Glendale Youth Alliance

Enterprise program related expenses. The objective is to provide various support and training programs for disadvantaged Youth.

PROVIDED FUNDING THROUGH VARIOUS GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS AND GRANTS, SUCH AS WORK FORCE INVESTMENT ACT, CALWORKS, COMMUNITY BLOCK DEVELOPMENT GRANTS, AND AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE VARIOUS SUPPORT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH.SUCCESS STORIES:1) Nia Korban came to GYA after being unable to find work upon moving to the United States from Bulgaria, even though she had a computer science degree. GYA was able to get her an opportunity with the Citys IT department through the federally funding WIOA OSY grant Program. Due to her hard work and professionalism, the Citys IT department hired her on upon the completion of the grant hours. She is now a very happy hourly city worker, putting her degree to good use and on the path to successfully assimilating in her new hometown. 2)Personal testimony from Ashley Garcia:"My name is Ashley Garcia, Ive been working with the City of Glendale for the past 6 months and I can honestly say with no doubt that I truly enjoy my job. With the help of my case manager Magda from the Family Services Agency of Burbank, she referred me to the Glendale Youth Alliance, a program that helped me get on my feet. Immediately I was interested and heard about landscaping for the city and that down the road there could be bigger opportunities. Where do I start. Well, I can start off by saying that I got the opportunity to work with the Glendale Youth Alliance where they helped me get a great job. They saw the potential I carried when I started off with the OSY program, transitioned to a City of Glendale employee, was a Team Supervisor for the Summer Brush Program and now I work at the Integrated Waste Department. GYA gave me this great opportunity. I can also say that Im satisfied with where Im at and that without the Glendale Youth Alliance I would still feel like Im stuck but then I can also say that growing up the way I did, I could never really imagine more for myself other than trying and trying. You see Im the 6th out of 7 grandchildren, my grandma raised me until my social worker thought she wasnt capable of caring for us anymore and thats when I went into the system, got separated from my family, the only family I had known. I always wanted to better myself, I always had to take care of myself. Ive had to survive and make sure I was good because I couldnt just say I got tomorrow in all reality all I had was today. Ive been on my own since the second I aged out of the foster system. They really throw you out once your 18, literally on your birthday. It was rough growing up. My grandma never had enough but always made sure we had enough. I didnt realize we were being raised with barely anything, but it felt so normal that I didnt hesitate to think twice about it until I started to realize that we didnt have what most of my cousins had. It was always the hand me downs and eating the same 3 things every day: rice, beans, tortillas. Dont get me wrong, Im not complaining, its more like Im grateful even more for what my grandma was able to provide for me and my siblings. I bounced school to school, house to house. By the time I graduated high school I had been to 5 different homes and 3 different high schools. I didnt really know much about life. I didnt know that having a job you get paid every 2 weeks, never in my head did it cross my mind. Once I aged out of the foster care system, I was thrown into an empty apartment that the state paid for. They put me in a neighborhood I didnt know anything about in the center of the most known gang area. Now, thanks to the Glendale Youth Alliance, I am getting back up on my feet. I live in Burbank where I feel I belong, where I like the quiet, where I can walk at night without being afraid. I am currently in the process of receiving an Employment Housing Voucher from the Glendale Youth Alliance and the City of Glendales Housing Department. All these opportunities have helped me realize where I want to be and how the Glendale Youth Alliance has helped me grow into the person I am today. GYA provided a new job, a new experience, GYA helped me be able to receive this great opportunity to work for the city. To grow and learn and see what Im capable of. I would recommend GYA to anyone whos willing to work hard and get to a better place. Having the opportunity to work for the City of Glendale makes me feel like Im doing something for myself and proving to myself that with hard-work and strength I can get to where I want to be. My past life was nowhere near how I am now. Thank you, Glendale Youth Alliance, for helping me with this and thank you so much more to all the staff that have helped me grow."