Youth With Faces

PREP stands for Patience, Responsibility, Empathy and Partnership – the principles at the core of this structured curriculum are designed to benefit both the teens and canines. Juveniles are assigned a rescue dog to train, increasing the animal’s adoption potential, while students learn valuable life lessons like effective communication and leadership. The PREP program offers:

Therapeutic benefits: By steadily working through the dogs’ challenges and seeing their progress, youth witness the power of committing to something or someone – and sticking to it. They experience a living being looking to them for guidance, without prejudice for what they may have done in the past. It is an invaluable lesson in responsibility, relationships and leadership.

Violence prevention: Research documents the benefits of using animals in treating victims and violence prevention. For our participants, working with the dogs provides a hands-on lesson in gentle leadership and addressing challenges with empathy and compassion. Students learn to read the dog’s body language and respond to a challenge without gentle persuasion.

Pet-related job skills: Youth in PREP gain skills that can be applied to employment at pet supply stores, dog walking services, animal shelters and other pet-related businesses. For youth interested in working with animals, Youth With Faces offers post-release support to connect graduates with employers once they are back in the community.

This course focuses on the critical tasks necessary to apply for and obtain a living-wage job. Youth With Faces places an emphasis on job searches, resume development, networking and professional habits needed to find employment, including:

Work readiness curriculum: Students prepare for future job searches by taking a career assessment, building a resume, mapping out specific job search plans and conducting mock interviews.
Job skills training: Students have the opportunity to enhance their employability by learning workplace decorum and participating in one of Youth With Faces job skills training programs.

Financial literacy: Students are introduced to the basic tenets of financial literacy with emphasis on budgeting and banking, so they know how to manage their earnings. We invite financial experts into the classroom to discuss these topics and a plan for success.

Computer training: Youth With Faces teaches youth essential computer skills so they can prepare a resume, create basic business documents and perform better in school. In 2020, Youth With Faces introduced virtual learning, which also allows the students to gain knowledge in using Zoom and other video conference platforms used in today’s virtual workplace.

Career exploration with professionals: Youth are introduced to professionals in a variety of careers. These speakers often share their own journey overcoming challenges in their lives and how they found their path to success.

In 2019, Youth With Faces helped establish an innovative welding certification program at Dallas County’s Youth Village in partnership with Dallas College. Our initial investment included a welding lab at Youth Village and tuition for Fall and Spring semesters in 2019 and 2020. The program prepares youth to work in a wide-range of entry-level welding jobs that pay $15 to $30 per hour - more than double Texas’ current minimum wage of $7.25. Now that the program is established, Youth With Faces supports the program with career readiness services in addition to the curriculum provided by Dallas College. This program offers students:
160 hours of welding instruction through Dallas College’s Bill J. Priest Innovation Lab.

Welding Fundamentals: An introduction to the fundamentals of equipment used in oxy-fuel and arc welding, including welding and cutting safety, basic oxy-fuel welding and cutting, basic arc welding processes and basic metallurgy.

Blueprint Reading: A study of industrial blueprints. Emphasis placed on terminology and accurate and efficient interpretation of welding symbols, graphic language and descriptions required to produce working drawings.

Forklift Operation: Information and training for forklift operators including forklift design, controls and instrumentation, comprehensive pre-use inspection, and forklift stability and factors affecting stability. Includes hands-on training and demonstration of proficiency.
Industry Certifications: Youth have the opportunity to test for certification in each program upon completion of curriculum. Upon certification, the Bill J. Priest Innovation Lab will help youth apply for jobs.

Career Readiness: Job search, interview and professional skills development specifically for the welding industry.

Professional Networking: Youth With Faces partners with employers across Dallas that have potential job openings for the welding students. Youth have the opportunity to tour employer facilities and meet their hiring managers. Youth With Faces also invites local welding professionals to speak to the class about their careers.

Once released from a juvenile facility, Youth With Faces participants have access to post-release services that are customized based on the youth’s unique needs. These services could include:

Transition Support: Teens work alongside Youth With Faces staff to develop a transition plan. Specific support could include help securing their legal identification or finding housing, transportation or getting work clothes and food assistance. Youth With Faces also connects youth to community resources that address health and education issues.

Career Development: Mentorship meetings in person or via video/phone conference focus on job placement assistance, such as referrals to employment partners and help with interview apparel and resume prep.

Educational Assistance: Students set academic goals and staff helps them get access to GED study programs, returning to high school, or applying for vocational school or college. Youth receive individualized assistance and referrals to mentors, tutors and counseling to help them overcome barriers to success.