[E10.1] Tackling the Opportunity Divide
Social Determinants of Health are at stake when a young adult is disconnected from school and work
Dear Reader,
For this Post in Product | Strategy | Innovation I will explore a different spin on product. What if you are the Product. You live in a low-income community. You are between the ages 16 to 24 years old and are disconnected from school and work. The outcome is a gap between your future and many opportunities to thrive. This is known as the opportunity divide and you are known as one of about 5 million opportunity youth in the United States. What is your Strategy to overcome this divide to seek more opportunities? And how can communities Innovate solutions to help more individuals like you to overcome this divide?
I serve on the Alumni Board at Harvard Business School. We meet twice a year on campus for a day and a half and one of the highlights is the opportunity to hear other Board members share their life journeys. At a recent Board meeting, Greg White shared his journey as the President and CEO of the LEARN Charter School Network. This organization started with one PK-8 Charter school in the inner city of Chicago with 200 students.
LEARN Charters Schools now span 11 PK-8 Charter schools in Chicago and Washington D.C. with over 4,000 students combined. Greg says there are 3 primary reasons families in inner city neighborhoods like Cabrini-Green send their child to a LEARN Charter School: 1. Safety, 2. Safety, and 3. Safety. However, graduates of a LEARN Charter School are at least 2x more likely to earn a college degree than their peers at other schools.
HBS Dean Shrikant Datar provided an update at this same Board meeting on the school signing on as the first academic partner to the OneTen Initiative. This is a coalition of leading executives and organizations committed to hiring one million Black individuals over 10 years into jobs with family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement.
Economic Stability was the 1st Social Determinant of Health (SDoH) I shared in [E9.1] Healthcare seen through a difference lens. Education Access and Quality was the 2nd SDoH mentioned. So, 2 out of 5 SDoH domains are directly associated with the opportunity divide, but all 5 of the SDoH domains are either directly or indirectly associated with challenges impacting the opportunity divide and opportunity youth.
So in this Post, I will explore what it takes to overcome the opportunity divide and some resources available for opportunity youth and students at different ages in low-moderate income communities:
Young adult under 26 years old with a high school degree or GED;
High school student or dropout without a diploma; and
PK-8 student.
Overcoming the opportunity divide is important now, but will become increasingly important as more automation and robotics take over an increasing number of jobs over the next 10 years extend the divide even further. And business leaders can all play an important role within our organizations and using some of our own time twice a month to mentor a young adult who is trying to overcome this opportunity divide. You will gain way more than you contribute by doing so.
1. Young adult under 26 years old with a high school degree (or GED)
So if I am a young adult trying to enter Corporate America, what are the key features of me as the “product” companies are sourcing to fulfill “product requirements” for their market needs?
For many entry-level Corporate jobs today, a 4-year college degree is still required versus the skills needed to do a specific job with a high school degree or GED;
Demonstration of specific skills that align with specific jobs;
Record of accomplishments either through academic performance, internships or past employment;
Record of dependability through references, excellent academic performance or past employment; and
Proficiency in English even if you are coding software or could work on a team where your primary language (example: Spanish) is spoken with some English.
The first objective for organizations to address the opportunity divide is revisiting the “product requirements” for their jobs if we want more “products” to be sourced to meet the needs of the organization. There are substantially more open jobs than the current supply of qualified workers. Working with Year Up, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Business School and other organizations have systematically gone through all job descriptions questioning whether a 4-year college degree is an absolute requirement. In many cases, a skills assessment would determine if a candidate is qualified for a job independent of whether they hold a 4-year college degree. Removing #1 when relevant on the list above expands the pool of jobs that young adults are qualified for consideration.
The second objective for organizations to address the opportunity divide combines #2, #3 and #4 on the list above with non-college programs that can assess an individual’s skills, accomplishments and dependability over a 3-6 month period. These include General Assembly and Year Up. A 12-week, full-time, immersive bootcamp to get you hired is possible through General Assembly for Data Analytics, Data Science, Software Engineering, Digital Marketing and User Experience Design. Corporate sponsors provide a many scholarships and even without a scholarship payment plans are possible where the majority of tuition is paid starting 3 months after completing the courses.
The third objective for organizations to address the opportunity divide rethinks #5 on the list above regarding the requirement for English proficiency. I recently toured an Amazon warehouse in the midwest. The 3 primary languages spoken in this facility with over 3,000 employees are English, Spanish and a dialect of Burmese spoken in Myanmar (previously Burma). Many standing signs were written in English on one side and Burmese on the other side. Supervisors who speak Burmese can manage Burmese-speaking Associates. This allows Amazon to hire an available pool of candidates in the local community because they adapted to the environment where this facility operates.
