YFIOB is an amazing organization that supports youth in our local community. I have participated in the career panels and it was a wonderful experience. The students were engaged in asking questions, and I felt like they learned a lot.
YFIOB provides a great service to Santa Cruz Cty youth, and assists the community to find great talent to perpetuate SCC population and preserve talent. Yvette Brooks is an excellent leader at the helm with her knowledge and experience in SCC administration.
YFIOB is an absolutely amazing organization and does great work in the community. YFIOB connects students with local companies to provide worksite visits and networking opportunities. I have been on the Board of YFIOB for the last two years, and have seen the networking result in employment opportunities for YFIOB interns and students. We encourage more local companies to partner with YFIOB so we can have more opportunities for students.
A great organization of members who come from diverse organizations in Santa Cruz County that builds career paths for students from K-12. The members are dedicated to building a great community within the County and providing economic paths and growth for the future workforce.
Active and engaged nonprofit proactively interacting with and encouraging local students in career options.
Being a career speaker & board member through YFIOB has been exceptional! They are organized and passionte about helping the youth of our community!
YFIOB makes such a positive impact in our community by helping students understand their career choices.
YFIOB is an amazing community resource and continues to push the boundaries of youth education and career education!!
Such a great program. I wish I had YFIOB around when I was in school! I love all the programs and options available for young adults to figure out their niche in the world! Please support this organization any way you can!
I started interning at YFIOB this year and i’m so happy for the opportunity to work along side such amazing people. The work YFIOB does is so important for the students of our community to be able to have these opportunities that with out YFIOB they may not have. The work is rewarding and i feel truly blessed.
Your Future is Our Business is an amazing organization that provides work experiences and scholarships to local students. It allows students to explore careers and trades while they are in school, so they have an idea of what they want to do when they graduate. It also allows them to look at alternative paths, since not everyone plans on going to a 4-year university. YFIOB also does job shadowing, tours, and brings career speakers to school campuses to discuss their careers. YFIOB encourages students to network with career professionals, which I have seen result in actual job opportunities for these students.
The benefit to a young person is immense from the work that Your Future Is Our Business is doing at the highest level. Career pathways and mentorship are necessary to keep a young person on track and YFIOB provides various opportunities for both. Career fairs, industry speakers, interview workshops, 1:1 mentorship are just some of the resouces they provide. Yvette Brookes is an exceptional leader and has a board that are top notch providing a high level of career expertise. I don't know how they get it all done. Literally thousands of students each year benefit from their work!!!
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I’m a proud Board Member and local employer. I have been continually amazed of the impact that Your Future Is Our Business has on local students and the greater community! In a time when Career Pathways can be confusing , YFIOB provides many resources to guide , educative and motivate a young person toward their goal. The level of commitment on the Board and through local educators and businesses is phenomenal! This happens through mentorship, job fairs, jobs shadowing , career panels and more. This time, attention and effort has resulted in thousands of students receiving the benefits.
YFIOB is a phenomenal nonprofit in the Santa Cruz County. As a former student at Santa Cruz High School, I had the pleasure of participating in numerous career fairs organized by YFIOB. This nonprofit has been instrumental in shaping the career aspirations of countless students in Santa Cruz County. Their dedication to providing valuable resources and opportunities is truly unparalleled. The organization's commitment to fostering student growth and development is evident in the quality of their events and the enthusiasm of their volunteers.
I personally had an amazing experience with YFIOB! They offered and promoted many amazing resources, successfully facilitated a strong sense of community, and were overall incredible. I definitely recommend for youth in Santa Cruz to check out this great resource, especially for student exposure and experiential education benefits.
Your Future Is Our Business is an amazing non-profit organization. It gives many opportunities for students in Santa Cruz County. They bring job opportunities and volunteer experience for young adolescents. Their mission is to be able to give to students in the community opportunities to discover different careers and hopefully find something in their interest. They want to provide young people with a clear direction in their lives. I am glad I am to work with this organization and help the future workers to come.
Your Future Is Our Business is such a valuable organization to Santa Cruz County. There are many resources available in schools for students who want to go to college. YFIOB exposes students to career options that are outside of the traditional college path. It allows students to get exposure to careers through speakers, job shadowing, job fairs, and internships. YFIOB also provides mentoring opportunities and scholarships to students. I am grateful to be part of an organization that serves students in a practical way that sets them up for success. As a Board Member, I get the opportunity to provide for students the resources I wish I had as a teenager.
