MY TURN in the News!
MY TURN receives $325,000 grant from 2021 TD Ready Challenge
The 2021 TD Ready Challenge will help MY TURN address predicted learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
Manchester, NH, January 26, 2022 – MY TURN, an organization providing innovative anti-poverty solutions, was recently named by TD as a 2021 TD Ready Challenge recipient, receiving a $325,000 grant for their Project Complete Program.
Project Complete will work to address the dropout crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic and increase youth workforce participation within Manchester - the largest city in New Hampshire.
The program is designed to quickly and effectively target those youth who disengaged from traditional education amid the COVID-19 crisis, re-engage them in HiSET Preparation as an alternative pathway to high school completion, and provide them with comprehensive post-secondary planning and preparation services.
Schools across North America repeatedly closed and reopened throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to curb the spread of the virus, with students and teachers quickly adapting to online instruction. As a result, research predicts students could experience significant learning loss.
Given the potential widespread and long-lasting impacts of predicted learning loss, the issue was selected as the problem statement for the 2021 TD Ready Challenge. Eligible non-profit and charitable organizations were encouraged to submit their innovative, scalable solutions to assist disproportionately impacted students in grades K-12 who are experiencing pandemic-related learning loss in math and reading.
"Predicted learning loss has the potential to impact our community for generations to come, which is why we are so proud to award MY TURN's Project Complete with a grant as part of this year's TD Ready Challenge. We know that the organization's innovative approach to combatting the dropout crisis will help our kids overcome learning loss, explore alternative career pathways, and give them every opportunity to succeed," said Sheryl McQuade, Regional President for Northern New England at TD Bank.
“We are thrilled to have been selected to receive a TD Ready Challenge grant. This support will allow us to triple our current capacity and provide pivotal academic and work readiness instruction to 100 youth in Manchester. Project Complete will create opportunity and pathways to bright futures for some of the city’s most vulnerable youth,” said Allison Joseph, Executive Director of MY TURN.
A key component of the TD Ready Commitment, the Bank's corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Challenge is an annual initiative aimed at helping provide funding to programs focused on helping to solve societal issues. Acting as a springboard for social innovation, TD established the TD Ready Challenge in 2018, and has since provided more than $40 million CAD in funding to 50 organizations across its North American footprint to support scalable solutions identified within the four drivers of The TD Ready Commitment: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health.
In total, TD awarded $10 million CAD for the 2021 TD Ready Challenge to organizations in Canada and the U.S. that are addressing predicted learning loss in math and reading.
To learn more about the Ready Challenge and for a full list of this year's winners, please visit www.td.com/thereadychallenge.
Three honored for a lifetime of achievements at BIA's 106th dinner
My Turn was horored with the New Hampshire Advantage award at the 106th annual Dinner of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire on Wednesday evening, Oct. 16, 2019, at the DoubleTree Hilton in downtown Manchester. From left are Patrick Queenan, president of the board of directors of My Turn, and Allison Joseph, executive director of My Turn, and Brad Cook of Sheehan & Phinney.
A third-generation newspaperman, a longtime advocate for the arts and the retiring president and CEO of Easterseals won lifetime achievement awards Wednesday at the Business and Industry Association’s 106th Annual Dinner, Lifetime Achievement and New Hampshire Advantage Awards Celebration.
The event, presented by Eversource, was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel.
Larry Gammon, retiring president and CEO of Easterseals; Joan Goshgarian, former executive director of New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts; and Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News, were presented lifetime achievement awards before a crowd of more than 750 at the downtown Manchester hotel.
Upcoming Events
Nashua Community College voted Training Provider of the Year by MY TURN
Youth support agency cites positive employment outcomes for clients in NCC programs
NASHUA, NH - Nashua Community College has been voted 2018 Training Provider of the Year by the staff at MY TURN, a nonprofit youth support agency headquartered in Manchester.
Students from MY TURN have enrolled in courses across disciplines at the college including Business, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Design, and Precision Manufacturing. The Microelectronics Boot Camp, a 10 -week non-credit career training session, has also been a popular choice.
“NCC has been one of our most valued training providers of the past decade, and the Microelectronics Boot Camp has helped us achieve some of our best employment outcomes of MY TURN's 34-year history,” said Allison Joseph, executive director of MY TURN.
The Microelectronics Boot Camp at NCC prepares students for wire and ribbon-bonding positions at advanced manufacturing companies such as BAE Systems. The boot camp has maintained a high employment rate for graduates at nearly 95 percent; which includes alumni who hail from MY TURN.
MY TURN serves youth between the ages of 14 and 24 in high schools and communities across New Hampshire and north central Massachusetts. The programs primarily focus on workforce-related opportunities, making the relationship with NCC particularly strong.
