DENVER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
End of Year Report
January - December 2025
Career and College Success
Program Overview
The Denver Youth Employment Program (DYEP) serves a critical role in the Denver metropolitan area by providing youth early work experiences, particularly during summer months when youth violence historically increases. DYEP provides priority youth with opportunities to acquire essential workforce skills while engaging in meaningful activities that support their successful transition to adulthood. The program functions as a key entry point to workforce development, enabling participants to explore varied career pathways, identify personal strengths, and gain practical experience through placements with local businesses and organizations. These collaborations underscore a collective dedication to youth well-being, equipping participants with the competencies and insights required to make informed decisions about their future career.
Denver Youth Employment Program: Executive Summary
In 2025, Denver Public Schools (DPS) College & Career Success (CCS) continued its partnership with the City and County of Denver Economic Development and Opportunity to administer the Denver Youth Employment Program (DYEP). The program engaged over one hundred and twenty-eight (128) employers to place 396 enrolled youth in workforce preparation and entry-level work experiences, resulting in $635,400 in wages. Spanning the calendar year, DPS youth are served in the spring and fall semesters with work experiences primarily taking place in business-type ventures at their school sites. The summer program provides broader opportunities for youth throughout the City of Denver; it was launched with a kick-off event at the Denver Zoo, attended by more than 300 individuals, featuring remarks from Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero, Denver Zoo CEO Bert Vescolani, and Jason Stover of the SSA Group.
DYEP provided recruitment and targeted support to Denver-area youth facing poverty, housing instability, high-crime environments, systemic inequities, and barriers to educational and career advancement. DYEP Job Coaches collaborated with community organizations to address participants’ professional and personal challenges, promoting youth self-sufficiency.
Strengthening DYEP Early Work Experience Through CCS Alignment
In fall 2024, DYEP joined the DPS Career and College Success (CCS) Department. This shift bolstered the career development resources available to DYEP youth and staff for building workforce readiness skills and career preparation.
Under CCS, DYEP has aligned its initiatives with the Launch Internship program, which offers professional career-focused internships to DPS high school students. As part of this alignment, DYEP changed the number of work experience hours offered to students during the fall and spring semesters to 75 hours and 110 hours during the summer. DYEP participants also began to earn high school credit when they successfully completed a work experience. Students in DYEP also benefited from access to our Xplore Industry Exploration Program and more tightly-coupled referrals from DYEP staff to their CCS colleagues including Career Navigators and Coach Mentor Coordinators so that youth could benefit from additional work-based learning opportunities.
Additionally, we have successfully integrated DYEP into our CCS Salesforce database so that we can more efficiently track partner and student engagement. Application, onboarding, and case management processes now reside in one place so that we can have a comprehensive view of the k-12 work-based learning opportunities students engage in, including DYEP, and work with our industry partners to expand their relationship across the board.
Youth Violence Prevention
Aligned with the Denver Office of Children’s Affairs Youth Violence Prevention Plan, DYEP provided 75 hours of paid spring/fall employment and 110 hours of paid summer employment at $18.29 per hour (Denver’s minimum wage). The program delivered comprehensive training in work and life skills, mentorship, wraparound services, and job readiness and financial literacy training to foster academic and career success. DYEP was especially impactful during the summer, when youth often have increased idle time and may not always make the best decisions. Many DYEP Partners are community-based organizations that possess intimate knowledge of the community›s youth and offer essential role modeling and guidance to help participants recognize their potential and purpose. Continued collaboration with these partners is fundamental to program efficacy and the empowerment of youth and families.
The program has continued to prioritize regions of metro Denver that experience higher rates of violence such as the southwest, central, and far northeast sections of the city. By targeting these areas, we have successfully kept students productively engaged while building essential workplace skills and providing opportunities to earn wages.
Workforce Preparation and Work Experience Enrollment Data
*Of the 265 students enrolled in summer DYEP, 48 were non-DPS students.
**Some partners may be duplicated because they participated in more than one term of DYEP. Unique partners= 128.
DYEP Youth Demographics
DYEP Youth Success Stories
Youth Testimonial
Working at the World Juice Bar this summer has been such a fun experience. It was my first job, and although I was nervous at first, everyone was super nice and I became comfortable right away. I actually looked forward to my shifts and enjoyed interacting with the customers. I learned a lot, like how to make all the different smoothies, talk to customers, and how to open and close a shop! Plus, the smoothies are so good. I’m really glad I got the opportunity to work here. It was definitely a cool first job and an awesome place to work!