Posse Foundation
High school graduates who might be the 1st generation in a low-income household to attend a 4-year college face many challenges because they might be the only one from their high school attending a particular college and do not have as many role models to emulate. They tend to be more isolated than college classmates with more peers going through the same journey. This contributes to more college dropouts from low-income households.
The Posse Foundation aims to address this issue, by combining a group of college students each year from the same city who meet and network before and while attending the same partner college or university over the entire 4 years. This creates a core Posse of peers within the same class and a larger Posse of peers within the same program spanning Freshmen to Seniors from the same city. Boston University for example sponsors a Posse from Atlanta every year. These students get a full-tuition, 4-year leadership scholarship. The catch is these are students who have been identified with exceptional leadership potential by simulating scenarios where leadership emerges with a large group of nominated and other students.
Year Up
Year Up is a 12-month tuition-free program offered in many cities around the U.S. for those who qualify and are accepted. There is a 6-month training phase in 5 key academic areas: business operations, financial operations, information technology, sales/customer support, and software development. In some Year Up locations, the training is eligible for college credits. Otherwise, the training is eligible for credit recommendations recognized by over 2,000 higher education institutions across the U.S. Year Up students also receive a stipend during training to help offset living expenses, but students can also work part-time in addition to receiving the stipend. Corporate sponsors make the stipends possible plus offer internship opportunities.
After completing the 6-month training phase, students complete a 6-month internship at a Corporate sponsor to apply their trained skills. Students are also paid a stipend during this phase, but are paid less than full-time employment. At the end of the internship, students graduate from Year Up to join its alumni network. Some interns receive a full-time offer from the Corporate sponsor where they completed their internship. 80% of Year Up alumni are employed within 4 months of graduation.
Brandon Lovell is a 2010 Year Up graduate from New York City who then completed a bachelors degree from New York University in 2012. Brandon was a Strategy Analyst and Management Consultant at Accenture before enrolling at Harvard Business School and completing an MBA in 2020. Brandon serves on the Board of Year Up and is Principal of the Lovell Fund. Brandon started the Executive Interview Series presented by Year Up Alumni. The first Episode (shown above) is an interview of Gerald Chertavian, Founder and CEO, Year Up by Brandon Lovell (HBS 2020, NYU 2012, Year Up 2010).
OneTen
In addition to General Assembly and Year Up training individuals to advance their careers, the OneTen Initiative is a coalition of leading executives and organizations committed to hiring, promoting, and advancing one million Black individuals who do not have a 4-year college degree over the next 10 years into jobs with family-sustaining wages. OneTen takes a skills-first approach, focusing on competencies, in an aim to close the opportunity divide.
The OneTen Initiative launched in December 2020 with initial commitments from 37 major corporations. It was founded by Ken Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck; Ken Chenault, chairman and managing director of General Catalyst and former chairman and CEO of American Express; Charles Phillips, managing partner of Recognize, chairman of the Black Economic Alliance and former CEO of Infor; Ginni Rometty, executive chairman and former CEO of IBM; and Kevin Sharer, former chairman and CEO of Amgen and former HBS faculty member.
HBS Dean Datar enthusiastically embraced this concept of a partnership with the OneTen Initiative. He asked Professors Boris Groysberg, Robin Ely, and Linda Hill to serve as faculty co-chairs, and the School has outlined a number of potential areas for engagement:
Research—Develop cases, articles, and other output, including those with immediate, practical application. A case on OneTen is underway.
Educational Programs—Offer HBS Online and Harvard Business Publishing content for asynchronous learning; leverage Executive Education programs to develop leaders and managers.
Convening and Dissemination—Launch on-campus and virtual gatherings for representatives from OneTen, partner companies, and faculty to share best practices and interim learnings; use channels like Harvard Business Publishing and Working Knowledge to reach wide audiences.
Other HBS Resources— Leverage opportunities such as MBA Program Independent Projects and FIELD immersions or courses, the Leadership Fellows Program, and longitudinal data collection.
Strengthen Connections—Engage and work with HBCU leaders and faculty.
Thriving beyond the opportunity divide
Young adults who manage to overcome the opportunity divide with a full-time job that provides family-sustaining wages have accomplished a significant outcome. But that is only the start to continue to advance their careers. Many companies provide career development resources to all employees, but opportunity youth may lack role models in their inner circle who can mentor them with the right skillset to dream bigger. They need a playbook and mentor to help them navigate and accelerate their corporate journey.
