Mission

VISION
Envisioning communities where youth make choices that strengthen their lives, their families, and their world.
MISSION
Strengthening communities through innovative, family-focused strategies that connect youth to opportunities for positive choices.

What We Do

The Choice Program at UMBC is a community-based case management program with a goal of fostering healthy development and resiliency among youth who face adverse individual or environmental challenges in their daily lives. Choice focuses on building youth competency around education, employment, and positive community behavior. The overarching goals of the program are to reduce recidivism and out-of-home/school placements, strengthen youth and family ties to the community through education and employment, and promote community safety.

The Choice Jobs Program follows a supported employment model to build the capacity of youth to participate in the work world. The program has 3 key components including curriculum-based job and life skills training, paid on-the-job coaching through subsidized employment, and supported job placement services. Choice's job and life skills training is provided through group and individualized training sessions. Learning takes place in a classroom setting, as well as in the community through job shadowing, job searching, and interviewing.