My Brother’s Keeper – Newark To Host Opportunity Summit for Young Men of Color

“Pathways to Success”: Boys and Young Men of Color Opportunity Summit” is a unique event offering on-the-spot hiring interviews, access to community resources and social services, links to mentors, career preparation and leadership development training

Mayor Ras J. Baraka, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Prudential Financial, Inc., the Prudential Center and other partners will host a one- of-a-kind event for males aged 16 to 29 entitled “Pathways to Success: Boys and Young men of Color Opportunity Summit” on Tuesday, February 27, from 9 am to 4 pm, at the Prudential Center. The center is located at 25 Lafayette Street in downtown Newark.

“We are excited to partner with the Obama Foundation, Prudential Financial and the Mayor’s Office to create over 1,000 opportunities for young men in Newark,” says My Brother’s Keeper Newark Collaborative Action Director William Simpson. “This is a movement and we are working with young men to remove barriers to living wage jobs.”

At the summit, more than 1,000 Newark boys and young men of color and other underserved youth will have opportunities to do job interviews with employers for on-the-spot hiring, immediate access to community resources and social services, connection to mentors, and a chance to participate in career preparation and leadership development training sessions. Some of the companies offering on-the-spot employment will include Prudential, Starbucks, AutoZone, and Whole Foods.

This is much more than a job fair. There will also be workshops on dressing for success, MENtoring, resume preparation, Technology and Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Hip-Hop Development, Barber Shop, professional headshots, public benefit screening and enrollment, career and technical education, high school re-engagement, youth organizing opportunities, and legal support services.

President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper in February 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color and to ensure all youth can reach their full potential. In 2015 the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance) was launched, inspired by My Brother’s Keeper, to scale and sustain the mission. In late 2017, MBK Alliance became an initiative of the Obama Foundation. Within the Obama Foundation, MBK Alliance leads a cross-sector national call to action focused on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where they feel valued and have clear pathways to opportunity. www.obama.org/MBKA<http://www.obama.org/MBKA>