opportunity youth

Opportunity Youth Programs for Houston

Houston’s efforts are being led by a team of organizations informed by past efforts of Opportunity Youth Forum participants in other communities. The Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries (ACAM) stewards the Greater Houston Opportunity Youth Collaborative (GHOYC) and hosts stakeholder convenings as an ongoing “Learning Series” to describe local efforts to support opportunity youth and to foster collaboration among people and organizations who might find new ways to work together in support of Opportunity Youth and Young Adults (OYYA) across Houston. ACAM is spearheading one of two major “reconnection strategies” associated with this work in Houston; ACAM’s efforts are geared toward creating employment pathways for OYYA who are recent graduates of HISD.

The second major reconnection strategy is focused on connecting OY with health care careers. This OY health care employment pathway program is led by United Way of Greater Houston, which is recruiting partners from its THRIVE partner organizations to provide wrap-around support services to participating youth (including enrollment in job training programs, soft skills training, and more).