Your Future Is Our Business gives students of Santa Cruz County such an amazing experience to see what is out there and start thinking about what they might want for their future.
Your Future is Our Business continues to provide so many opportunities for students in Sant Cruz County. The sheer amount of resources provided through and by them continue to excel and push students to find a career that they love.
Committed to providing classroom to career resources to every Santa Cruz student YFIOB provides students access to local speakers, mentors, business leaders and real world experiences. The health od our county and its future relies on the success of our next generations. YFIOB serves the whole of Santa Cruz County understanding that the support it can offer to schools, teachers and students will contribute to the future of our local community.
YFIOB's mission provides young people within Santa Cruz County the opportunity to learn and gain knowledge and experience about different careers at an early age. They provide so many opportunities inside and outside of the classroom to learn more about potential career paths by bringing in career speakers to share their personal experiences and what it's like to work in that career field. YFIOB's mission means a lot to me because of their strong efforts and commitment to bettering our community, providing opportunities for those who may not have access to it and by being inclusive and welcoming to everyone, no matter what background you come from.
YFIOB provides invaluable opportunities for young people to explore career pathways from coordinating career panels for school events to one-on-one mentorship’s. As a busy school principal, they provided me with connections I couldn’t have made on my own with a wide range of working adults. Students and staff alike benefitted greatly from this unique organization.
YFIOB (Your Future Is Our Business) plays a crucial role in Santa Cruz County and nearby school systems by bringing positivity and fresh opportunities. They provide various services and events that help students explore new academic and career paths, promoting their overall growth. In addition to arranging college fairs, YFIOB also builds strong connections with local businesses, giving students a chance to engage meaningfully. One of their standout features is their commitment to inclusivity, as they welcome everyone, including people of color, to take part actively. Through these efforts, YFIOB makes a lasting impact on students and the community, fostering a supportive environment for learning and development.
I am an intern, it's my first time working with this organization. So far it has been great I just need to get adjust on the projects and how it works. I'm working on a project and I am excited to help the person to plan their event. I like working with the team they're very helpful.
YFIOB helps students get connected with career paths that they’d actually feel fulfilled in. I appreciate a program like this because I could’ve really used it when I was younger. It is hard to allocate the resources you need to become successful when you come from a low income immigrant family. Thankfully even as I am older I was lucky to come into contact with a program like this that can still help me as I navigate life. The program makes me realize that it is never too late to get connected with a career path you’d actually want. I’ve learned a lot from this amazing program in the short time that I’ve known about it. Thank you, YFIOB for providing me with a tool that should be accessible to everyone.
YFIOB plays a huge role in the Santa Cruz County and surrounding school systems. With all of the negative, and bad influences going on in the world it is crucial we also expose the youth to the positive and good side of things. By providing a plethora of services and events YFIOB encourages our students to lean towards school and careers that they might not have had the opportunity to learn about had YFIOB not been around. The work YFIOB provides and work related experiences hosted by YFIOB is imperative to the academic and career development for the kids of Santa Cruz. They do more than just host college fairs, they creation lasting relationships and connections with local businesses and business owners which ensures that those volunteering actually have their heart in it. Not only is there heart and real thought behind all they accomplish but there is REPRESENTATION. No one is excluded. POC are involved, working and have a seat at the table with YFIOB and coming from a mixed background and going to prominently white schools my whole life this representation means more than most know. YFIOB has opened so many doors for me as an intern and might I add my personal time and well being is always prioritized, I feel fairly compensated and appreciated which is often not the case with internships. Overall I cannot wait to continue to support YFIOB even beyond my internship, it isn't often you find an organization that makes it such a point to be beneficial for EVERYONE involved from workers, students, to interns everyone wins with YFIOB.
Students need to have a positive vision for their future. Learning about different careers at an early age helps make dreams become a reality. Your Future Is Our Business provides this opportunity for students. YFIOB supports public schools to help students envision their path!
I have been aware of the positive effect of YFIOB for several years and last year started volunteering with them as a Mentor. The program exceeded my expectations as it was so well organized. Both Mentors and Mentees were provided binders that contained timelines, expectations, and a carefully planned agenda for each of our monthly meetings. Communication was excellent and unplanned changes as a result of COVID went smoothly. I mentored students in other situations and this was the most successful.
