The United States Department of Labor has awarded Peckham Inc. a $2 million grant to expand youth programs.
According to a news release issued on Wednesday, Feb. 22, the grant will be awarded over the next 42 months to launch the Growth Opportunities (GO) Program, which will prepare corrections-involved youth and young adults for employment while also reducing violence in Lansing and Flint.
Lansing-based Peckham Inc. is a non-profit vocational rehabilitation organization that works with businesses in Michigan, Arizona, and Kentucky to provide paid job training opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Peckham opened a 41,000-square-foot facility off Linden Road in Flint Township in September 2019, which includes an industrial sewing area, manufacturing quality area, office space, internet café, on-site wellness center, and more.
Jobs are available through Peckham Manufacturing, a division of Peckham Inc. that produces high-performance fleece and extreme cold weather clothing for the military and commercial markets.
The GO Program is intended to assist participants in identifying and matching their career interests with educational opportunities, training, credential attainment, and paid work experiences. The program will also provide a leadership development curriculum in which participants will be paired with mentors to gain skills that will set them on a path to obtaining living-wage jobs.
“Rehabilitative programs for young people tend to stop at age 18,” said James Caleb Adams, Chief of Human Services for Peckham Inc. “The GO Program aims to fill that gap. We are targeting youth and young adults who have been at the center of gun violence or who have experienced significant trauma.”
Flint partners include Michigan Department of Corrections Region 6, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Genesee County 7th Circuit Court, Juvenile Division and Without Walls Outreach.
“The program will focus on helping individuals discover themselves, what they want to do in life, and develop healthy personal and professional relationships,” Adams said. “The program aims to give youth hope by helping them develop skills and assets to improve their futures and ultimately, live the life they want to live.”
