Program Model

StreetWise Bridge is our signature mentoring program that provides adults from under-served communities with

  • the professional skills

  • exposure

  • and social capital needed to launch their careers.

Our Clients

We serve adults with technical skills, training, previous work experience, and 2-year or 4-year degrees who need to build up their professional skills, exposure and lack access to networks. Our mentees are actively seeking employment or internship opportunities and are eager for a professional career.

First Generation to Attend College

• Associates or Bachelors Degree

• First in their family to attend college

• No network nor strategy to build one

Recent Immigrant

• Skilled immigrant learning English

• Multiple minimum wage jobs

• Needs support navigating the US job market

Technical or Vocational Worker

• High School Diploma

• Vocational Skills only

• Underemployed or Unemployed

• Limited resumes and job interview skills

The program operates in three phases:

First Phase

Second Phase

Third Phase

Mentors and mentees spend 13 weeks preparing for the job market.

This includes:

  • Creating career maps

  • Designing impressive resumes

  • Developing elevator pitches and interview skills and

  • building the exposure and social capital needed to launch a career.

Our corporate partners allow us to provide unique experiences for our mentees.

  • LinkedIn employees coach mentees on how to create strong LinkedIn profiles

  • Gallup sponsors our mentees to take their Strengthfinders assessment so that every mentee understands and can embrace their inherent strengths.

  • We host valuable mock interview and speed-networking events at different corporations to provide important exposure and confidence building.

Navigating the StreetWise Bridge
13 weeks of mentoring

Activating the StreetWise Bridge
9 months of mentoring

Mentees – now called job seekers — apply their new skills and resources to secure employment.

  • This phase includes nine months of continued mentorship and 1:1 coaching on topics such as emotional intelligence, workplace communication and public speaking.

  • Additionally, job seekers have support from our Talent Services team who connect them with open jobs and internships.

    • Our employer partners are looking for a pipeline of talent for jobs and internships, and we match our job seekers with their HR teams.

This third phase supports graduates with ongoing mentorship, advancement, and skills for life.

Participants in all phases are invited to “Bridging the Future events” that we host monthly with corporate partners.

  • These are additional opportunities for exposure and social capital building.

  • Topics include DEI, imposter syndrome, negotiation, managing up and other important essential skills.

Beyond the StreetWise Bridge
A lifetime

Why StreetWise?

Estimates suggest that up to 70% of all jobs are not shared publicly. Research has long shown that upwards of 80% of jobs are filled through networking. Yet, networks are not distributed equally. Where you grow up, go to school and whether your parents are college educated make a difference, sometimes 12x the advantage in gaining access to opportunity.

Launching a career requires more than just skills. Building job seekers’ social capital is critical for any system committed to closing opportunity gaps. The best way to build social capital is through mentorship.

  • Employment mentoring and workforce development expertise

  • The highest level of program delivery in the sector

  • Placements in high-quality, in-demand jobs

  • Deep, measurable life changing outcomes, breaking the cycle of generational poverty

  • Cost effective program model, leveraging volunteers and in-kind resources.