In 2024, The Source was awarded a three-year $150,000 grant to support its Supportive Employment Initiative in partnership with AYA Youth Collective. The pair partnered to develop and pilot a program to help young people experiencing barriers to employment by providing career readiness training, resource navigation, and job placement with supportive employers. Hear from The Source Program Manager Lourdes Jordan and AYA Youth Collective Vice President of Programs Stephanie Collier as they share their insights into this partnership.
THE SOURCE
Name and role with the organization.
My name is Lourdes Jordan, I am a Program Manager with The Source.
Brief overview of your organization and what you do.
The Source is a membership-based organization focused on employee retention through resource navigation. The employer partner purchases a membership to The Source and this gives the employees, along with anyone in their household, access to a Resource Navigator to support in removing barriers they may be facing. Each of our member companies is assigned one or more Resource Navigators to support their workers.
Please provide an overview of the Supportive Employment Initiative and your partnership with AYA Youth Collective. How did the program/partnership come to be?
As Resource Navigators at The Source, our team often tours and meets with different organizations in order to make and maintain authentic connection; we know that when we know and understand the resources, our clients feel more comfortable accessing them, because trust is transferrable. As part of our learning, we toured the AYA Drop-In space, and an idea was born. The Source’s 20-plus years of experience supporting West Michigan’s workforce, combined with AYA’s decade-long support and advocacy of our local youth allowed for both teams to dream about what working together might look like. We shared a few brainstorming sessions and eventually came up with an outline of what we thought we could offer and what we wanted to learn. We are so grateful to the Steelcase Foundation for believing in our dream and supporting our learning. We wouldn’t be here without you.
What are its primary goals?
The primary goal is to support youth in their employment journey. We are doing this through relationships, by helping youth access pre-employment learning opportunities, career exploration, and employment support. We know that the youth of today are the future of the workforce, so we work on preparing them for employment through workshops and job fairs.
How does this program support youth?
We help by removing barriers to finding and sustaining employment. We have been lucky to walk with youth through their entire employment journey: from creating a resume, to filling out job applications, to preparing for interviews, to finding the appropriate attire for interviews and work, to collaborating with their supervisors to offer at-work support, to celebrating milestones together. Because we are driven by relationships, support looks a lot of different ways, acknowledging that the systems we are part of affect us all differently and therefore require different approaches.
How has youth voice shaped this project?
We initially sought out youth feedback before the partnership began, but most of our learning and adjusting has happened on-the-go, as we develop relationships with the youth we serve. The next iteration of this program will include updates based on the feedback we have received from participants during the pilot.
Please describe the work that you’ve engaged in so far and your hopes for the work through the remainder of the grant period.
During the pilot program, we conducted two different versions of an employability cohort; the first cohort included employability workshops, resume building, and mock interviews. The second cohort included the aforementioned pieces culminating in a job fair that we held at AYA. Four employers participated in the job fair and interviewed and hired on-the-spot; a local credit union was also present to speak to youth about financial wellness. For the workshops, we were lucky enough to collaborate with Dr. Blue of Blue Pathways LLC, and Abbey Vaughan and Brad Boone of Honor Credit Union. We are so grateful for community partners who share our hopes and dreams for our youth and who are willing to learn alongside us. Thank you, my friends. — Our plan for the remainder of this pilot program is to conduct a few more employability workshops and we are currently planning our second job fair. We are so grateful for the community partners and employers who are participating.
What do you hope is the lasting impact of the Supportive Employment Initiative for both its participants and The Source as an organization?
Our hope is continued growth for everyone involved, willingness to learn from each other, and finding creative and meaningful ways to support our youth. Entering the workforce can be intimidating, especially when we experience instability in multiple ways, so we hope that by partnering together we can show our youth how important they are and the hopes we have for their future. This has been a learning opportunity for everyone involved, and we are grateful for the patience that each stakeholder has shown as we learn.
What have you learned and what might you share with other organizations who similarly support youth?
We have learned about the gaps that exist between the labor that employers need and the employment that youth are seeking, that there are different levels of preparedness necessary for employment, and that our youth know much more than we give them credit for. We have learned that our youth exist and thrive in their own economy, dance to their own music, and deserve our full support in creating the world they envision. We’ve gathered data and stories and are planning to share these learnings with the community at a future date. Stay tuned!
How does your work impact the Steelcase Foundation’s overarching mission of cultivating communities where children can flourish?
We know that we are all part of the same systems but that they affect us all differently, and that providing support with an equity and relationship-driven framework honors the needs of the individual and the community. The youth we are serving today are the future of the workforce and the future of this community, many of them will go on to have children of their own who deserve a community in which their parents flourish. Supporting our future adults, in turn, helps set up their children for success.
Is there anything else you’d like to lift-up about this work?
