PEPnet

On September 12, 2002, Susan Cook Hoganson, Executive Director of Enterprise, on behalf of staff and our members, was in Washington, D.C. to accept the prestigious PEPNet Award. Susan joined representatives from 18 other agencies singled out in communities from around the nation at a ceremony led by officials of the U.S. Department of Labor for Employment and Training and the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC). This national award recognizes Enterprise’s exemplary work with young people and honors excellence in quality management and effective principles of youth development.

PEPNet (Promising and Effective Practices Network) is a system created and managed by the National Youth Employment Coalition for the purpose of identifying and promoting successful strategies in youth employment and development. PEPNet is a powerful framework for program improvement, a system for national recognition and one of the country’s premier resources on what works in youth employment/ development. PEPNet aims to provide youth workers, policy makers, funders and other key supporters with information and incentives to support better opportunities for young people.

Since 1996, PEPNet has recognized 69 Awardees in the United States and Canada. The result is a rich database of information providing a wealth of examples of what effective programs can actually do. Enterprise is proud to be recognized as a model of effective youth practices and as a resource in the field nationally and internationally!

To achieve national recognition Enterprise went through a rigorous application process. Over the course of three years, Enterprise underwent a vigorous internal examination. Using PEPNet’s Self Assessment tool Enterprise began the task of comparing our work and processes against effective PEPNet practices.

Enterprise used this tool to assess itself, diagnose its quality, and plan improvements. Staff formed numerous task forces and spent hours examining programs, staffing, and agency goals and objectives. After completing the assessment, we were able to use the review group feedback to further develop the ways we serve San Francisco’s high school students. “The process not only helped fine tune our programs, but it helped us understand and incorporate youth development principals into all components of the agency”, says Vivian Stern Turner, Senior Program Director for Employment Services.

In 2002, Enterprise once again submitted the application and this time the results were staggering. Enterprise received the highest marks in all five categories: Purpose and Activities; Organization and Management; Youth Development; Workforce Development; and Evidence of Success.

Enterprise demonstrated an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, documentation of activities that achieve superior results and a thorough understanding of the services and supports youth need to develop and succeed. Highlights of the categories include:

• Enterprise is a self-directed program that guides youth to find jobs, experience training and experiential learning, and to explore career interests.
• As Enterprise expanded beyond a single, affluent neighborhood, staff and management adjusted many structures and supports to address institutional racism and discrimination within the agency itself and in the community. The program moved to a central location and gradually increased the diversity of its staff.
• Staff meet each fall to examine the statistical breakdown of the membership base in order to identify where targeted outreach efforts are needed to attract a broad base of students.
• An innovative source of funding is the JobReady training component provided off-site at libraries, alternative schools, youth detention centers, and community based-organizations. A fee is charged
• Opportunities for personal growth and development are evident throughout Enterprise programs.
• Staff work one-on-one with students to identify job interests, articulate goals and set realistic plans to achieve them, incorporating all Enterprise programs.
• Evidence of success shows 90% of the 1559 Enterprise members improved their soft skills and 83% increased their hard skills. In addition, 95% increased their knowledge of job and career opportunities, and 90% increased their understanding of expectations within the work world.

Enterprise is proud of the good work that has been done, but there is always more to do and innovative ideas to pursue. We look forward to meeting future challenges with the continuing focus and creativity that has guided us in the past.

Thank you to all of our supporters who have partnered with Enterprise so that we may continue to implement programs that positively affect the development of San Francisco’s youth and our community.