Year Up New York Marks Expansion Into the Brooklyn Community with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

State Senator John Sampson, Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, City Council Member Darlene Mealy and John Galante of JPMorgan Chase to Participate in Welcoming Ceremony

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Year Up, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling urban young adults to reach their full potential through professional careers and higher education, will mark the official opening of its new Brooklyn site, located at 9 Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thurs., Oct. 28, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. ET. On hand to welcome Year Up to Brooklyn will be New York State Senator John Sampson, Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, City Council Member Darlene Mealy, John Galante, CIO of the Private Client Workstation program at JPMorgan Chase, and nearly 120 Year Up students and alumni.  

Lauded by President Barack Obama for its proven, innovative approach, Year Up is a national organization that provides career training to low-income young adults and helps them secure internships with top U.S. companies. Its scalable model prepares students for the workforce using a unique combination of technical and professional instruction, college credits, an educational stipend and corporate internships. Successful completion of the intensive, one-year program enables graduates to move into full-time employment and higher education. In Year Up's New York office, 78 percent of graduates have been placed into positions within four months of graduation, earning an average of $35,000 per year.

"Bravo to Year Up for providing our most vulnerable young Brooklynites with the skills, education and sense of pride they need to stay off the streets and find a good job," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "Around 30 percent of New York City's 16-to-24-year-olds live in Brooklyn, so Year Up's presence in our borough will ensure that our youth can compete in the global job market. For preparing our young people of today to become the leaders of tomorrow, Year Up gets a big Brooklyn 'thumbs up!'"

Year Up's Brooklyn site began serving its inaugural class in September 2010, which includes more than 40 students. In addition, there are more than 80 students enrolled at Year Up's Manhattan site — marking record high enrollment since Year Up New York opened its doors in 2006.

The announcement comes in the wake of Year Up launching a site in Chicago and a college-based pilot program in Baltimore, both in September 2010. Another site in Seattle (Puget Sound region) is scheduled to open in March 2011. Year Up also has offices in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Providence, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

"Year Up's expansion into the Brooklyn community is a testament to the impact we're having in the greater New York City community." said Lisette Nieves, executive director of Year Up New York. "Brooklyn is home to thousands of disconnected young adults, and we're thrilled to be offering them access to the education and job training they need to achieve their full potential. And without JPMorgan Chase's support, we would not have been able to expand into the Brooklyn community."  

About Year Up, Inc.

Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing low-income young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 1,000 students a year at sites in Atlanta, Baltimore (college-based pilot program), Boston, Chicago, New York City, Providence, San Francisco Bay Area, and the National Capital Region, and will be opening in Seattle in the year ahead. To learn more, visit www.yearup.org. www.youtube.com/yearupinc.

SOURCE Year Up

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