The Biggest Barrier: ALMS Youth Mentor Training

All Leaders Must Serve (ALMS) is a nonprofit California mentoring organization dedicated to empowering young adults aged 15-25 to become job ready.

We achieve this through our transformative training in soft skills, which includes work ethic, character development, and communication skills. When we first began our search to help young people through a Woodland, CA mentorship program, we had to ask: What are the issues young people are struggling with? If we're going to help young people find jobs, what skills do they need? It was clear that employers in Woodland and throughout the country were concerned about the lack of work ethic, character, and communication skills of our youth. There were stories of youth walking off the job during lunch, coming in late, and instead of asking a question, simply not completing the assigned work.

When Behavior Is Misread

Employers saw this as a lack of interest, integrity, and laziness. However, the truth was much deeper than the surface behavior exhibited on the job.

The real reason had an impact not only on future jobs the same young people would or would not apply for, but it also affected the mindset of employers who decided not to hire young people coming out of high school. These same young people needed to work to help support their families. They were disconnected youth who lived in families with limited resources and their own barriers to helping their children succeed. Often, the families that were Spanish-speaking only, often unschooled, migrants, under-skilled, low-wage workers who may not have the tools to answer their child's questions or fears.

In Woodland, many young immigrant children and teens are instructed to only trust people the family knows. Their parents are fearful of what might happen to their child, and after spending several summers in Mexicali, Mexico, I completely understand why. I recall a grandmother in grief because her two granddaughters went to school one day and never came home. After months passed, it became apparent to the community what had happened. Still, that type of trauma doesn't go away easily, if at all – and especially in a foreign country that may have a different environment.

Young ladies, especially, are encouraged to stay home as much as possible, although education is encouraged. Yet, parents don’t always make the connection between school and after-school programs that could provide more support and success for the student.

Unseen Struggles, Unspoken Fears

It makes it difficult for the ALMS program to reach high school students who want to advance their employment opportunities. The goal of ALMS is to convince parents that ALMS is a trustworthy organization. The one entity that parents in Woodland trust is the school. For ALMS to be successful, we must be an after-school mentor program that offers teenage mentoring opportunities for job readiness.

Although getting the parents to buy into a youth employability service program is difficult, it is still not the most significant barrier. Between the ages of 15 - 18 (high school), students are trying to discover who they are, what they will stand for, and who they want to be - at an age when they will choose what to follow. In other words, they have an increased awareness and are more self-conscious, with a desire for independence, often accompanied by emotional ups and downs, and are extremely sensitive to how people perceive and think about them.

For some, our adolescent memories include fun times with friends or family. It's a good place to hide from our fears and insecurities. However, the fact is that when we discuss young people leaving high school and securing a permanent, entry-level job, we aren't considering the mindset of the youth. We aren't taking into account that this generation lived through COVID-19 at home, often on their cell phones, playing games or scrolling through social media.

This generation attended school via a Zoom call on a computer screen or cell phone.

Some may not have had a camera attached to their device, which made it easy to be 'invisible' or not seen on the screen. For others, they could turn their screen off, not showing their face to the classroom, and possibly leave the computer without anyone knowing the difference. Employers now expect our youth to arrive for a job with essential soft skills, such as showing up on time, calling in (without parental assistance) to report any potential issues, or notifying the employer if we've moved or changed our phone number.

These are the same young people who, despite their fears, may show up at work in the beginning. But, some leave for lunch and never return, battling their anxieties about their employer, or choose to ignore a task because they're still learning how to do it. They carry with them the backpack of all their trauma and fears, and there is no instruction on how to cope with them on the job. They have no understanding of what to expect and how to process the information, or the appropriate response to address their questions. Why is this?

What the Resume Doesn’t Show

Many of these young people carry the trauma of their parents, and it influences how they see themselves, what they are capable of doing, and what they could learn if they understood the rules of the game. If they have no role model at home who teach them what it looks like to be a professional, how to dress, speak, and carry themselves with confidence, there's little hope they will know how to emulate it when the time comes.

The fear of failure is a feeling we can all identify with.

Addressing the barriers of young people is the essence of ALMS. The Executive Director meets every youth participant who chooses to join the mentor programs for young adults. She and the volunteer mentors share their personal stories of challenges and success. Students are inspired to dream big so they can think big! ALMS calls our big dream the moon!

The theme is 'reach for the moon – because if you don't arrive there, you will fall among the stars!'

The stars are places and people you never thought you would meet or visit. They are bigger than the dreams you had. As students are encouraged to dream big, they are encouraged with the words that the ALMS adult mentors will believe in them until they can believe in themselves. Yet, it's up to the youth to do the hard work and avoid distractions, and it's up to adult mentors to teach them what that looks like and be there for them. ALMS is here to guide them through this journey, offering hope and optimism for a brighter future.

ALMS strongly believes that the most significant barrier for young people to face is fear. Fear will cause them to be unprepared, making them feel unwanted and undervalued, and will easily distract them from focusing on their future and recognizing their value to their community.

ALMS or any good mentorship program for adults must address the harmful emotional battles that newly graduated and out-of-school youth face before they make poor decisions that could have lasting consequences. Without properly preparing our youth emotionally for their future, many are unable to access what's available to them. The lack of confidence and fear of rejection will continue to lead to disconnection and economic disadvantage, ultimately taking a toll on our society rather than helping these young people contribute to its building. ALMS believes that each individual is essential to enhancing and building a rich and diverse community. Let's make sure they are.

Your support is crucial. If you'd like to learn more, contact Jayne Williams at jayne@almsinyolo.org or visit our website at www.AllLeadersMustServe.org.

You can also become part of the family by becoming a monthly giver to expand our reach throughout the community.

Consider donating to youth mentorship at www.AllLeadersMustServe.org/donate.