in mastering vocational transitions. Research also indicates youth participating in workforce development programs have improved employment outcomes, modest increases in earnings and develop both hard-and soft-skills that will help them find and maintain employment.
In 2015-2016, CFI aspires to provide its Career Adaptability Core program to 100 disadvantaged youth through partnerships with at least two youth-serving organizations. It has already piloted a successful program with high school juniors impacted by homelessness at The Monarch School and as a result, 15 San Diego youth have developed the skills and the started to build a roadmap to their employment future.
GET INVOLVED
While CFI makes its core program available free-of-charge to organizations serving youth with the greatest needs, it costs the organization $4,000/program or $200/student to operate this program. CFI relies on your support to reach youth with this critical program. Please consider supporting the organization in the following ways:
- DONATE: Give a onetime donation or make it reoccurring. Gifts in any amount are greatly appreciated. CFI also needs in-kind gifts such as gift cards that can be given to youth at program completion. Also, if you are business owner, consider donating an item or experience that can be featured in CFI’s annual fundraiser.
- VOLUNTEER: Conduct mock interviews or sit on a career panel to help program participants.
- SPREAD The WORD: CFI would love the opportunity to talk
FACTS
Globally, 75 million youth 15-24 are unemployed 1
In the US, 14 million youth face employment challenges (twice the national average) and they disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable, namely African Americans, Hispanics and low-income youth.
In Southwestern San Diego (Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach), nearly 1 in S youth are not working or in school compared to 1in 28 in the affluent coastal communities between Torrey Pines and Mission Bay.
By 2020, there will be an estimated 5.9 million more high school dropouts than there will be jobs available for them.
One unemployed young person costs federal and state governments more than $4,100/year in forgone tax revenue and benefits paid out.
Individuals who fail to transition to stable jobs by their early 205 are at risk of experiencing more frequent and prolonged spells of joblessness, reduced productivity, permanently lower earnings, and greater difficulty building a secure financial future for themselves and their families.
Board Of Director
Jessica Sobel, CEO & Co-Founder
Resah Hage, CFO & Co-Founder
Dallas Hewett
Laleh Hanks
Brian Donegan
Martin Correia