News and Updates

November 15, 2009
WorkUp and Southeast DC Partners Launch Third Annual Youth Peppermint Bark Business Venture

WorkUp and Southeast DC Partners have begun their Third Annual Youth Peppermint Bark Business Venture to benefit the community Randle Highlands neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C. This year, youth at SEDCP created a marketing campaign to generate support and enthusiasm at local congregations; calculated revenue, costs, and profit for the venture, and produced and packaged the peppermint bark. This annual community-wide initiative brings families and neighbors together in a collaborative effort to change and improve the lives southeast DC residents.

May 30, 2009
WorkUp LA Cohorts Complete WorkUp's Innovative Financial Education Module

Eight young adults at the James Woods Apartments, an affordable housing property managed by 1010 Development Corporation, completed WorkUp's 20-hour Financial Education Module. In partnership with the Koreatown Youth and Community Center, students opened Individual Development Accounts, which offer high matched savings rates to help them build their assets for educational expenses. WorkUp's second cohort of 20 young adults at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center's Academic Leadership Community also completed WorkUp's Financial Education Module and will continue with WorkUp's Social Entrepreneurship Module in the next semester to create social ventures that will strengthen their neighborhoods.

February 14, 2009
WorkUp Secures Strategic Communications Partnership with MBI Media

WorkUp secures a strategic communications partnership with MBI Media, an award-winning strategic communications firm with over 30 years of experience. Our work with MBI enables us to expand our marketing efforts, further youth participation in our programs, and ensure that our generous supporters see the results of their investment in our young adults.

January 29, 2009
WorkUp LA to Launch on February 15

Join us in celebrating the launch of WorkUp LA on Sunday, February 15, 2009 from 3-5pm at the home of Jane and Paul Hirsch. Please RSVP to rsvp@workupla.org. View our invitation below.

January 10, 2009
WorkUp NYC Provides Financial Education to Youth in Harlem

WorkUp New York City begins 2009 by providing financial education to the youth interns in the New Song Learning Partnership at New Song Community Corporation in central Harlem. On weekdays, the interns staff the after school program at NSLP. During the weekends, WorkUp brings cumulative, interactive financial literacy sessions for youth to learn the basics of banking, to set short- and long-term financial goals and make plans to reach them, and to consider solutions to asset-building challenges in their neighborhood.

December 1, 2008
WorkUp's Youth Social Venture Benefits Restore

WorkUp's Youth Peppermint Bark Business Venture in Washington, DC has partnered with Restore, a nonprofit organization that serves human trafficking victims in New York City to benefit their communities. Along with bringing in program funding for Southeast DC Partners' Homework Club, the youth are selling Restore's tote bags to support safe housing and services for women rescued from the sex trade in New York. Tote bag purchases also benefit Freeset, a microenterprise in Calcutta, India that provides job training and careers to women who were previously subject to forced prostitution.

November 1, 2008
WorkUp and Southeast DC Partners Expand the Youth Peppermint Bark Business Venture

WorkUp and Southeast DC Partners launched their 2nd Annual Youth Peppermint Bark Business Venture today. The Peppermint Bark Business Venture is a youth-run social enterprise that supports young adults in gaining meaningful leadership experience, mastering entrepreneurship skills, and learning the importance of caring for their communities, both locally and globally. During November and December, the youth will be meeting to produce and package peppermint bark, plan out the use of the profits from the peppermint bark, and consider innovative and collaborative ways to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.