Meet Your Neighbor: COOP Careers

(Special thanks to Kalani Leifer for his time and insight)

On September 15th, COOP Careers launched their inaugural cohort of first-generation and low-income college students in Chicago after launching similar programs in Los Angeles and New York. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Kalani Leifer, Founder and CEO of COOP Careers, to learn more about the organization and its community-driven approach to workforce development.

At the start of the 2008 recession, Kalani Leifer had chosen to volunteer with Teach for America and served as a high school history teacher in New York. He was also part of a new startup high school with an initial class of 120 students. Watching students develop strong peer-to-peer relationships over time, Leifer wanted to work to ensure that these “trailblazers” were able to succeed rather than languish post-graduation. In Leifer’s view, it would be seen as a broken promise to the students, and that their hard work and dedication meant nothing.

COOP Careers was initially launched in New York in 2014 with three cohorts. With its mission around overcoming “underemployment” in first-generation and low-income college graduates through digital skills and peer connections, the organization sought out corporate partners to build out the program and fuel upward mobility. (Partnering with corporate entities like IPG Mediabrands, their programs focus around digital marketing and data analytics) Describing the growth process as “organic”, Leifer related how the first two cohorts of that year would serve as “credible messengers” and advocates within the greater community. In 2005, COOP Careers took on two alumni as coaches as they launched two new cohorts, and added a third and fourth cohort that year.

As Leifer described it, this became a form of “alumni mobilizing” as past COOP Careers participants became passionate advocates of the program. Providing referrals for potential employment, outreaching to various other community organizations, and serving as coaches for future cohorts, past participants in COOP Careers ensured that the program would thrive. As cohorts were launched in Los Angeles and San Francisco, COOP Careers continued to see its grassroots mobilization-style approach to identifying new communities and launching further cohorts.

Although COVID complicated COOP Career’s plans for a Chicago launch, Kalani Leifer indicated that it provided to be a “silver lining”. Alumni captains were able to perform their duties virtually. In many ways, the Chicago cohort followed the COOP Careers model: engaging the initial community with the idea and watching it grow and develop. Referring to COOP Careers’ approach as “grassroots mobilization” is not too far from the track, as the program works to not only train future professionals but establish and strengthen a strong peer network that can foster professional growth. As Leifer himself remarked, “Launching a career is hard; it shouldn’t be lonely.”

COOP Careers has established a firm presence in Chicago and is a well-needed resource. They’re also a neighbor worth knowing.

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And as always, thanks for reading!

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Above the Waves: Improving Student Mental Health Through Technology

(Special thanks to Ryan Hesslau of Above the Waves for his time and insight)

Even before the current COVID-19 pandemic, high school and college students have many issues connecting with mental health services. Despite current statistics around youth and adolescent mental health issues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), and the World Health Organization (WHO),  accessing services can be a challenge due to both logistical and policy challenges. However, Above the Waves is hoping to address the issue of student mental health through technology, and we had the opportunity to speak with CEO Ryan Hesslau about the app.

Working to meet the needs of junior high, high school, and college students, Above the Waves hopes to innovate and improve on existing Offices of Student Services. The app’s overall goal is to shorten the distance between students and counselors and works to ensure safety and anonymity. Stemming from Ryan’s past work with the youth development initiative ForeverU, the Above the Waves platform has three key outcomes:

• Equip every student with a mobile help place to find mental health and safety support
• Boost productive and student engagement for each of our school counselors
• Improve morale while building insight into your students.

With many schools acknowledging greater mental health and safety needs for their students, Above the Waves provides a well-needed resource. Above the Waves platform works through a mobile app that gives students streamlined access to services, bundling together school counselors, 24/7 crisis hotlines, and local mental health resources. By streamlining access and anonymity through more direct access, Above the Waves allows students to schedule sessions with their school counselor (or other professional) directly.  For many schools, the Above the Waves app can make student engagement of services much easier.

One of the challenges, however, is getting school systems to onboard all of their students around the Above the Waves app. Although schools can get a free license (and we’ll have details at the end of this post), this is a relatively new concept for schools. Although many schools either lacked a response or expressed resistance to the app “right now”, school counselors have been the greatest advocates. (Despite efforts to initiate key decision-makers, Ryan Hesslau decided to shift tactics and engage school counselors directly). With many students currently dealing with greater mental health and safety issues (such as living in an abusive or nonsupportive environment), Above the Waves can be an important tool in establishing healthier behaviors and providing well-needed services.

Many mental health and safety needs are going unnoticed; Above the Waves seeks to ensure that does not happen and improve responsiveness and access to services during the pandemic. Although schools are still deciding whether or not to reopen this fall (at the time of this writing), it is critical that schools be responsive to the growing youth mental health crisis that our world is experiencing. Those interested in learning more about Above the Waves and securing a free license to their technology for the fall semester should schedule a call with their team at www.abovethewaves.co.