We are so grateful to the Steelcase Foundation and all the community partners that have joined us in this incredibly exciting and important work.
AYA YOUTH COLLECTIVE
Name and role with the organization.
My name is Stephanie Collier, and I serve as the Vice President of Programs at AYA Youth Collective.
Brief overview of your organization and what you do.
AYA Youth Collective creates communities, rooted in belonging, for youth ages 14–24 experiencing instability to own their future. Guided by our core values — Take Agency, Be Authentic, Create Healthy Community, and Foster Inclusion — we provide circles of support through our Drop-In center, supportive housing, and community partnerships. With a relationship-first approach, we meet youth where they are and connect them to resources, opportunities, and advocacy so they can stabilize today and thrive tomorrow.
This year, AYA has served over a thousand youth!
Please provide an overview of the Supportive Employment Initiative and your partnership with The Source. How did the program/partnership come to be?
AYA Youth Collective’s Supportive Employment Initiative (SEI) removes barriers to meaningful employment for youth experiencing housing instability and other life stressors. For many young people, simply securing a job isn’t enough; sporadic work, low wages, and limited career mobility often keep them stuck in cycles of instability. SEI takes a holistic approach by pairing employment with wraparound supports like housing, healthcare, job readiness training, and consistent mentoring from an Employment Specialist.
The initiative, a shared vision between AYA and The Source, recognized the gap for young people eager to work but lacking access to supportive employers and career pathways. By combining The Source’s 20+ years of workforce retention expertise with AYA’s decade of youth engagement, SEI provides employability workshops, hands-on training, job fairs, and direct placements with employers invested in long-term success. This partnership has already seen success, helping youth gain employment but also confidence and stability.
What are its primary goals?
The primary goal of the Supportive Employment Initiative is to help young people gain meaningful employment, where they can build confidence, skills, and earn a living income. Young people have so much value to contribute to the workforce while also creating their own pathways to lasting independence and generational wealth.
How does this program support youth?
This program meets youth at every step of their employment journey: creating resumes, practicing interview skills, attending job fairs, connecting with employers, and even receiving on-the-job support. It also helps remove practical barriers such as transportation or work uniforms, while reinforcing that youth have what it takes to succeed. Most importantly, it gives young people the chance to practice and grow in a supportive environment where mistakes are part of learning, not a reason to be written off.
How has youth voice shaped this project?
Youth voice has been central to shaping the initiative. At the start, we gathered feedback about what felt intimidating or discouraging when it came to finding jobs. Throughout the pilot, we continued to listen and adapt. For example, offering youth more practical workshops and creating spaces for youth to connect directly with employers who understand what youth are going through. Youth feedback will continue to be integral to shaping support and youth experiences at AYA.
Please describe the work that you’ve engaged in so far and your hopes for the work through the remainder of the grant period.
So far, we’ve piloted employability cohorts and hosted a job fair at AYA where youth could meet directly with employers and get hired on the spot. We’ve partnered with community leaders like Dr. Blue and Honor Credit Union to bring engaging, real-world workshops to youth. We have also partnered with Young Money Finances to provide financial literacy. The results have been encouraging: youth walked away not only with skills, but with jobs, new confidence, and a belief that they belong in the workforce.
Looking ahead, we plan to host more workshops, expand job fair opportunities, and deepen relationships with employers who are committed to walking alongside youth long-term.
What do you hope is the lasting impact of the Supportive Employment Initiative for both its participants and AYA and The Source as an organization?
For youth, we hope this initiative plants a seed of confidence that grows into long-term stability. For employers, we hope it reshapes the narrative about young people experiencing homelessness — that they are resilient, capable, and ready to contribute. For both AYA and The Source, we’ve shown we can create change, guided by youth, while putting relationships first.
What have you learned and what might you share with other organizations who similarly support youth?
We’ve learned that employment barriers for youth experiencing homelessness aren’t about lack of ability — they’re about lack of access and trust. When youth feel seen, supported, and connected to employers who understand their journey, they rise to the challenge. Our advice to other organizations: co-create with youth, partner deeply with community, and remember that trust and relationship are the foundation of everything else.
How does your work impact the Steelcase Foundation’s overarching mission of cultivating communities where children can flourish?
When we support young people, we’re investing in the future of our whole community. Helping them find stability now means they’ll be better prepared to thrive as adults, who may go on to have children of their own. The hope is that generational stability is passed down. With Steelcase’s support, we are able to create spaces where youth feel like their future goals are obtainable, and they are supported in getting there.
Is there anything else you’d like to lift-up about this work?
We are grateful to the Steelcase Foundation for investing in the important work of building into young people. We are also really grateful to the youth who continue to show up, share their voice, and remind us that they are more than ready to shape the future workforce of West Michigan.