Give Now Jobs for youth

Impact

More Than Words has been built through a dedication to data, accountability, and improving outcomes for the young people we serve. We have a clear theory of change and an Evaluation Advisory Council of nationally recognized experts. Not only do we engage young adults in collecting data every day about their performance, we continue to track outcomes of our Graduates for up to five years post-program.

We can tell you: work really does work. Graduates of More Than Words pursue education and secure and keep employment at rates that far exceed their peers: 95% of our youth and graduates have or are on track to earn a High School Diploma or equivalent, and 70% are working. We’re proud of these hard-earned accomplishments and each and every young person who works with us to take charge of their lives.

Highlighted Outcome: Productivity:

The most important metric we track is productivity. Economic empowerment looks different for different young people and different ages, but that path must include getting up each day and being productive in work and/or education. For our Graduates, this is where the “rubber meets the road” – they take the skills and habits they learned in the Core Social Enterprise Program and apply them at their next job, in advancing their education, or some combination of both.

In FY21, our Graduates were productive:

  • 84% of graduates were productively engaged in work and/or school at least 15 hours per week
  • 68% of graduates were productively engaged in work and/or school at least 30 hours per week

Our Outcomes:

*“On track” refers to youth who earned a diploma or equivalent or who are enrolled in and passing classes through the end of FY20.
**Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Chapin Hall, 2011)