Youth and Young Adult Programming 

for First and Second Chances

A P R I L 1 9 , 2 0 2 3 Lisa Johnson

Director, National Institute for 

Work and learning 
CONTENTS

1 Meet FHI 360 2 The Compass Rose 

Reentry Model

3 Apprenticeship 

Employment 

Solutions

4 Learnings From the 

Field
1 MEET FHI 360 
FHI 360 is a global 

humanitarian 

organization 

OUR VISION

We are working to create a world where opportunity is 

within reach for all people.

OUR MISSION

FHI 360 advances equity, health and well-being through 

data-driven, locally led solutions — so that humanity thrives.

4,000 Employees 

60 Countries

$800 Revenue

M I L L I O N

Tessie SanMartin CEO
• We focus on two key drivers of 

individual well-being – education 

and employment – to improve 

lives. 

• Our programs focus on College and 

Career Readiness, Justice and 

Workforce Development, and 

Research and Evaluation. 

• Our program recipients are youth 

and young adults 14 and older. 

Dai’Brina completed our reentry program and is now a nurse’s assistant in Arkansas.
In the US, we work closely with a wide range of funders and partners to 

deliver services to underserved and at-risk populations:

• Private sector businesses

• Foundations

• Non-profit organizations

• Faith-based organizations

• Schools and colleges

• School districts

• U.S. government agencies

• State and local governments

• Volunteers

• Tribal organizations
We started our DOL affiliation in 2017 with Compass Rose

Grant 

Name

Period 

of Perf. 

Description

Reentry 

Program I

2017-2020 Providing youth with 1) support services, including 

assistance obtaining housing, clothing, food, 

transportation and counseling; 2) legal services; 3) 

work readiness, preparation and job placement; and 

4) educational services.

Creating community-based partnerships that 

empower young adults beyond their participation in 

the program.

Documenting and replicating effective practices in 

communities through peer-learning communities and 

the development of tools, resources and webinars.

Reentry 

Program II

2018-2021

Young Adult 

Reentry 

Partnership

2020-2023

Growth 

Opportunities

2021-2024

• DOL Youth Employment Works Call 

to Action

• DOL Registered Apprenticeship

• DOL Apprenticeship Ambassador
A look at some numbers – demand for youth and reentry services is high

18-24 year olds in 

the US population 

30M

Opportunity youth 

– neither in school 

or employment 

4.6M

Total people 

released from jail 

each year 

7M

Total people 

released from 

prison each year 

650K

Youth in 

residential 

placement on any 

given day

25K

% Increase in 

number of people 

released from 

prison over the last 

20 years 

350%

Sources: US Census Bureau, OJJDP, Aspen Institute, Re-entry Policy Council
OUR COMPASS ROSE 2 REENTRY MODEL 
B A C K G R O U N D

In 2000, the DOL Youth Opportunity Grants targeted 36 economically 

challenged communities with $1 billion

• Characterized by high drop out rates, high youth unemployment, 

greater incidence of juvenile crime, violence, and gang activity. 

• The innovation was to convene all services around the individual

• The outcomes shaped a services model we still have today

• Youth development practitioner as a job category

• A cadre of trained youth services professionals –

grantees received training

• An opportunity youth/community driven 

model that works

• Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth 

(network of grantees) founded by CLASP and 

FHI 360 – persists today

• Incorporating youth voice

• Data for decision-making
FHI 360’s Compass Rose reentry model takes it forward -

we use the whole person approach

• Assistance obtaining housing, 

clothing, food

• Transportation 

• Counseling

• Legal services

• Work readiness, preparation and job 

placement

• Educational services

• Child care

• Mental health

• Substance use

• Nutrition
Highlights (2017-2021)

D E PA R T M E N T O F L A B O R ( C O M PA S S R O S E I A N D I I ) 

R E E N T R Y G R A N T R E S U LT S 

Reincarceration rate 

2%

Young adults served 

through justice 

programming

1147

Project partners convened 

38

Percent of participants 

gaining employment 

76%
• Operation 2 Save Lives 

- Brockton, MA 

• CommunityWorks - Denver, Colorado 

Springs, CO

• KentuckianaWorks - Louisville, KY

• Kinai‘Eha Kailua- Oahu, HI

• Phoenix Youth and Family Services -

Southeast AR

• RISE for Youth - Richmond, VA

• Our Piece of the Pie - Hartford, CT

• The RightWay Foundation - Los Angeles, 

CA

• NCIA - Baltimore, MD

Our current DOL Growth 

Opportunities and YARP partners 

We work in urban, 

rural, small city, and 

indigenous areas 

where we connect 

local and regional 

service providers 

around youth 
We take care 

around culturally 

appropriate services, 

activities, case 

workers and mentors

FHI 350 is working with National American 

Indian Court Judges Association to evaluate a 

program that focuses on supportive services 

outside the courtroom for Tribal members in 

OK, NV, and AK.

We conducted an evaluation of the Tiwahe pilot 

initiative for the Dept of Interior that resulted in 

3 issue briefs on justice topics

Family services Truancy Recidivism 
“Meaningful youth engagement views 

youth as equal partners with adults in 

the decision-making process. Programs 

and activities are developed with youth, 

rather than for youth.”

