Ten young adults exiting foster care learned this fall that, with funding support from Pasadena Community Foundation, they had landed a spot in the invaluable job-readiness internship program at Coffee with a Cause (CWAC). The program accepts up to 20 youth per quarter and provides employment-skills training following Specialty Coffee Association of America standards. PCF sponsored ten of the young adults in Cohort 4 this fall; in the fall of 2023, PCF sponsored three interns.
One of the biggest gaps in services for transition age foster youth (known as “TAY “) is job training and gainful employment opportunities. CWAC is a social enterprise that operates out of Rosebud Coffee on East Colorado Boulevard and fills that gap with valuable job training. CWAC reports a 90 percent employment rate for program participants, having trained 35 youth between 2013 and 2021 while maintaining partnerships with five local nonprofits.
“Thanks to the generous support of the Pasadena Community Foundation, we are able to fulfill our mission of guiding Transitional Age Youth towards self-sustainable careers,” says CWAC Executive Director Dan Davidson. “In partnership with PCF, we’ve expanded the certification opportunities for the youth in our innovative program. Our 15-month internship and mentorship program is time and labor intensive but so worth the effort as we are not only impacting the youth today but impacting their futures.”
CWAC has been innovative in seeking community partners to provide additional training and employment. Locally, Starbucks Coffee has partnered with CWAC to provide mentorship and jobs for TAY who have completed the CWAC internship program. The chain is currently supporting 40 youth – four associated with CWAC.
“This is where we get to see the best of Pasadena,” Davidson noted during the grand opening ceremony. “The corporate and the homegrown local coffee shop working together in support of our youth.”
