Success Center SF’s (SCSF) Interrupt, Predict, and Organize (IPO) program serves transitional age, low-income youth of color. Those who are recruited for this program have been identified as being among the highest risk youth in San Francisco. They often have barriers making their employment and educational goals virtually impossible.
IPO is designed to help youth remove these obstacles. The program is composed of:
The 5-week job reading training program provides participants not only with job readiness skills, but also helps them change their personal expectations from failure to success. They receive personalized employment resumes/portfolios and guest speakers talking on a range of topics. Participants also get valuable trainings /certifications in CPR, First Aid and AED, along with mediation training, and other useful trainings and workshops.
The entire Success Center SF staff collaborates to provide participants with the resources and guidance they need to be successful. The program offers barrier removal support, such as helping participants obtain their CA Driver’s License and achieve High School/ GED completion if needed. IPO participants also have the opportunity to meet with case managers on a weekly basis to address any mental and/or physical health concerns they may have.
Once the first part of the program has ended, participants are placed in positions with San Francisco City and County as Public Service Trainees (PST) for 1 year. They work under the tutelage of SF Public Utilities Commission, SF Department of Public Works, and SF Recreation and Parks supervisors. They’re given hands-on training in:
They also learn how to interact with the public, as well as other important skills. All participants are paid for 24 hours of work per week.
IPO pays its participants for participating in mandatory behavioral health services for 2 hours each week. This component of IPO provides them with the opportunity to get additional Mental Health Services as needed. This is to address the persistent problem of youth self-medicating to solve personal issues because they’re unfamiliar with healthy, coping strategies.