YFIOB is such an amazing organization that puts kids on the path for success. This organization demonstrates passion, commitment, and drive to ensure our kids have the support needed to embark on a career path. I personally love the to attend the Annual Luncheon where children are awarded scholarships and they get to talk about their journeys in school. Many of the stories make you cry and warm your heart. I will always support YFIOB and their mission.
YFIOB is a top notch non-profit, highly effective in connecting young people with a variety of careers! They work well with schools and have an excellent track record of helping students connect with careers. The mentor connections are especially important.
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YFIOB continued to provide excellent services through the pandemic. Zoom and video was showed and menus of services directly to teachers. Middle and high school students were given opportunities for career exposure. It was almost as if the organization did not take a step back during the pandemic.
YFIOB is an integral part of Cabrillo Community College's connection with out K12 community. Their on-going partnership has resulted in robust college and career exposure to our middle and high school students.
Your Future Is Our Business continues to bring excellent career exploration experiences to all students in our county, working with schools, youth organizations, and non-profits.
Your Future Is Our Business (YFIOB) provides much-needed programming to schools across Santa Cruz County providing career panels, career exploration, job shadowing opportunities, and more! They collaborate with professionals and other organizations to provide students with comprehensive insights into local industries and businesses.
Chef Andrea Mollenauer through YFIOB developed a Hospitality and Tourism class that was held at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk weekly. This course provided an opportunity for youth to explore careers in the field. Students received classroom activities and hands-on experience within a restaurant and behind the scenes which focused on culinary skills. What a great opportunity for career exploration and building inroads with business. Clearly a win-win for students and business!
Your Future Is Our Business (YFIOB) is an amazing non-profit that serves thousands of students each year through career programs with local schools and even their own radio show that provides students with glimpses into diverse careers. It is truly impactful and visionary!
Can you imagine if concerned adults were deeply interested in you when you were starting to consider venturing from childhood into adulthood and a career? That is just what You Future is Our Business offers to teen students at this critical juncture in their lives. What a visionary organization.
Your Future Is Our Business provides college and career exploration for middle school and high school students across Santa Cruz County. Their work is invaluable; assisting youth to make educated decisions about their college and career goals. It's been my pleasure to serve on their board this past year and collaborate with this wonderful organization.
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I've had a wonderful experience partnering with Your Future is Our Business (YFIOB) on their high school College & Career Expos. In addition, YFIOB has been a key player in co-hosting events with our organization (and others) to bring networking opportunities to young adults and encourage professionals to engage with the youth in our community. I could not do my outreach work with as much impact without the awesome team at YFIOB!
I currently have the wonderful opportunity to serve, as an intern, for the organization. Under the current leadership of the ED, Yvette Lopez Brooks, I am positive the organization will do great things this year. Just to describe a bit more about YFIOB, it is a non-profit that serves Santa Cruz County high school students by means of offering career exploration opportunities, i.e., career fairs, internships, and other work-based learning opportunities. I am thrilled to help the organization within my capacity as we transition from the Summer to the Fall. Please take this moment to review the YFIOB website and please subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about our programs/events/and business partners!
YFIOB is the local gold standard when it comes to exposing school-age youth to careers.
As a longtime educator, I have witnessed its impact on many of my former students. Similarly, adults who serve as mentors (and those who are career speakers, job shadow hosts, etc.), invariably benefit through their interactions with youth in their orbits.
YFIOB weaves together integral pieces of our local community, providing vital education and exposure to students WHILE serving as a launch pad to filling vital jobs that our community desperately needs and will benefit from for years.
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YFIOB is the connective tissue between local schools and local and regional employers. They continue to provide vital resources that enhance the community's awareness about regional workforce needs vs. what local school are doing to prepare students in terms of career awareness.
Your Future Is Our Business (YFIOB) pays huge dividends for our surrounding community with their full lineup of services rendered for our youths' assimilation into the workforce. Here in Santa Cruz County, we are challenged with many obstacles. For example, the high cost of living combined with limited high wages and high growth career opportunities help create a perfect storm-type scenario.
