The NXT Level Youth Opportunity Center launched last year to serve the nearly 34,000 individuals between the ages of 16 – 24 years of age living in Bexar County that are not in school or in the workforce. The Center’s mission is to connect opportunity youth to resources to coach them on approaches to meet their personal, educational and career goals. The staff does this by developing individualized plans for every person that comes through the door.
Earlier this week the NXT Level convened a number of stakeholders and Advisory Council members, including the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, to deliver an annual report and the findings of a commissioned report conducted by UTSA College of Public Policy. The report provided a deeper context of the individuals served by the center.
A few highlights from the report include:
- The highest levels of opportunity youth reside in the central, southeastern, southwestern and southern areas of San Antonio (with the highest concentrations residing in nine zip codes).
- Opportunity youth identify lack of reliable transportation as a key barrier to accessing resources and opportunities that lead to educational attainment and/or meaningful employment.
- Regarding education levels among the population, 47% have graduated from high school, 7% have a high school equivalency degree, and 26% have some college.
The NXT Level Youth Opportunity Center, operating under the City of San Antonio Department of Human Services and in partnership with Goodwill Industries of San Antonio and Communities in Schools-San Antonio, is ultimately working with members of the San Antonio community that are actively seeking education and to move into jobs where they can develop professionally and act on their aspirations.
The center has adapted to the population they serve and hired clinicians to provide counseling as well as form a partnership with Roy Maas Youth Alternatives to assist with transitional housing. In the year ahead, the center is seeking engagement from the business community to open opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, and employment for opportunity youth.
Immediately after the gathering, NXT Level and the Alamo Colleges announced a gift of $250 thousand dollars from JP Morgan Chase that will fund a pilot program for 15 NXT Level participants to enroll at the Alamo Colleges through the AlamoPROMISE program.
For more information about the NXT Level Youth Opportunity Center visit:
https://nxtlevelsa.org/ 