Education and Career Support, Embedded at YouthLink
At YouthLink, education and career support isn’t a standalone service—it’s woven throughout everything we do. Across our Drop-In Center and Housing programs, case managers work alongside young people to identify goals, build stability, and take meaningful steps toward education and employment in ways that feel achievable and sustainable for each individual.
For young people who have experienced homelessness, pathways to education and careers are often shaped by unique challenges and circumstances. Many face barriers such as initially not having an address, negative or nonexistent credit or rental histories, low income, single parenting, lack of identifying documents, involvement with the criminal legal system, transportation challenges, or transitions out of incarceration. Others have experienced disruptions to their education or have had long periods of instability that make traditional career pathways feel out of reach. YouthLink responds to these realities with a holistic, comprehensive approach that recognizes stability as the foundation for long-term success.
A Holistic Pathway to Readiness
Education and career planning are integrated into every case management relationship at YouthLink. Case managers support youth to explore and access education and employment opportunities, while also building essential life skills that support long-term stability. This work includes:
- Exploring education and employment pathways
- Coaching around financial literacy and creating “Honest Budgets”
- Résumé development and job readiness
- Mock interviews and interview preparation
YouthLink also hosts on-site job fairs at the Drop-In Center, partnering with various businesses, including nonprofit, education, and corporate employers. Case managers work with youth ahead of time to prepare them for interviews—and at every job fair held to date, youth have been interviewed and hired on the spot.
In addition, YouthLink hosts on-site group mentoring with JK Movement (JKM), a local Black-led organization that supports youth in developing alternative responses to violence and trauma while building critical life skills tied to employment readiness. JKM’s consistent presence helps many young people move from instability and crisis toward confidence, stability, and career preparation.
Expanding In-House Education and Career Support
YouthLink has also works closely with on-site partners to strengthen education and employment resources within the Youth Opportunity Center. Young people are connected to a broad network of community partners, including Goodwill Easter Seals and HIRED, who support youth in earning GEDs and accessing paid internships and employment opportunities—including internships at YouthLink itself.
Building on strong, long-standing partnerships, YouthLink took an important step forward last year by adding an in-house Education & Career Case Manager—a role fully embedded within the Drop-In Center and dedicated to education and workforce development. This expansion was made possible through an NBA Foundation grant, awarded through YouthLink’s continued partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and reflects YouthLink’s commitment to increasing accessibility and consistency in education and career support for youth.
By adding an in-house position, YouthLink expanded its capacity to offer structured workforce development and educational navigation directly within the Drop-In Center. The Education & Career Case Manager has access to the same supports and resources as all YouthLink case managers, while providing specialized one-on-one services as well as on-site workshops and training courses in financial literacy, résumé building, job preparation, and college enrollment navigation.
Meeting Youth Where They Are
Carl Tate, YouthLink’s Education & Career Case Manager, centers his work on delivering flexible, individualized support—starting with meeting the most immediate needs.
“If you don’t have housing, if you’re not stable, you’re not really going to be able to go to school or go to work,” Carl shares. “So the immediate need would be, okay—what can we do to help them get to housing?”
While structured programming plays an important role, Carl emphasizes flexibility and responsiveness:
“Sometimes the immediate need is a little different than what the programming is structured to be. So meeting with the youth and finding out what that immediate need is comes first. Then we go into more structured programs—workshops, résumés, things like that.”
Carl’s approach prioritizes listening and youth leadership. Many young people know what they want to achieve but aren’t sure how to get there. His role is to help them identify manageable steps and navigate systems that often feel inaccessible.
“Youth are goal-oriented, but don’t always know the steps to actually reach the goal. I like to hear their process versus what my process would be. Then I can help plug in the gaps.”
Redefining What Success Looks Like
At YouthLink, success in meeting education and career goals is intentionally defined by progress—not just end outcomes.
“Success varies,” Carl says. “If you’re enrolled in school, it’s a success. If you’ve gone to a school and spoken with admissions, it’s a success. If you weren’t applying for jobs and now you are—and you’re getting interviews—that’s success. Actually achieving a job is a larger success.”
Carl sums up the heart of YouthLink’s Education & Career support this way:
“YouthLink’s Education & Career Program is intentionally designed to meet young people exactly where they are, providing individualized guidance, practical skill development, and unwavering support as they pursue sustainable employment and higher education opportunities. No young person should have to navigate their future alone.”
With education and career support embedded across all programs, strengthened by community partnerships, and expanded through dedicated in-house leadership, YouthLink is helping young people move from uncertainty toward opportunity—at their own pace, and on their own terms.
Education and career pathways are built over time, not in a single moment. To help sustain this work, consider becoming a monthly donor. A gift of $20 a month provides YouthLink with reliable, ongoing support, allowing us to walk alongside more young people as they set goals, build skills, and take steps toward education and employment. Monthly giving creates the consistency youth need to plan for their futures, strengthens our ability to respond as needs arise, and ensures that YouthLink can continue delivering consistent care and resources with dignity, stability, and opportunity.