- Jaeda Smith , World Juice Bar Sales Associate
DYEP Youth Overcomes Challenges!
When Victoria first joined Athletics and Beyond through the Denver Youth Employment Program, she grappled with juggling school commitments and the demands of a professional setting, feeling uncertain about time management and communication. The program’s dedicated mentorship provided her with essential structure and training in professionalism, effective communication, and personal goal-setting.
These tools transformed her experience: Victoria developed strong confidence, mastered time management, and stepped into leadership roles. Returning for a second year, she now confidently organizes youth activities, mentors fellow participants, and consistently demonstrates an outstanding work ethic. Supervisors highlight her exceptional growth, and Victoria is excited to pursue a future in sports management.
-
Kyle Reese , Program Director
First Job—Success!
The DYEP work experience as a shelver at Blair-Caldwell Library was Jason’s first job, yet he quickly adapted. In just three weeks, he demonstrated a strong work ethic, curiosity, and eagerness to learn any task. His kindness and enthusiasm have impressed the team at Blair-Caldwell and have personally complimented his energy and how well he fits in.
Jason has been especially valuable in our staff-run community garden, willingly tackling outdoor work with plants, dirt, and pests. Tasks he likely didn’t anticipate in a library role. His growth in shelving (a precise and system-wide critical duty) has been remarkable; he takes feedback constructively and asks thoughtful questions.
- Kaye Johnson, Supervisor
From Shy Youth to Leader
This was Kassidy’s first job and she spent the summer working with our “littles” group (kindergarten through second grade). Kassidy had a rough job trying to keep our littles on task, but she fought through all challenges and adversity she faced, and she did it with a smile, kind words, and a caring heart.
Kassdy’s growth during her time at CHIC was impressive. She came anxious, quiet and hesitant to take the lead. By the end of her time with us, she was able to lead with grace, be vulnerable and try new things, and she became more confident and comfortable using her voice.
Kassidy is already looking forward to joining camp again next year and says that she learned valuable lessons that she will be able to use in high school and beyond!
- Tia DeVille , Supervisor
Youth Banking
The Denver Youth Employment Program is committed to educating participants on the importance of financial literacy. Through our partnership with FirstBank, we actively encourage students who do not currently have a bank account to open one during their time in the program.
Of the 350 youth who participated in a work experience, 193 students (55%) received their wages through direct deposit, while 157 students (45%) were paid via a pay card through our third-party vendor. This indicates over half of DYEP youth were actively using banking skills covered in the program’s Financial Literacy curriculum as an account holder. DYEP continues to encourage students to understand the value of banking, helping them build essential financial skills that will support long-term stability and success.
Looking Ahead
The Big Three
Denver Public Schools is preparing for new legislation (HB25 - 1278) which will require schools to report the number of students who complete one of the following as part of their School Performance Framework:
1. 12 College Credits
2. Industry-recognized credentials
3. Quality Work-based Learning Experience
These post-secondary workforce readiness indicators have been coined “The Big Three”. The State is in the process of more clearly defining these categories for school districts. We do know, however, that this change is especially significant for the Denver Youth Employment Program because early work experiences could count as part of the work-based learning metric. DYEP will be an even more important collaborative school partner given early work experiences will count toward the Big Three. While it’s exciting that the minimum wage continues to increase in the City of Denver, our overall DYEP budget does not increase annually and requires us to adjust the number of students we can serve. Our DPS Career Development team will continue to think creatively on how we can best extend more work-based learning experiences to students.
Job Readiness and Financial Literacy Training
The DYEP team will implement revised versions of the Job Readiness (JR) and Financial Literacy (FL) training which will include an overview of DYEP for students. The Job Readiness Training (JRT) will be aligned with CCS’ Traits of a Young Professional and youth will be evaluated on their ability to demonstrate these traits during their work experience.
The financial literacy curriculum will be more closely aligned with DYEP in that it covers financial information relevant to the youth’s ability to access, manage and save the money they earn as part of the program.
Work Experience Evaluations and Program Surveys
As mentioned above, DYEP youth will be evaluated by their supervisor at the end of their work experience. The evaluation process will help identify youth’s strengths and areas for growth as a young worker.
