Cincinnati Youth Collaborative
The mission of Cincinnati Youth Collaborative is to empower young people to overcome barriers and excel in education, career and life.
John Pepper, Retired CEO of P&G
40 years in Executive Management and General Management in NA & Global.
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) was founded in 1987 by John Pepper who has been materially involved in various capacities during the history of the organization. Mr. Pepper previously served on CYC’s Executive Board and is currently an Advisory Board Member. He and his wife, Francie, have also been consistent and generous financial supporters. It was Mr. and Mrs. Pepper who, in response to rapidly escalating high-school dropout rates, brought community leaders together with the Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent Ray Brokamp and the Vice Mayor Ken Blackwell to engage the community in an effort to help vulnerable youth get a jumpstart on their future and bypass the barriers to education that they faced. Since that time, Mr. Pepper has continued to drive the mission of CYC forward and has compelled numerous leaders in business, education, religion, and city government to give their continued support to this effort.
‘Over 36 years ago, I helped found the CYC in response to the exceedingly high rate of public high school dropouts. Since its inception, the CYC has empowered over 180,000 young people to boost their academic performance while preparing for entering prosperous careers. There’s no excuse for allowing a young child’s future to be so largely predicted by the zip code in which they happen to be born. I have found the CYC’s young people to be truly unstoppable with a modicum of support.’
The JCP serves students from the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) System and is dedicated to preventing dropouts among students in grades 7-9 who have serious barriers to graduation and employment. Young people from this area face intense barriers to personal, academic and professional success. The Ohio Dept. of Education (2022) indicates that 82% of CPS youth are impoverished; graduation rate was 80.8% vs. 85% nationally.
The Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (2023) indicates that 33% of Cincinnati youth suffer from 2 or more traumatic experiences (homelessness, abuse or incarceration of a parent) vs. 22% nationally. About 84% of program participants are African American, 61% female and about 85% are considered low-income. Mentoring students during Middle School is proven to make an important impact that continues to grow through High School. Students are taught 37 core competencies (including resume writing, time management, communication, team leadership and personal accountability) to lead them in career exploration and career pathway development through classroom facilitation, project-based learning and work experiences.
The PGAF grant of $20,000 will be used to support the Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates Program including curriculum purchase, staff salaries, food & supplies during training sessions and professional attire for students who cannot afford it. It will help fill a portion of anticipated funding gaps for the JCG Program affecting 210 students during the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year and play an integral role in enabling the JCG Program to continue its legacy of helping young people prepare for their careers and succeed academically.
Anya is a student at Aiken New Tech High School who recently participated in the JCG Middle School Program. The reason she enrolled in the program was to build her experience in a working environment and build her future for success. To her, one of the most valuable concepts she learned was how to read check stubs so she understands how her taxes are being withheld and where they are going. Additionally, she learned valuable interview techniques on what to do and what not to do as an interviewee; for example, she learned that making eye contact was important while fidgeting was unadvisable. Finally, she learned how to make effective introductions using the acronym GNAP (Greetings, Name, Affiliation, Purpose). In Anya’s own words, “My summer internship helped me to understand that certain decisions that you make can change her life forever.”