Just as important, companies must recognize merit and performance without bias. When young adults regardless of background are in the right work environment with opportunities for career development, advancement and access to mentors, their potential is unlimited. Offering that first job is not enough. We need to continuously invest into their future. Eventually, they can also mentor those who follow them with the perspective of what it actually takes for career success. Until then, we need to provide that mentorship and coaching. The alternative is a growing base of opportunity youth maturing into adults trapped by the opportunity divide.
2. High school student or dropout without a diploma
If I am a high school student, what are the opportunities available to help me enter Corporate America after I graduate. And what can my community do to help me prepare to overcome the opportunity divide? The list above with the five “product requirements” is also relevant here. Regarding #1 on the list, it is important to see high school through to completion with a degree to demonstrate proficiency with these basic academic requirements. The alternative is completing the GED to demonstrate competency on par with a high school degree.
Student government, debate, music and athletics are opportunities to demonstrate skills, accomplishments and the discipline of practice and performance over more than one academic year. This also builds the opportunity for a teacher to write a recommendation based on these activities outside the classroom. Athletics in particular build discipline and behaviors many recognize in the business world as a predictor of success. Team sports like football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball can predict success working effectively on teams in business. Individual sports like cross-country, track, tennis and golf can predict the discipline to problem solve, plan and take a project to completion.
Communities can also support high school students facing the opportunity divide. Some programs are inclusive of all students with particular interests, but other programs are more targeted towards specific demographics. Junior Achievement promotes financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness for all students interested one of those pathways. Future Business Leaders of America also works with high school students to help prepare for the transition from school to business. Both of these programs provide opportunities for business leaders to mentor and coach youth in high school.
For high school dropouts, it is import to address the challenges that might have contributed to dropping out of high school. Social services are available to help navigate these challenges if there is a desire to do so. Enrolling back in high school may be an option. The alternative is the GED. This allows students to study 4 subjects either in classes or online for free. The 4 subjects are Math, Science, Social Studies and Reasoning through Language Arts. The GED test covers all 4 of these subjects. Students can test all 4 subjects together or one at a time at an official GED test center when they are ready. Passing the GED test provides a high school equivalency diploma.
City Year
City Year is a non-profit that provides City Year AmeriCorps members to serve schools all day, every day preparing students with the social and academic skills to succeed in school and life. Schools and students associated with low-income households are a primary beneficiary of City Year services. Additionally, high school graduates and college students looking to complete a gap year can apply to serve for one or two years as a paid City Year AmeriCorps member to gain valuable skills for use in their communities and careers. City Year also collects data on the services provided to help advance best practices towards more equitable access to learning opportunities for all students.
YouthBuild
YouthBuild spans more than 275 programs across the U.S. and around the world to gain job skills and become leaders in their communities. Many of the YouthBuild programs include construction skills training tracks and ongoing projects to help revitalize a low-income community where students may live. This also helps build partnerships with corporate and community partners. YouthBuild exposes more high school students to the trades including construction and carpentry and industrial safety practices. Students can also access support services to help as family crises may emerge that might otherwise interfere with a student’s education.
3. PK-8 student
If I am a child in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, what can I do to enter high school on a trajectory for success and how can my community help me achieve this objective? Parents of young children in low-income communities are concerned about the safety of these children. Education, food security with breakfast and lunch provided at school and after school programs are important, but in many communities, safety is still the primary concern.
Public schools are usually the primary option unless scholarships are available through private schools. A hybrid is the Charter school model that competes for public school funding, but uses systems and structure that aim to improve outcomes. If Charter schools are effective, they compete for more kids. If Charter schools are not-effective, more families will opt-out out of this model. Competition is good in underserved communities to provide viable options.
Programs that help children in this age group offer structure and role models through adult leadership. Mental and behavioral health are also issues that need to be identified in the school setting so kids can be connected to the appropriate programs that can address these issues. City Year and Junior Achievement mentioned for high school students are also relevant with programs for this younger age group, too.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
Boys Scouts of America offers membership levels that start in kindergarten as Cub Scouts for boys and girls. Students in the 5th grade are eligible to join as Scouts and can progress all the way through high school with the option to earn Eagle Scout membership. Scouts learn service, community engagement and leadership development. It is self-directed, but leverages adults to mentor and guide Scouts through various challenges. This provides an opportunity to expose inner-city kids to additional role models.