Program surveys will be distributed to both youth participants and DYEP employers. Data collected will be analyzed, identifying the program’s successes and elements that require improvements.
Increased Focus on Community Based Placements
Starting in spring 2026, 25-50% of work experience placements offered during the school year will be community-based rather than in the school building. This will increase the benefit of a work experience for participants who are ready to take on a job in the local area but also reserve school-based placements for students who could benefit from a more supportive work environment.
Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere appreciation to the individuals and organizations whose partnership and dedication make this work possible. We offer a special acknowledgement to Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) for their essential role as both funding and strategic partners.
We are equally grateful to our exceptional employer partners, whose continued commitment to supporting the growth, development, and success of Denver’s youth is truly invaluable.
For questions or additional information, please contact DYEP@dpsk12.org.
Appendix A: DYEP Employer List
10Four
Abraham Lincoln High School
Ana Marina Studio
Arts Street
Athletics & Beyond
BIG H.O.M.I.E.S
Casa Milagro Youth Solutions
Celebrate Life Foundation
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Barnum
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - 20th Street
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - 5090 Broadway
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Athmar
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Aztlan
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Carla Madison
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - College View
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Cooks Park
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Eisenhower
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Green Valley Ranch
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Harvard Gulch
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Harvey Park
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Hiawatha Davis
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Johnson
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - La Alma
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - La Familia
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Montbello
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Rude
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Southwest
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - St Charles
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Swansea
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation - Wash Park
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation- 5090 Broadway
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation- Johnson
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation- La Familia
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation- Scheitler
City and County of Denver- Parks and Recreation- Swansea
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
Collaborative Healing Initiatives Within Communities (CHIC)
Colorado Soccer Foundation
Colorado Threads
Community Outreach Service Center
Compassion Road Academy
Compassion Road Academy- Social Media
Compassion Road Academy- Youth Rec
Compassion Road Academy- Recycling
Concourse K Sports Academy
Contemporary Learning Academy- The Village
Contemporary Learning Academy- Garden
Contemporary Learning Academy- Mural Project
Contemporary Learning Academy
Decatur Fresh
Denver Health and Hospitals- MC2 Program
Denver Justice High School
Denver Library- Ford Warren
Denver North High School
Denver Public Schools- Transitions Team - Ready for 2020x
Denver Public Library - Bear Valley
Denver Public Library - Blair-Caldwell
Denver Public Library - Central Branch
Denver Public Library - Decker
Denver Public Library - Ford-Warren
Denver Public Library - Hadley
Denver Public Library - Montbello
Denver Public Library - Teen
Denver Public Library - Valdez-Perry
Denver Public Library - Woodberry Branch
Denver Public Library - Woodbury
Denver Public Schools- Career Development Team
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance
Emily Griffith Campus
Excel Academy - Student Assist Coordination
Farley Health Policy Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Florence Crittenton High School
Florence Crittenton Services of Colorado
Fortaleza Familiar
Get Ballooned
Heart & Hand Center
History Colorado
JEKL Institute
Kids 4 Real Inc.
Kids Above Everything
Kids Life Inc
Ktone Cares Foundation
Learning Experience-Green Valley Ranch
Legacy Foundation for Family and Community Development
Lyrics 4 Life Inc.
Make a Chess Move
Manual High School
Manual High School - Front Office
Manual High School - Library
Manual High School - Operations Manager Assistance
Manual High School - Peer Advisor
Manual High School - School Store
Manual High School - Voices for Change
Manual High School Library
Manual High School- Nursing Clinic
Manual High School- Student Voice and Leadership
Manual High School- Swimming Pool
Manual High- School Store
Maxx Impact Group
McBride Impact
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Mmc Integrity Services
Montbello Career and Technical High School
Montbello High School
Montbello High School- JROTC
Museum for Black Girls
Park Hill Pirates
Re:Vision
Respect Academy
Respect Academy - Student Assistant Coordination
Royal Grey Creative
Salvation Army Denver- Red Shield Corps
SAME Cafe Denver
Scholars Unlimited
Sims Fayola Foundation
Struggle of Love Foundation
Su Teatro
Summit Academy
Summit at Castro - Student Assistant Coordination
Sun Valley Youth Center
The Apprentice of Peace
TPOMM, LLC dba Cultura Chocolate
Vive Wellness
VIVE Wellness
Whittier Cafe
World Juice Bar
Young Men of Purpose
Youth Empowerment Agency