YFIOB supports many aspects in overcoming these local challenges. They offer job fairs, work-based learning opportunity connections with the private sector, and other career exploration events. Still, most importantly, they support our youth with the "Can-do" mentality necessary to help them navigate the perfect storm.
As a YFIOB board member, I am honored and privileged to work with such a talented group of people who have built an extraordinary organization towards scaffolding many aspects required for equity-based access and opportunities previously unknown to specific student profiles.
YFIOB is a model non-profit organization that needs to be held up for others to emulate. It is a seamless, dedicated team of professionals who have come together to make a monumental difference here in our Santa Cruz County community.
Your Future is Our Business plays a critical role for students in our county to help them imagine what their future could be. Students typically do better in school and in postsecondary education if they begin with a career path in mind. YFIOB provides students the opportunity to explore and learn about different careers, talk to professionals, and learn about what education they need to achieve their dreams. Our K-12 schools are pushed to be everything for kids and it is not always realistic. YFIOB provides this essential service for our students and educators.
I am thrilled to be joining the Board of Directors for Your Future Is Our Business! I am a community development professional who knows that Santa Cruz is only as strong as our local workforce. YFIOB recognizes this too and makes it their mission to serve as many students as possible with opportunities to grow their careers right here at home.
Being a Board Member of Your Future Is My Business has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. Helping our youth with discovering their career pathway has been very fulfilling. I am in awe of the success of the student's achievements and the opportunities that Career Technical Education has provided.
Your Future is Our Business connects middle and high students with an opportunity to explore careers through panels, internships and expos.
I was recently at one of the many Career Expos representing hospitality and recreation careers for our classic seaside amusement park: the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
A student walked by my table so I asked him if he was interested in a job. He shook his head and said, "No", with some disdain. I get it. Although, we are the largest employer of youth in the county, not everyone who is a teenager wants to work at an amusement park .
So, I asked him, "What do you want to do?"
He replied, "A director." and started to walk away.
I told him, "I can help you out. Walk over here with me."
I walked him over to another table at the Expo: Tam Communications, a digital media company that creates award winning commercials and videos.
"This young man is interested in being a director." I said and left him to talk about his dream job.
I saw him later on and asked him how it went. He looked at me and said with genuine joy in his voice "Thanks! That was great."
Who knows? Someday that teenager who was inspired by a conversation at the career expo put on by Your Future is Our Business might be the next Duffer brother or Steven Spielberg.
Plantronics supports Your Future Is Our Business in many ways, including attending their monthly meetings at high schools throughout the county. Employee volunteers discuss the roles and career opportunities here at Plantronics, and share their professional experiences in many areas of the company from Design to Engineering to Sales. The goals of YFIOB align with our priorities of creating opportunities for all and supporting the communities in which we work. We are proud to be a part of this important community resource. - Carolyn Auman
my name is Carlos Alcala and have been an intern at YFIOB since December 2017. My experience working here has been amazing, as I am making a difference by contributing to the community. My role as a website maintenance deals with making sure the database is in tact and filled with the correct information.
Some of the biggest accomplishments working at YFIOB was coordinating a career expo that gave a lot of students the ability to connect with many businesses and leaders through their community. Being able to network at a young age is a great tool that many students in high schools don’t get, so being able to provide that makes working here a satisfying experience.
YFIOB deserves more recognition on what it does the community. Exposing students to real world experiences is beneficial to their success but to the community too knowing we are modeling the way for out future leaders. I have had many internships in the past, and nothing can compare to the impact, relationships, and commitment we have built as an organization to help others.
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has partnered with Your Future Is Our Business for many years. We specialize in career technical education for secondary students and adults throughout the county. Your future Is Our Business provides work based learning opportunities for many of our students, which gives them the opportunity to really explore a career field. Their organization is well managed and supported by young adults. These interns work as a team on marketing, networking, planning events, conducting meetings, and working directly with the county's students and staff. We are all fortunate to have this important service in Santa Cruz County.
As a Board Member for Your Future Is Our Business it is an absolute pleasure to be part of a great organization which helps young folks explore career paths. It has been a great experience having students Intern at the County of Santa Cruz in various departments also. They bring such great experiences to the work place and it is great to be part of their career exploration journey.
I am so proud to be a Board Member!
I see so many students empowered by the hard work of the YFIOB staff and students!
