Community works together to open doors for young people
Case Studies
Bay Area organization New Door Ventures helps young people at risk of dropping out of high school or who have recently left without moving into further education to enter the workforce.
New Door Ventures helps young people in the San Francisco Bay Area prepare for work and adult life – but it takes a real community effort.
The organization collaborates each year with more than 50 local businesses, 300 community volunteers, and over 25 other nonprofits to ensure youth disconnected from school and work can fulfil their potential.
New Door Ventures helps young people at risk of dropping out of high school or who have recently left without moving into further education – focusing on Bay Area communities that face systemic racism, structural inequities, and other barriers to economic opportunity. It provides the skills, work experience, and support to connect them to meaningful, paid employment or educational opportunities in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.
Keonte was quiet, nervous, and struggling to complete all the high school work needed to graduate. With support from Roberto – a Workforce Development Advocate at New Door Ventures – the 18-year-old not only became more organized at school, he landed a job at a popular restaurant in Oakland. Through the paid internship program, he worked there four days a week after school to save towards college tuition.
Keonte said: “I learned that I’m able to change. I just want to go to college to find what do I want to be? Who am I?” /
For five years New Door Ventures has been placing young people in work at Teranga, a Senegalese food and beverage company that is one of many Bay Area community partners
New Door Ventures was chosen by the Global Business Coalition for Education to take part in the 2025 Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator. With employers across all sectors in the United States struggling to find young talent with the expertise they need, the Accelerator is part of a nationwide drive to ensure that by 2030 all young Americans will have the skills needed to find work in a rapidly-changing job market.
The Accelerator equips nonprofits with the tools and support they need to make a real difference in the lives of young people from underserved communities.
New Door Ventures believes that being part of the Accelerator will support plans to expand its programs and enrol more youth. Ally Thurman, Director of Strategic Initiative, said: “At New Door, we are building thriving communities by connecting young adults to the workforce. By being part of the Accelerator we hope to access even more opportunities on behalf of our young people.
“At this pivotal point in our organization’s growth, New Door could benefit from connections to other organizations in the education and workforce development space to learn best practices.”
Founded in 1981, New Door Ventures serves Bay Area youth age 17 to 24, using innovative and evidence-based youth development strategies in its six-month employment program. Young people become a member of a cohort of 15 to 20 interns, who learn with each other during their internships and support their peers.
We are building thriving communities by connecting young adults to the workforce.
Ally Thurman, Director of Strategic Initiative at New Door Ventures
Since 2005, the organization has served more than 5,000 youth. It has successfully placed 84% of them into unsubsidized employment/education at the end of the program, of which 85% were still in work after six months. Last year just under 350 young people enrolled in New Door Ventures’ programs.
Business partners commit to host at least one intern annually. Internships are a critical component of New Door Ventures’ employment program, providing youth with 12 to 15 hours of work experience per week for six months. Business partners supervise and give feedback to the participants, communicate weekly with New Door staff, and act as professional role models for the youth.
Volunteers work one-to-one with youth in workshops, including building resumes, writing cover letters, and conducting mock interviews. Community and business leaders also participate in career panels and host youth for career visits.
Another person helped by New Door Ventures is Mario. The 23-year-old Oakland native joined the programming at a challenging time in his life, when he had nowhere to live and had lost his car.
Mario wanted to learn about budgeting and navigating the housing system, while gaining work experience. But he learned other things too, saying: “The skill I lacked mostly was determination. I was willing to change who I was.”
Following a successful internship, he was offered a full-time position at GoCar San Francisco, a sightseeing company that helps tourists find their way around the city on go karts. He said: “Now I talk to everybody and their mom. What I learned about myself at New Door is I do have the mental capacity – I do have the drive.”
New Door Ventures and the other organizations in the 2025 Accelerator will join the alumni network of 28 previous participants which collectively have positively impacted more than 250,000 young people. When they complete the program, nonprofits and their leaders stay in the growing network – helping them to work with others and get peer support.
Businesses that support the Accelerator have opportunities to enhance brand recognition and strengthen community ties. They can also provide pro-bono products and services to support participating organizations.
Next resource