Grads of Life
September 2014
MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership is proud to be a collaborating partner with Year Up, the Employment Pathways Project, New Options Project, Opportunity Nation, Public Private Possibilities, and ConPRmetidos on a new initiative to shift perceptions of opportunity youth and arm employers with the information, tools, and connections needed to learn more and develop pathways to employment for young people.
There are more than 4 million open positions within the United States, and businesses are in need of qualified workers to fill these critical positions. At the same time, despite this need, businesses often overlook a talent pool of 6 million young adults, also known as opportunity youth, who are qualified for internships, mentorships, and entry-level positions, but lack traditional educational credentials and/or steady work experience.
The “Grads of Life” is a multi-media public awareness campaign developed by the Ad Council and Arnold Worldwide. The goal is to change perceptions of opportunity youth and evolving social norms so that various “pathways to employment,” which include mentoring, school-to-work partnerships, internships, and other hiring opportunities, are widely recognized and integrated as one of several talent strategies used by competitive, best-practice employers.
The campaign portrays “Grads of Life” as young adults of unique determination and experience, ready to fit in with a company as an intern, mentee, or entry-level employee. They stand ready to show the world that sometimes the best candidates aren’t the ones you’re used to, but exactly who your company needs.
Visit the Ad Council’s Grads of Life if you are with a mentoring program that wishes to participate in the campaign.
If you are an employer, please visit gradsoflife.org to learn how to connect to this untapped pool of talent.