DIAKONIA
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Mission Statement
Project Diakonia aims to empower underserved youth through vocational training and education. paving the way for them to transform their lives. Our vision is a Colorado where every young adult has a pathway to success, regardless of their needs, barriers or background.
About This Cause
Diakonia’s mission is to empower underserved youth through vocational training and education, paving the way for them to transform their lives. Founded in 2010 to provide affordable, early childhood education to preschool-aged children, Diakonia chose to pivot its mission in 2021 due to shifting government priorities around early education and closures from the COVID-19 pandemic. Diakonia learned through conversations with agencies and individuals in the Pikes Peak region that one of the greatest unmet needs in the community is employment services for at-risk youth. Diakonia chose to focus on youth exiting the foster system, involved in the justice system, and at risk of system involvement due to the disproportionate challenges these youth consistently face, such as poor academic performance, low behavioral inhibitions, and low levels of positive parental involvement. These challenges are often accompanied by additional homelessness, poverty, unemployment, and exploitation. Diakonia learned that what these youth need most to mitigate these challenges and transition well into adulthood is access to the skills and training necessary to succeed in the workplace. Conversations with the Department of Human Services, the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum, the Division of Youth Services, Pikes Peak Workforce Center, and professionals throughout local school districts, revealed a substantial and growing need for employment services tailored to the needs, challenges, and barriers these youth face. Nationally, only 40-50% of foster children ever complete high school (Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute) and 50% have no form of gainful employment by age 24 (National Foster Youth Institute). Not completing high school is linked to a variety of factors that can negatively impact health, including “limited employment prospects, low wages, and poverty,” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion). “Full-time workers without a high school degree earn approximately 24% less than their counterparts without a high school degree (Healthy People 2030).” According to SchoolHouse Connection, the lack of a high school diploma/GED is the single greatest risk factor for experiencing homelessness as a young adult. Of children formerly involved in the foster system, 20% become homeless immediately following emancipation and one in four become homeless within four years. Further, 20% of individuals in prisons across the U.S. were involved in foster care at one time (CEPR); and 45% recidivate within the first year of release in Colorado (Wisevoter). Diakonia’s services address these sobering realities by providing holistic care and career-focused programming to socially marginalized youth in the Pikes Peak region. At the core of Diakonia’s approach is the belief that the needs of the whole person must be addressed to give them the greatest chance of long-term success. Diakonia begins its work by assessing clients’ overall self-sufficiency and making health and housing referrals, connecting clients with a mentor, and coordinating care with the rest of the client's care team (if a care team is in place). Small caseloads, holistic care, and high-quality coordination of care are what make Diakonia uniquely suited to serve its focus youth and give them the greatest chance of success in the workplace—and in life. All youth are assigned a Career Navigator to help them explore career interests; achieve goals like obtaining a GED, managing probation requirements, and earning a driver's license; overcome employment barriers; and prepare for employment. Diakonia now has a specific Employment and Education Specialist to help clients find employment and work toward their career goals. Once employed, the EE Specialist continues mentoring support, working directly with employers to help them understand the unique needs and challenges of the client. Youth receive financial supportive services including help with expenses for obtaining identification documents, purchasing a phone, paying transportation costs, and purchasing clothing for work. Clients learn good decision-making skills and establish positive and healthy behaviors. Services are provided for up to one year post-employment provided the client continues making progress toward their goals. Diakonia’s aims to enroll as many youth 16-24 years of age as possible in its Vocational Training program. Through partnerships with Careers in Construction Colorado, BuildStrong Academy of Colorado, and others, Diakonia provides Home Builders Institute: Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (HBI: PACT). Graduates of this program who enter jobs in the construction industry earn an average wage of $18 per hour, 25% above Colorado’s minimum wage of $14.42. These higher wages are key to the economic self-sufficiency of Diakonia’s focus youth, especially in the face of rising living costs in our region. Diakonia’s Vocational Training program provides industry-recognized credentials and quality employment opportunities, as well as opportunities for young adults to build confidence and self-esteem, develop work ethic, and cultivate soft skills needed to thrive in the workplace.