Youth Today. Our Leaders Tomorrow.

Center for College & Careers

For over 80 years, The Guidance Center of Westchester, Inc. (TGCW) has worked with youth and young adults to help them successfully negotiate the myriad and daunting transitions required to attain personal and financial independence and self-sufficiency. This is achieved through a broad range of education, training, vocational assessment and rehabilitation, and behavioral health services that help youth build a plan for their future. Currently, the Center for College and Careers supports youth and young adults living in Mt. Vernon or New Rochelle by assisting them to engage in college and work-readiness programming designed to explore their interests, but also support them to develop concrete, marketable skills with the ultimate goal of financial independence and self-sufficiency. Historically, results have been strong, with high rates of program completion (approximately 80%) and successfully finding employment and/or attending college.

Our goals are to provide four core programs to align with community needs and interests of the program participants and expand the program throughout our sixteen-county footprint. The programs being developed could include but are not limited to:

• Construction: Mentorship with local business leaders in trades.
• Healthcare: Training for LPN’s and CNA’s.
• Technology: Examples include Coding and Website development
• Finance: Investments and Accounting

For many youths, the Center for College & Careers is their first glimpse of a bright, possible future. Most are first-generation college students, many first-generation Americans. Representative of the communities where we live and work, the vast majority of youth we serve are people of color, likely to be living in poverty and speaking a language other than English at home. Aside from skills, CCC offers these youth hope and possibility, effectively ending generational poverty for them and future generations, and an opportunity to become leaders themselves.

For more information, please contact:
Kimberly Morales, kmorales@tgcny.org