Social Impact
Paid job training for youth.
When you partner with New Avenues INK as your source for branded apparel and other promotional items, you directly fund wages and on-the-job training for interns in our program experiencing housing instability. Orders of every size contribute to our impact. For example, a purchase of 200 t-shirts pays for up to 2 1/2 weeks of paid wage and job training for one intern in our program. Additionally, interns in our program are also receiving career coaching and (often) other support from New Avenues for Youth's variety of programs and services -- including mental health and addiction counselling, housing navigation, GED tutoring, LGBTQIA++ specific programing, etc..
Learn more about our parent organization, Portland-local non-profit New Avenues for Youth, by clicking the link below.
A story of an INK youth intern.
Carla first engaged with New Avenues to access drop in meal and basic hygiene services through our Drop-In center. After this participant volunteered to wash dishes during breakfast, staff engaged her in conversation about the programs and resources available around employment and career services. Within days, this person began an internship at our social enterprise — where she excelled at cleaning tasks, product handling, and customer service. During her internship, Carla attended Job Readiness Training and a variety of other workshops and career exploration activities (including resume writing, informational interviews, and hiring events). Carla enrolled in three years of career coaching, built a career map and made plans for a transition after her internship. Days after her internship ended, Carla earned a position at a Portland-local, woman-owned enterprise. In less than three months, Carla went from being unemployed and staying in shelter to working a living-wage job she enjoyed and working toward seeing her name on a lease.
Social Enterprise Results
90+ internships offered each year.
New Avenues for Youth social enterprises, including New Avenues INK, offer entry-level, paid internships to over 90 young people (age 16 to 25) each year who are experiencing housing instability. Internships are part-time and typically last 6-8 weeks.
New Avenues INK interns gain familiarity with the screen-printing industry and learn translatable manufacturing skills. Interns use this environment to grow their confidence, time-management, and teamwork skills which support them in their next step of finding and retaining gainful employment.
90% of interns transition into stable housing.
Of the interns we reach one year after completing their internship, 9 out of 10 individuals report stable housing situations.
60% of interns transition into employment.
6 out of 10 individuals report being employed one year after completing an internship at our social enterprises.
50% of those working report earning beyond minimum wage.