A national Jamboree exposes Scouts to other Scouts from around the country with common interests and challenges Scouts to build new skills. Scout programs also build trustworthiness, loyalty, obedience, a desire to help others and physical fitness. These are positive attributes for any individual, but are extremely helpful preparing youth to tackle the opportunity divide.
Girl Scouts offers 6 membership levels and starts with Daisies in kindergarten. Membership levels progress with Brownies to Ambassadors in high school. Girl Scouts builds skills around goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is a core part of Girl Scouts to funds camps and science projects based on the business a troop of Girl Scouts builds. Girls Scouts also develops leadership skills that can prepare youth to tackle the opportunity divide.
Boys and Girls Clubs
Boys and Girls Clubs also start in kindergarten and can continue into high school. Programs offer participants a safe after-school environment plus exposure to sports & recreation, the arts, education, health & wellness, college & workforce readiness and character & leadership building. Staff and volunteers provide mentorship, coaching and role models to all kids, but especially kids in need. Boys and Girls Clubs also act as youth advocates in the community to support the Clubs and youth on the issues that impact their safety, education, access and diversity.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
This organization is more targeted to kids facing adversity between the ages of 6 to 18 years of age with one-on-one mentoring by volunteer adults who are also supported by staff. Workplace mentoring programs allow students to visit real workplaces to learn one-on-one through relationships with successful professionals. Bigs (mentors) also teach Littles (young persons) right from wrong and help them make good decisions. Big Brothers Big Sisters knows children who avoid interactions with the juvenile justice system, violence, drugs and alcohol are more likely to succeed.
Summer Treatment Program
Some children in grades PK-8 need more than a mentor or after school program. Approximately 10% of children in the U.S. or 2.4 million school-age children aged 6-11 years are estimated to have ever been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADHD). But ADHD is more prevalent in kids in low-income communities and affects black children more than white and hispanic children. ADHD, especially if untreated, is also a predictor for substance use disorder later in life, dropping out of high school and difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment as an adult.
75% of kids diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. undergo some form of intervention including medication, behavioral health, or both. School-based supports, social skills training, and parent training are also provided. But kids in low-income communities with ADHD seem to have a broader challenge that cannot be treated with medication alone. Parents may work multiple jobs and the home environment may not provide the structure and discipline needed to manage ADHD for a child.
The 6-week, evidence-based Summer Treatment Program (STP) pioneered by psychologists who are now at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami provides a needed model to address mild-moderate ADHD (85% of cases) in children aged 6-12 years. Camp Baker offered by the Judge Baker Children's Center affiliated with Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School is such an STP model program in the Greater Boston area. The camp expanded recently to the Hale Reservation in Westwood and Dover, Massachusetts to offer these services to more children and families in need.
Conclusion
This Post is the first in a 3-part Series related to the opportunity divide that separates 5 million young adults disconnected from school and work (opportunity youth) from 12 million jobs requiring post secondary education over the next decade. This Series will cover 3 parts:
Tackling the Opportunity Divide
Mentorship Model & Playbook
Organizing a Mentorship Program
I also presented looking at an individual as a “product” with “product requirements” to meet market needs. Companies can review these product requirements for various jobs, but opportunity youth must address deficits to reduce or eliminate the gap. Developing and verifying skills matching a specific task becomes an alternative to a college degree for many jobs that need to be filled. But companies need to review job descriptions and challenge assumptions on whether a college degree is required for every job. Skill requirements and skill assessments might replace the need for jobs that need qualified applicants.
Mentors and adult role models can play significant roles for opportunity youth looking to overcome the opportunity divide. However, high school students and PK-8 grade students in low-income communities also need mentors and adult role models. Multiple organizations work with these youth and children, but volunteer mentors extend what is possible with paid staff. In some cases, these volunteers can be engaged parents who can extend a positive influence beyond their own kids with group activities.
Economic stability plus education access and quality are important because deficits can negatively impact well-being as Social Determinants of Health. FRAM oil filters ran commercials in the 70s and 80s promoting “you can pay me now or pay me later”. This is highly relevant to the Social Determinants of Health. We can invest our time and capital into ALL youth now at $0.05 on the dollar or pay the full dollar and more later with the health impacts of disruptive behaviors, mental health issues, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, substance use disorders and other chronic issues associated with not overcoming the opportunity divide. This is a solved problem. We just need to execute.
Best,
Stephen
I’m long opportunity youth and the organizations mentioned in this update. Nothing in this post is intended to serve as financial advice. Do your own research.