***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mike Gross, Genesys Works
Phone: (917) 771-2421
Email: mgross@genesysworks.org
Genesys Works New York City Awarded $25,000 through AstraZeneca’s ACT on Health Equity: Community Solutions Challenge
NEW YORK, NY (November 1, 2021) — Genesys Works New York City was awarded $25,000 through AstraZeneca’s inaugural ACT on Health Equity: Community Solutions Challenge to support the expansion of its program.
Through this grant, Genesys Works will be able to provide more young adults from underserved New York City (NYC) neighborhoods access to career paths that lead to sustained economic self-sufficiency and a lifetime of career success.
This award stems from AstraZeneca’s commitment to advance health equity through collaboration with organizations serving local communities. Genesys Works provides multiple pathways to careers for high school students from underserved communities through technical and professional skills training, mentorship, college and career coaching and paid internships. Nationwide, 90 percent of Genesys Works’ alumni enroll in college immediately after high school, are 3.5 times more likely to earn college degrees and out-earn their peers by 20 percent.
“With the economic downturn and shifts in what work looks like due to the pandemic, preparing young people from underserved communities for both college and the world of work is even more critical,” said Mike Gross, executive director of Genesys Works NYC. “Students who work in meaningful jobs during high school build confidence, break down barriers limiting access, and transform their outlook for the future.”
Through the ACT on Health Equity: Community Solutions Challenge, AstraZeneca has awarded 30 nonprofit organizations across the country to support programs focused on community health and wellbeing and youth STEM education and career readiness. The organizations awarded represent a variety of innovative programs providing a wide range of services that support underserved communities to improve health outcomes.
For more information on other programs awarded, please visit:
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About Genesys Works
Genesys Works provides pathways to career success for emerging young professionals in underserved communities starting their senior year in high school through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships. Our program consists of 8 weeks of technical and professional skills training, paid internships with major companies, college and career coaching, and alumni support to and through acquiring professional credentials and/or college. Our goal is to build career opportunity and economic equality in every community so that all people, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, have equitable access to career opportunities leading to sustained economic mobility. Since its founding in 2002, Genesys Works has grown to serve thousands of students annually in Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington’s National Capital Region, and New York City, and is looking to rapidly expand into 100 cities in the next 10 years. To learn more, visit genesysworks.org.
