Youth WINS Initiative

The College of Staten Island (CSI) is partnering with nine other local groups, including community based organizations and the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, on a new initiative called the Youth Workforce Initiative Network of Staten Island, also known as “Youth WINS.”

As approximately one in five young adults on Staten Island between the ages of 18 and 24 are out-of-school and out-of-work, this program aims to address this large scale problem in the borough. The out-of-school, out-of-work statistic rises to an acutely critical one in four on the North Shore, second in the City only to the Bronx. By working with potential employers, Youth WINS partners plan to recruit and educate hundreds of young adults over the next three years with the goal of connecting them to high demand jobs. It will also provide robust programming, including mentorships and internships for participants.

An all-day event, which took place at both the St. George Library and the CSI Technology Incubator, showcased Youth WINS leadership including Chris Cruz Cullari, Executive Director of the Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development at CSI as well as Linda Baran, President and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

“Connecting young adults on Staten Island with support, education and a career ladder will be just the beginning for students,” commented Cruz Cullari. “The young adults we serve through Youth WINS will become a part of the economic fabric of New York City, connecting them to a lifetime of opportunities.”

For 18 months, a group of committed local organizational partners to develop an unprecedented borough-wide young adult workforce partnership: the Youth Workforce Initiative of Staten Island, or Youth WINS. Youth WINS is the first formal partnership in the borough to articulate a systemic goal of reducing the overall population of out-of-school and out-of-work 18- to 24-year-olds on Staten Island. The partnership includes a host of Staten Island's largest education, workforce, and training providers as well as the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the borough's largest business organization.

As the North Shore’s new technology ecosystem takes root and connects to the larger New York City technology community, Youth WINS will be able to connect young adults on Staten Island with the economic development opportunities that are burgeoning in the technology sector.