“I was very excited to hear about this, and we are honored to get the award,” said Jon Mason, corporate, community, and continuing education coordinator at NCC. Mason serves as liaison to MY TURN for students enrolled in the Microelectronics Boot Camp. “We know how hard these kids work, so the award is really for them,” he said, adding, “Helping them is the best award we can receive.”
MY TURN participants and alumni who received training at NCC are currently employed by some of the area’s most high-tech employers including BAE Systems, OMNI Components, General Electric, Crane Currency, and Mercury Systems.
Nashua Community College President Lucille Jordan will accept the Training Provider of the Year award at the MY TURN Bright Futures event on April 26 at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester.
The fourth annual Bright Futures event includes networking opportunities with professionals and advocates advancing the MY TURN mission; an auction with items including Red Sox tickets, vacation packages, and other unique experiences; and appetizers. A cash bar will be available.
Tickets are $30 each, and sponsorships are available. To get tickets, visit EventBrite. For more information about sponsorships, contact Allison Joseph at 603-321-3416 or ajoseph@my-turn.org. All funds raised support MY TURN’s operations and outreach.
MY TURN helps more than 500 young people prepare for academic and professional success in 2017
2017 Impact Report highlights program’s key accomplishments in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Manchester, NH – Of the more than 500 young people who completed a program through MY TURN in 2017, 86 percent of them were employed upon exiting one of the small nonprofit organization’s skills development programs in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The benchmark is a key success metric in MY TURN’s 2017
which was released in January 2018.
“The impact we make on the communities we serve is encouraging, especially in spite of the barriers to success that many MY TURN participants face,” said Allison Joseph, executive director of MY TURN. “Our staff work tremendously hard to meet the needs of our participants and to inspire them to be their best selves.”
Twelve percent of MY TURN’s participants are homeless, 46 percent have an identified disability, while 70 percent are unemployed and 84 percent live in poverty. MY TURN’s mission is to help underserved youth develop goals, skills, and confidence needed to transition successfully into post-secondary education or training and the world of work. MY TURN operates robust academic and employment training programs for young people aged 14 to 24 in high schools and communities across New Hampshire and North Central Massachusetts.
Headquartered in Manchester, NH MY TURN programs are customized by each community or school need, and focus heavily on workforce needs. MY TURN current programs are in place at Manchester High School Central in Manchester, NH, Nashua’s North and South High Schools, Franklin High School, Hitchiner Manufacturing in Milford, NH, Fitchburg, MA, New Hampshire’s Lake Region, Rochester, NH, Manchester Community College, the Nashua Boys and Girls Club, and its Nashua-based manufacturing program, which was awarded a 2017 Stay Work Play Rising Stars Award for best leadership development program.
“MY TURN has a long history of working with educational institutions, community agencies, employers and families to provide education, work-based learning opportunities and jobs to youth,” Joseph said. “Since our launch in 1984, MY TURN has helped more than 22,000 youth overcome obstacles to further their education and obtain career-ladder jobs.”
In 2017, students at MY TURN completed 7,000 internship hours and acquired 135 skills credentials. Funded by federal workforce grants and private donations, MY TURN also provided $92,958 in tuition to students, $88,888 in wages to staff and student-workers, and $34,860 to help participants with basic needs, such as housing and transportation, in 2017.
Across MY TURN’s 10 programs in 32 cities staffed by 21 employees, 93 percent of 2017 participants showed an increase in reading and math scores, and 90 percent graduated from high school on time. For those in the employment plus programs, 75 percent of participants earned a credential beyond their diploma, and earned $7,500 in additional wages within six months of exiting a MY TURN program.
To be a part of the important work MY TURN is doing to empower youth and strengthen the economy, visit my-turn.org to sign up and donate money, your time, or new or gently used clothing, non-perishable food items or other items.
to the MY TURN Bright Futures Event are now available! Join MY TURN from 5:30 to 9 pm on Thursday, April 26 at the Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester. The fourth annual Bright Futures event includes networking opportunities with professionals and advocates advancing the MY TURN mission who may introduce you to your next intern or new hire, an auction with great items, and tasty appetizers. Tickets are $30 each.
UNION LEADER
Finalists for Rising Stars Awards Announced
MANCHESTER — Stay Work Play has announced the finalists for the 2016 Rising Stars Awards. The seventh annual event will take place Oct. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Fieldhouse Sports, 12 Tallwood Drive, in Bow.A panel of more than 35 judges from throughout the state selected finalists for the following categories:
• Leadership Development Program of the Year: MY TURN Manufacturing Program, an initiative of MY TURN, Inc.; New Hampshire Scholars Initiative, an initiative of the New Hampshire College & University Council; and Sophomore Leadership Seminar, an initiative of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) New Hampshire.
