Events

January is National Mentoring Month

Established in 2002, National Mentoring Month was created by the MENTOR organization and the Harvard T.H. School of Public Health. As stated on the MENTOR website, this month was created to “amplify, encourage, and strengthen mentorship in young people.” The goals of National Mentoring Month are:

• Raise awareness of mentoring in all of its forms
• Recruit individuals to mentor
• Recruit organizations to engage their members in this rapid growth of mentoring

The MENTOR website shares ways that you can get involved:

• Become a mentor
• Support mentorship programs
• Share your mentoring stories
• Attend mentorship events
• Educate yourself
• Recognize Outstanding Mentors

Additional resources can be found at the links below:

• MENTOR National Mentoring Month Toolkit
• Chronus On-Demand Mentoring Webinar Series
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation Spotlight on Youth Mentoring

Say Hello to the Placement Site: Spectrum Success 911!

Ms. Michele Abraham-Montgomery and her son, Khylil Robinson, run the nonprofit Spectrum Success 911, an organization dedicated to connecting families with vital autism resources. They serve as a placement site for YOACAP, or Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program.

After her son’s Autism diagnosis, Ms. Michele deepened her lifelong work in advocacy, program development, and public speaking, expanding her efforts to support youth, parents, schools, and community organizations. Mr. Khylil, a Community Autistic Peer Specialist with DBHIDS and a proud self-advocate, contributes to the nonprofit through Autism awareness and youth advocacy while mentoring C2L youth participants in the program. Together they create opportunities for C2L youth and many others part of the Autistic community to build employability skills and engage in meaningful activities such as music and art therapy and community information sessions.

During our Fall Capacity Building Site Visit, Ms. Michele shared her heartfelt commitment to helping youth on the Autism Spectrum and their families navigate both the workforce and daily life. She described her work as helping them “make sense of the nonsense,” offering guidance that leads to clarity during challenging moments. What she enjoys most is asking families “thought-provoking questions” that spark those small but powerful “aha moments” marked by a raised eyebrow or a smile. Through this holistic and compassionate approach, she and Mr. Khylil create a warm, empowering environment where youth and families feel understood, inspired, and supported.

SAVE THE DATE: Work-based Learning Institute 2026

C2L-PHL’s Work-based Learning Institute presents Future Forward: Blueprint for Youth to Career Pipeline as a space for innovation, collaboration, and action will be hosted on Thursday, May 7, 2026 at the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Call for Presenters

The institute will feature breakout sessions around youth-centered design & engagement, equity & access, program sustainability, and cross-program partnerships as well as featuring a youth showcase highlighting emerging leaders and their work products and networking opportunities with employers, industry experts, intermediaries, and C2L-PHL providers.

Who Can Apply to Present? Everyone! We welcome proposals from:

• Current C2L-PHL providers, placement sites, and partners
• External youth workforce development programs
• Practitioners, youth leaders, researchers, and organizations committed to equity and innovation

Whether you’re drafting a new concept, refining a proven approach, or building bold solutions, we invite you to lead engaging, solution-focused sessions aligned with our event strands and session formats!

Presenter Proposal Submission is due February 6, 2026 11:59pm here.

Fall 2025 Programming Recap

During November and December the capacity building specialists partnered with JEVS and the City of Philadelphia’s Children and Family Support Services office to visit over 15 sites. During the visits youth were observed working at their placement sites, working on projects, and participating in professional development sessions.

Mock Interviews with Philadelphia Parks & Rec

Throughout Fall 2025 programming, select sites in Philadelphia Parks & Rec participated in a resume writing and mock interview pilot. During the last week of programming in December, the Northern Liberties site hosted professionals from Citadel Credit Union and MCP Home Care Solutions to review resumes and conduct mock interviews for their C2L participants. The C2L youth felt the pilot helped them build their confidence and understanding of what should be on their resume.

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