I am recently retired from 39 years in the construction industry. Having taught school for a few years in the early '70s, I was thrilled to be asked to join the board of this amazing organization - YFIOB. The people on the board as well as the interns are incredibly generous, selfless, caring individuals, trying to help young adults - high school and college students - find their way by connecting them to businesses.
My internship at Your Future Is Our Business has been an incredible experience. I have gained a lot of valuable skills and have been able to create a strong network in my community. This internship program is not like any other program or internship I've had.
As a YFIOB intern, you truly need to take initiative while working well with a team or independently. As one of the first fully intern staffed organization, students interning with YFIOB can learn about various jobs in the nonprofit sector, including communications, marketing, outreach, administration, IT, and education. The hands on approach of this program allows students to begin working on projects immediately.
As an intern, I have been able to add my own ideas to grow the organization to serve more communities. With the support of the intern team and executive director, I can learn from my success or failures in a positive environment. I am truly fortunate to have found this internship as a college student.
My name is Malina and I became a part of the YFIOB Intern team in December 2017 as the Administrations/Operations intern. One of my major responsibilities upon joining Your Future Future Is Our Business was coordinating the 17th Annual Business/Education Luncheon which is a work-based learning experience that shares and celebrates the work of Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes and is an opportunity for us to thank all of the schools, educators, businesses, professionals, and community members who have participated and/or contributed in some way to YFIOB's programs. This three-hour event brought in approximately 245 guests (an all-time high!), 15 table sponsors, as well as teacher and student representation from 18 different CTE classes in the county. I also recently coordinated Soquel High School's Career Expo which connected hundreds of students with 22 various businesses and organizations representing 15 different industry sectors as well as the Renaissance High School Career Expo.
Some of the most valuable lessons that I've learned from working at Your Future Is Our Business are 1) that the future and success of our youth depends on what we do NOW and 2) the strength of a community depends on how much we are willing to give, learn, and grow from one another. There is a passion or project for every student and we are responsible for starting the conversation and connecting them to someone who can help them discover new career(s) that they can pursue. Your Future Is Our Business is leading the way building a bridge between students and professionals who can lead them in the right direction.
When we expose youth to a diverse option of careers and give them the resources they need, our community becomes more diverse and the resources become more abundant. All of us at YFIOB have seen firsthand how much it has grown in such little time and how much more it will grow. Every day we connect ourselves to new members in the community and those people connect us to other people, and so on like a giant web. Working for YFIOB has taught me that it is crucial to not only take into consideration the opinions of those whom we work with but to always be willing to adapt, change, and improve or else the web will not be as strong as it could be. Without the continuous support of local organizations and businesses, we would not be able to do what we do!
I am Morgan Matias an Intern at Your Future Is Our Business. I’ve been interning at YFIOB since January 2017. During my time I’ve filled a lot of important roles. My current role is a workshop provider, where I teach local students about entrepreneurship, business, and help them explore career opportunities. When I graduated high school I didn't know what I wanted to do. This feeling is all too common for students. That's why our work at YFIOB is so valuable. We go into local schools and give students the opportunity to explore all of lives options before graduation. This gives them the ability to explore careers that interest them before they have to choose a college major or career path. By doing this we are helping them set up for a successful career and successful life.
Through my work, at YFIOB I’ve had the opportunity to meet countless influential people. And for a young person in our community, I came to recognize that the saying “It's not what you know, it's who you know” is a very powerful thing. I truly value the connections I’ve made in our community through working at YFIOB. Getting to know people in our community I have come to realize that they are extremely altruistic. I usually meet people at events where I ask if they would be willing to give work-based learning experiences to local students, and I am not exaggerating when I say I have never gotten a no. Of course, some businesses are unable to host students or are too short staffed but these companies don't say no. They give me a contact of someone who could help, or they make time for an over the phone conversation with the student. I’ve seen our community come together at a time when we most need it. Santa Cruz County has shown me that we are willing to work together to improve education for the younger generation. I am so blessed to be apart of Your Future Is Our Business and to help make this transformation.
I think this non-profit deserves recognition. For all the hard work put in to help students explore careers. My mentor and the executive director of Your Future Is Our Business, Mary Gaukel-Forster personally works every day to help students in our community. I am so lucky to have someone this generous and giving to look up to.