– Youth.Gov
Activity – Young Adult Leadership Council

F H I 3 6 0 Y O U T H A C T I V I T I E S 

Council framework

• Competitive application

• Programs and activities

• Monthly meetings

• Roles and Responsibilities

• Meeting Management

• Ongoing feedback and co-creation

• Positive youth development principles

Skill development

• Leadership skills

• Communication skills

• Time management

• Shared accountability

• Teamwork

• Networking

• Problem solving
APPRENTICESHIP 3 EMPLOYMENT SOLUTIONS
The vision for Youth Development 

Practitioner Apprenticeship, a DOL 

Registered Apprenticeship 

YDPA was born from our Department of Labor re-entry program 

which provides counseling and mentorship to youth re-entering 

their communities. These participants told us they wanted a way to 

give back to the youth coming after them.
As Ambassadors, we partner with DOL to 

• Promote and expand awareness of the benefits of 

Registered Apprenticeship

• Identify and scale innovative practices and 

partnerships

• Increase access and support for underrepresented 

and underserved populations

FHI 360 also joined the first cohort 

of DOL Apprenticeship Ambassadors 

The Ambassadors are a network of:

• employers

• labor organizations

• industry associations 

• program sponsors

• educators 

• workforce intermediaries 

• minority serving organizations

• CBOs
Youth helping youth 

through lived experience

GIVING BACK

Serving in their own 

communities

CONNECTED

Youth participation in 

program design

YOUTH VOICE

Learning experience 

where participants earn 

wages while obtaining 

industry certification

TRANSFORM

FHI 360’s Apprenticeship 

Design Features

Y O U T H D E V E L O P M E N T P R A C T I T I O N E R A P P R E N T I C E S H I P
YDPA Career 

Pathways

• Integrated learning trainer

• Supervisor of youth businesses

• Workforce development service supervisor

• Recreation specialist

• Social worker

• Community service manager

• Youth worker

• Youth engagement specialist

• Case manager

• Intake officer

• Workforce development specialist

• Program director and coordinator

• Outreach worker

• Street outreach supervisor
I have seen the YDPA give our apprentices 

the tools to better support our participants. 

In addition, our apprentices making closer 

to a livable wage has provided the ability 

for them to show up more present than 

before the YDPA started.

– Talilo M.,.Supervisor, Portland, OR
I’m discovering that I like helping people 

beyond financial, job, or support reasons. 

We all have our flaws, but we are able to 

fix them. Bridges take a long time to build 

and the process has been enjoyable to 

build toward a career where I can help 

more people become their best selves.

– Brian C., Apprentice, San Diego, CA
4 LEARNINGS FROM THE FIELD 
Maslow got it right – without basic needs met, 

advancement can not occur 
“We have students who come and sit in a daze...The automotive 

instructor came to me and said, ‘we have to get food for these kids.’ 

They don’t eat.

They are more than likely living in a house with a lot of people, 

or couch surfing. 

We have one student who came into my office and said, 

‘Yeah I was at my abandominium last night’ [an abandoned 

house where he was squatting]. How can you focus like that?”

—Khayla D., Baltimore, MD
To achieve a new paradigm of care 

Housing has to come first – biggest unmet need

• POLICY: 

Decriminalize homelessness

• POLICY: 

Remove public subsidized housing restrictions on people with 

a background

• PROGRAM: 

Invest in and collocate housing with supportive service hubs

• PRACTICE: 

Increase connections between Depts of Corrections and local 

housing authorities -> Example: Burlington, VT

• PRACTICE:

Improve “First Week Out” planning inside the walls to include 

housing placement -> Example: Project 180, Sarasota, FL

L E A R N I N G S F R O M T H E F I E L D
To achieve a new paradigm of care 

Increase food security - It’s an equity issue

• POLICY: 

Incentivize the elimination of food deserts

• POLICY: 

Allow families to live together in 

subsidized housing 

• POLICY: 

Allow food purchases in reentry grants

• PRACTICE: 

Teach nutrition and healthy eating 

in youth programs

L E A R N I N G S F R O M T H E F I E L D
Offering services in 

person and 

virtually help 

identify strengths 

and interests, and 

provide structure 

and goals 

F O R Y O U T H
It is also critical to give professional development to all those in the circle of care

Reentry is more 

successful with 

trauma 

informed 

services –

Case workers

Instructors

Employers 

A learning portal can be effective in skill development; it is 

online and self-paced. We have had interest and success 

with topics such as:

• Adolescent brain development

• Communication skills

• Being an effective role model

• Working with youth

• Using positive youth development principles

• Motivational interviewing

• Mentoring

• Giving and receiving effective feedback

F O R A D U L T S S E R V I N G Y O U T H
R E C A P

Elements of a successful young adult program

• PRACTICES 

• Programs must be locally led, community led, and culturally 

competent

• Recruit from the community being served – take advantage of 

lived experience

• Incorporate youth voice

• Blend funding streams to offer a seamless array of local services

• PROGRAMS

• Invest in professional development for youth facing staff 

• Provide access to comprehensive, supportive services 

addressing the whole individual

– Meet participants’ basic needs first

– Be trauma informed and healing centered

• Infuse cultural awareness into community needs assessment
THANK YOU

Lisa Johnson, MPA

Director, National Institute for Work and Learning

ljohnson@fhi360.org

202-884-8069