CLAAY Program Overview

The Career Literacy for African American Youth (CLAAY) program is a project of Duquesne University’s Center for Competitive Workforce Development (CCWD). This program kicked off in Fall 2003 with the goal of impacting the regional economy by providing high school youth in the ‘invisible middle’ with career information, activities, and guidance to help prepare them to realize their future career goals.

The economic competitiveness of the Southwestern Pennsylvania region is dependent upon a highly prepared workforce. Research done at CCWD indicates that the educational attainment and career readiness of regional high school students does not meet the current or future demands of the region. Further, African Americans are disproportionately affected by this trend. In essence, the future economic success of the region and its workers are invariably linked and at risk. CCWD, the research entity of the University’s Business School, found that one of the factors associated with this risk was a student population cut-off from many of the resources needed to produce a successful workforce.

The CLAAY program was created as direct response to this problem. Research to target methods of solving the region’s economic crisis led CLAAY to identify barriers to educational attainment and career achievement that impacted all future members of the workforce, but African Americans in particular.

CLAAY attacks these problems in two fundamental ways, through Career Mentoring and Basic Skills development. CLAAY utilizes trained adult mentors to help students overcome the barriers to ‘job readiness’ and employs trained tutors to help students become proficient in basic academic skills and improve school performance.

Mentoring and tutoring take place during the school year from October through May. Mentors spend an hour twice a month with students and utilize the CLAAY curriculum and toolkit to guide students through themes of career literacy. The curriculum was created in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Public Schools Department of Career and Technical Education.

Tutors meet with students weekly and focus on building basic academic skills in reading and mathematics and addressing current homework and classroom needs. All volunteers receive a comprehensive 3-hour training that has been created in collaboration with local, regional, and national partners such as Junior Achievement, the YMCA, and the Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

CLAAY further supplements the enrichment experience for students with special events that occur throughout the year. These include a Job Shadow Day, SAT Preparation Sessions, various career workshops given throughout the year, guest speakers, a summer picnic, a legal case study done in partnership with a local law firm, and an annual recognition event.

CLAAY provides high school students that are in the invisible middle with career information, activities, and guidance that help students to realize their future career goals. Students will have the tools needed to shape their career futures and the economic future of Southwestern Pennsylvania. 

For the 2008-2009 school year, CLAAY is working with roughly 450 students in over 19 high schools in the region (Pittsburgh Public Schools, McKeesport Area and Woodland Hills in Allegheny County, and Aliquippa, Ambridge Area, Beaver Falls, Freedom Area and Rochester Area in Beaver County).

Role of a CLAAY Mentor

CLAAY MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend CLAAY Mentor training. This is a one time, 3 hour training session information on teenagers, what to expect, etc.
• Complete Act 33 and 34 clearance forms (CLAAY takes care of the cost for these forms), which are Criminal Background Checks and Child Abuse Clearances for adults that are working with youth during the school day
• Meet with your student. CLAAY mentors meet with a student in a one-on-one situation in a group setting during the school day. This time is usually 45 minutes to one hour 2x per month. The total meetings for mentors is 13 sessions throughout the school year, starting at the beginning of October through the beginning of May (13 hours)
• Total commitment of 16 hours for a whole academic year

ELIGIBILITY

• Act 33/34 clearances need completed. CLAAY assumes the processing cost of the clearances

BENEFITS

• Give back in return for something you received when you were young that helped you in your own life
• Support a cause that is important to you
• Guide youth into a career literacy focus
• Improve the quality of life for youth in the community
• Improve your community
• Improve the health of the region by helping the future workforce
• Meet new people
• Develop new skills
   

For more information on CLAAY and CLAAY mentoring opportunities, please visit our Website at www.ccwd.duq.edu/claay, call 412.325.1565 x31 or e-mail claay@duq.edu.

CLAAY Duquesne University 727 Fisher Hall 600 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15282

Phone: 412.325.1565 x31    Fax: 412.396.1870    Email: claay@duq.edu    Website: www.ccwd.duq.edu/claay