The Youth Employment Project provides out-of-school young adults ages 16–24 who live in Philadelphia with transitional support services to find educational and career opportunities.

From exploring careers to hands-on work experience, participants in Temple University’s Youth Employment Project (YEP) recently took meaningful steps toward their professional futures. Through the Lenfest Center for Community and Workforce Partnerships, 11 young adults were selected for paid internships at Temple and organizations across the city this spring semester.  

The YEP program is designed to provide Philadelphia out-of-school young adults ages 16–24 with a pathway to pursue educational and career opportunities that align with their interests. Participants build skills that prepare them for employment, college and pre-apprenticeship pathways through the program’s academic support, career counseling and professional development workshops. Since its inception, the program has served more than 1,200 young people in the city. In the past three years, 37 participants have completed paid internships, working an average of 224 hours and earning $3,361 per internship session. 

Services are offered at no cost and include individualized career coaching, GED preparation and pre-apprenticeship referrals, as well as transportation assistance and financial incentives. 

"This group reflects the growth, resilience and sense of community that defines the young people at the heart of this work,” said Joel Culbreath, CPH ’15, ’16, associate director for youth programs at the Lenfest Center. “Grounded in a career-connected learning model, the Youth Employment Project participants are gaining meaningful career exposure while building the skills, confidence and connections to shape their own futures." 

Get to know some of this year’s YEP participants. 

Jordan Reeder 

Internship: New Choices at Temple’s Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships 

Role: Production assistant (Photographer) 

Hometown: Mount Airy/West Oak Lane 

Photography was not originally part of Jordan Reeder’s career plan until he was introduced to it at a skating party shoot at the Millennium Skate World in Camden through a “big brother” mentor. Reeder said seeing the creative freedom that photography offered, including the ability to choose his own schedule and projects, ultimately sold him on pursuing it further. 

While in high school, Reeder showcased his photography at an art show, which caught the attention of Joseph Hale, a YEP employment coordinator, who encouraged him to apply to the program.  

Through the YEP program, Reeder landed an internship with New Choices at the Lenfest Center, where he was introduced to Lovett Hines, renowned music educator and director of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts. Reeder secured a production assistant intern role with Hines’ youth initiative programs, where he photographed and filmed concerts performed by young musicians at the Grand Yesha Ballroom in South Philadelphia. 

Reeder said that learning about the importance of consistency, professionalism and networking helped lead him to freelance opportunities, photographing music artists such as Freeway, The LOX, State Property, Ginuwine, Meek Mill, Rick Ross and Roxanne Shanté. He also served as J. Holiday’s personal photographer during his visit to Philadelphia. 

“One of my biggest takeaways was the mock job interview course offered through the program, which helped sharpen my skills for future job interviews,” Reeder said. “The program teaches you effective ways to better network, and I learned that with persistence and consistency, I can get into these rooms.”  

In the future, he hopes to build his own media production company to direct films while mentoring and developing aspiring young photographers and videographers. 

“The way Temple provided me a pathway to a career, I would love to be that person for others,” he said. 

Janiya Hale 

Internship: Lil’ Filmmakers 

Role: Digital assistant  

Hometown: North Philadelphia  

With a passion for character design art, Janiya Hale became interested in the YEP program after learning about the opportunities that students can receive through paid work experiences and career development that align with their interests. 

“The classes were helpful because financial literacy was something I did not understand before, but now I know how to save, budget and set money aside when I need to,” she said.  

The program helped her land an internship with Lil’ Filmmakers, a Philadelphia nonprofit media arts and production company that teaches youth and young adults about digital video production, mass media and storytelling. 

“My mom is an artist, so drawing, illustrating and designing characters is what I always do in life,” she said. “The paid work experience gave me a good outlook on the different things I would want to do and can do in my life.” 

In Hale’s role as a digital assistant, she digitally recreated six music album covers using an iPad. Her favorite project was redesigning late rapper MF DOOM’s MM..FOOD album, a detailed piece which took her nearly a week to complete. 

The internship allowed Hale to connect with other young talents in the city through Friday discussions centered around film and storytelling.  

“Those connections can help you get your foot in the door and where you want to be in your career,” Hale said. 

Hale hopes to continue pursuing digital illustration and transfer to Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture after completing her associate’s degree at the Community College of Philadelphia. 

Charles Davis 

Internship: National Center for Urban Solutions 

Role: Community outreach specialist 

Hometown: North Philadelphia  

After graduating from high school, Charles Davis took advantage of the YEP’s career development courses, including customer service training, financial literacy workshops and Microsoft Office certification to build on his resume.  

The skills and certifications he gained through the program helped open new doors, including a paid internship with nonprofit National Center for Urban Solutions (NCUS) as a community outreach specialist. In his role, he supports office operations, distributes information about programs and events that align with community members’ needs and interests, and connects them with available resources. 

He recently assisted with outreach efforts for the Black Men’s Wellness Day, an annual event hosted by the African American Male Wellness Agency that provides access to health screenings and community resources.  

Davis said he was most proud of working at the Philly Urban Job Fair, held at the Liacouras Center and co-hosted by NCUS and Temple’s Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, where he gathered feedback on the event from both job seekers and employers.  

“Overall, it was really an eye-opening experience because it helped me better understand networking in professional settings,” Davis said. 

In the future, Davis hopes to continue working in community outreach. 

“Participating in the YEP program gives me hope that things can change drastically for the better in the future,” he said. “Temple’s commitment to the community and having the ability to provide access to resources that can benefit people, specifically in North Philly, is a great thing for our well-being and gives us a more stable path to pursue the careers we want.” 

The Youth Employment Project at Temple University provides Philadelphia young adults ages 16–24 with transitional support services to find educational and career pathways. Participants are encouraged to connect with the program for academic support, career counseling and professional development workshops. 

Email: yep@temple.edu, Instagram: @yep_program, Facebook: @yep.tuccp