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IWOWS, I Want Out of the Welfare System
Young people building skills, mentoring relationships, and career direction

Supporting the Whole Youth

Helping Young People Build Wellness, Direction, Skills, and Opportunity

Youth Wellness & Career Services connects mentoring, personal development, career exploration, workforce readiness, paid work experience, and coordinated support.

Support Youth PathwaysBecome a Youth Partner

Youth Wellness & Career Services is the youth-development initiative of the IWOWS ecosystem, powered by Ideal Education. It combines mentoring, career exploration, wellness awareness, paid work experience, and coordinated support to help young people build direction, skills, and opportunity.

Young People Need More Than a Program

A young person's ability to succeed in school or work may be affected by:

Lack of career directionFamily instabilityHousing insecurityMental-health concernsLimited adult mentorshipTransportationDigital accessCommunity violenceDisconnection from schoolLack of work experienceFinancial pressureLow confidenceLimited professional networks

Youth development must address the whole person while maintaining clear educational and career goals.

Integrated Youth Support

Career Exploration

Expose young people to industries, occupations, technical pathways, college, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship, and community leadership.

Mentoring

Connect youth with consistent adults who can provide encouragement, accountability, professional guidance, and exposure to new possibilities.

Wellness Awareness

Help youth understand stress, emotional wellness, healthy relationships, help-seeking, resilience, and available support resources.

Academic and Life Skills

Support communication, time management, teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and personal responsibility.

Paid Work Experience

Create supervised opportunities where young people can earn income, build work history, and develop confidence.

Community Engagement

Engage youth as community ambassadors, volunteers, Block Captains, peer leaders, content creators, and problem-solvers.

Family and Partner Coordination

Coordinate with schools, families, healthcare providers, youth organizations, employers, and public agencies where appropriate.

Who We Serve

The initiative may serve:

Middle and high school studentsOut-of-school youthYoung adults ages 16-24Students at risk of disengagementYouth in public or private schoolsHomeschool studentsYouth receiving public benefitsYouth affected by housing instabilityYouth involved in reentry systemsYoung people seeking first work experienceYouth interested in entrepreneurshipMedicaid-eligible youth through properly structured partner services

Program Components

Programming may include:

Individual youth assessmentCareer-interest explorationGoal planningMentoringTutoring and academic supportDigital literacyEmployability skillsFinancial literacyPaid work-based learningEntrepreneurshipCommunity serviceWellness workshopsReferrals to licensed providersFamily engagementTransition planning

Safeguarding and Scope

IWOWS career and youth-development services should be clearly distinguished from clinical, diagnostic, behavioral-health, or medical treatment.

Clinical services should be delivered only by appropriately licensed providers through clearly defined partnerships and consent procedures.

Outcomes We Seek

The initiative is designed to improve:

Youth engagementCareer awarenessAcademic persistenceAttendanceConfidenceMentoring relationshipsEmployability skillsPaid work participationCredentialsSchool completionPostsecondary transitionEmploymentEntrepreneurshipCommunity leadership

Partner Opportunities

Partners can:

Refer youthSponsor work experiencesProvide mentorsHost career visitsSupport transportationProvide tutoringDeliver wellness workshopsOffer licensed clinical servicesFund youth wagesHost internshipsSupport family engagementSponsor a youth cohort

Results We Report

As programming runs, the initiative reports verified data for:

Youth enrolledAssessments completedMentoring hoursWork placementsWages earnedCredentials earnedAttendance improvementSchool completionPostsecondary transitionsEmployment transitionsReferrals completed

Get involved

Help Young People Build a Stronger Future

Sponsor paid work experience, become a mentor, refer a young person, or partner with us to connect wellness and career opportunity.

Support Youth PathwaysBecome a Youth Partner