Workforce Development and Career Readiness
Unlocking Potential. Building Futures. Transforming Communities.
Every young person deserves more than just a job, they deserve a pathway to purpose. Protege currently has a workforce development, career readiness, with emphasis on entrepreneur program that has been funded in large part via the State of IL. The Rise Above Career Program was created to help youth ages 16–24 rise beyond systemic barriers, step into meaningful work, and shape a future filled with possibility.
Why Pathways to Purpose?
For too long, talented young people in Chicago’s South Sides, and across suburban Cook County, have faced challenges that limit opportunity: high unemployment, limited access to mentors, cycles of poverty, and violence that stifles dreams.
This program exists to break that cycle. We believe that with the right training, support, and connections, every young adult can build a career that uplifts not just themselves, but their entire community.
The Need
The communities we serve face systemic barriers that make career pathways difficult to access, including:
- 25%+ Youth Unemployment Rate
- Only 60% High School Completion
- Top Illinois Ranking in Firearm Violence
- 40% Youth SNAP Participation
- Youth Incarceration Nearly Double State Average
- Median Home Values Below $150,000
These realities aren’t just statistics, they are lived experiences that limit opportunity! Rise Above was built to change that.