Allison Joseph, executive director of My Turn Inc., a federally funded nonprofit focused on finding jobs and internships for teens and young adults. T&G Staff/Christine Peterson
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Allison Joseph, Executive Director,
MY TURN, Inc.
Since 2013, Allison Joseph has served as executive director of My Turn Inc., a nonprofit human service organization based in Manchester, N.H. While the organization, which was formed in 1984, once boasted 100 employees and locations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, it has weathered a difficult economy and massive cuts in funding. With 17 employees in seven sites, one of its most successful branches is in Fitchburg, its only remaining Massachusetts location. Serving students ages 14-24, the program focuses on finding employment opportunities and internships for young adults to learn soft job skills such as interviewing, being on time and reliable, and filling out paperwork. Case managers and job coaches provide extra support. A recently awarded $145,000 grant from the Federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act will be the first step toward expansion since she became executive director, and she hopes it is the first of many in the Central Mass area.
MY TURN Executive Director, Allison Joseph, on Gatecity Chronicles
Union Leader
Allison Joseph: MY TURN executive helps at-risk youth
MANCHESTER — Allison Joseph of Manchester has been selected as a 40 Under Forty honoree by the New Hampshire Union Leader for 2016 for her role as executive director of MY TURN Inc., which provides case management, career guidance, employment skills assistance and job placement for at-risk youth in New Hampshire.
During her time as executive director, Joseph secured $1 million in federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds for the company.
Joseph, born and raised in the Queen City, deeply enjoys her work with MY TURN, which she first became involved with in 2007.“I had recently graduated from Saint Anselm with a BA in sociology and knew that I wanted to work with young people who had some barriers to overcome,” said Joseph. “I was a few weeks into my job search when I came across a very vague newspaper ad — in the Union Leader, as a matter of fact — that said something to the effect of “Do you want to help young people achieve their goals?” and I thought, why, yes I do!”
Joseph was hired and given the option of running the program at Nashua South High School, or Manchester Central High School. She chose Central due to her love of Manchester because of “all of its diversity and opportunity.”
Sentinel & Enterprise
Giving Kids the Tools to Achieve
MY TURN Helps At-risk Students Finish School, Find Career Path
FITCHBURG -- Amanda Ludwig credits youth career center MyTurn Inc. with helping her son find focus, direction and a career path.
"If it wasn't for this, he wouldn't be in school at all," said Ludwig, a Fitchburg resident. "It saved his future, in a way."
Her son, Justin Akins, was a 16-year-old high school dropout last year. Now, he is one course away from earning his HiSET high school diploma equivalent, has so far scored well above average on the HiSET tests, and is working as an assistant automotive technician at A & P Auto in Fitchburg.
By the time he finishes the MyTurn program this winter, Akins will have a completed high school education and on-the-job experience in his chosen career.
The difference between her son a year ago and her son now, Ludwig said, is "like night and day."
Leominster resident Tim Salafia, 18, is another MyTurn success story.
He dropped out of high school last year, and enrolled in the MyTurn program in Spring 2015. By June, he had earned his HiSET, and he currently has an internship at the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster.
"The program helped me understand what field I want to go into," Salafia said. "It definitely helped me get out of the little rut I was in."
The Fitchburg location of MyTurn Inc. is currently helping 15 students, including Salafia and Akins, succeed professionally and academically.
Union Leader
My Turn: Innovative Program Helps put Young People into the Workforce
NASHUA - Alex Nichols, 21, left his foster family in Florida at 18 and headed for Nashua.
"I had friends up here and wanted to come back and see what I could do on my own," he said.
He lived with a half-brother for a while, moved in with a friend, worked at the Nashua Soup
Kitchen and part time at a local Subway. It was there that he met someone from "My Turn," a youth employment and training program operating out of a building occupied by several youth services on West Pearl Street.
Nichols enrolled with My Turn in March, and today he has a future that would have been little more than a pipe dream when he stepped off the bus at the Nashua Transit Center three years ago. He has completed an internship at C&M Machine Products in Hudson, is now working full time, training to be a set-up operator, and is enrolled at Nashua Community College, eyeing a career in business management.
Nichols is part of a group, ages 16 to 24, that has steadily been vanishing from the workforce, in a 20-year trend that has economists scratching their heads. In 1992, 70 percent of young men in that age group were in the workforce, compared to 65 percent in 2002, 56 percent in 2012, and a projected 51 percent in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The trend among young women is similar, going from 61 percent in the workforce in 1992 to a projected 48 percent over the next decade.
Allison Joseph, executive director at My Turn for Opportunity and Success, says her organization is trying to stem the tide, one young person at a time.