- $100 Million Public-Private-Nonprofit Partnership Effort Aimed at Putting America Back to Work -
- Two-Prong Initiative Focuses on Community Investments and Grassroots Legislative Advocacy -
May 20, 2013 (New York, NY) – Today, the National Urban League, the nation's largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization, will launch its historic “Jobs Rebuild America: Educate, Employ, Empower” initiative in Cleveland, OH. Jobs Rebuild America, a solutions-based, comprehensive approach to the nation’s employment and education crisis, brings together federal government, business, and nonprofit resources to create economic opportunity in 50 communities across the country through the Urban League affiliate network.
The community investment component is a $100 million, five-year multi-platform effort designed to reach job-seekers, vulnerable youth and entrepreneurs. The initiative uses a comprehensive community development model that includes program offerings such as job-training for youth (18-24) and mature workers (55+), college preparation, a jobs network, entrepreneurship support, small business financing and resources, and tax credits, among others.
The grassroots advocacy component of Jobs Rebuild America focuses on federal legislative action to ensure a responsible fiscal plan and support for efforts that spur job creation in urban America. The National Urban League recently championed the reintroduction and passage of the Urban Jobs Act and Project Ready STEM Act, along with the respective sponsors of each bill – Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Chaka Fattah and Rep. Marcia Fudge – to spotlight the urgency of job creation and the need to invest in the education and skills enhancement of disadvantaged young people.
“As America faces the lowest labor force participation rate in almost 35 years, creating jobs and economically viable communities must be a collaborative, tripod effort between the government, corporate and nonprofit sectors,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “Our Jobs Rebuild America initiative is a leading example that public-private-nonprofit partnerships can drive job creation and the program innovation required to revitalize struggling communities. It’s time to shift from the debate about the problem of unemployment to comprehensively doing what is required to solve it, and our affiliates across the country are primed to do just that.”
As a designated Jobs Rebuild America market, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland is receiving a total of $950,000 in community investment competitive grants for three signature National Urban League programs – the Urban Youth Empowerment Program (UYEP), the Entrepreneurship Center program, and Project Ready: Post-Secondary Success Program.
“In a state that has the largest number of affiliates in the Urban League movement, Cleveland is proud to be the launch city for the national Jobs Rebuild America campaign,” said Marsha Mockabee, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. “Four years ago, announcements went out that our doors were closing due to the dismal funding and economic environment. However, significant public and private investments have allowed us to expand existing programs, as well as introduce new ones, to better serve the needs of our local community. As a result, we have been able to more effectively leverage local resources, restore funder and community confidence, and design a new 21st Century workforce development system to reach thousands of job seekers, while targeting some of our most vulnerable unemployed.”
For the UYEP program, the Cleveland affiliate will serve 100 juvenile offenders ages 16-24 over two years via case management support, job readiness and placement services, mentoring, restorative justice and education and training opportunities.
The Urban League of Greater Cleveland was also one of the original National Urban League affiliate participants in the Entrepreneurship Center program. The Center provides business management consulting and training services to more than 700 small and minority businesses in the greater Cleveland area. Bolstering these efforts, the affiliate operates a Small Business Development Center and Minority Business Assistance Center, as well as is one of the partners in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which is also based in Cleveland.
The National Urban League will also continue its grant commitment to the Cleveland affiliate to advance its Project Ready efforts around academic, social and cultural support and opportunities designed to develop college or career “readiness” for 8th-12th grade students.
“We visited Cleveland two years ago as part of the exploration phase of our nationwide Jobs Tour, and we came back with resources to invest,” said Morial. “What we are accomplishing here is representative of what we are doing with our partners and affiliates across the nation to provide economic and education opportunities in communities of greatest need.”
Click here to read the full press release about the "Jobs Rebuild America" Campaign to Combat Unemployment.
