Passion
Purpose
Progress
Positive Work Experience
Positive Learning Experience
Overcoming barriers to employment
Our Mission
Street Smart Ventures creates opportunities for young adults who have faced adversity and struggle to find their place in life. We help them to find their purpose and make a connection to their passions. Together we work with their passions and help them to learn and grow skills needed to create small businesses and to connect with others in their communities who may be a resource for them to find their true potential.
Passion, purpose, and progress can bring success into their lives and give them a place in the workforce.
Street Smart Ventures believes work, learning, and entrepreneurship can be integrated into highly motivating and mentor-rich activities to teach life, work and academic skills.
See how SSV can help your organization
What is the
Work and Learn Model?
The goal of the Work and Learn Model is to create continuous exposure to the world of work including vocational training, youth businesses, self-employment and event planning projects, structured work placements within agency and partnering organizations, community service projects,and part and full time jobs.
The Work and Learn initiative empowers young adults to build their communication, social, decision making, and vocational skills while starting up and operating their own ventures. Young adults and staff from numerous agencies are creating products and services from their business and entrepreneurial projects.
Thinking like an entrepreneur and owner, the young adults prepare their products and services for distribution through multi agency marketplaces to consumers. The young adult makes financial projections, does market research, creates timelines and benchmarks, does sales and financial planning and analysis, sets prices and profit margins, and delivers good value for price, creating customer satisfaction.
The Young Adults become positive role models, coaches and advocates.
Agencies We Work With:
These agencies include:
Bridges - A Community Support System
CHR East Windsor (Community Health Resources)
CHR Enfield (Community Health Resources)
CHR Manchester (Community Health Resources)
CMHA (Community Mental Health Affiliates)
CMHC (The Connecticut Mental Health Center)
CRMHC (Capital Region Mental Health Center)
Continuum of Care (New Haven, Hartford)
Crunchtime Youth
GBMHC (Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center)
SMHA (Southeastern Mental Health Authority)
SWRMHB (Southwest Regional Mental Health Board)
WCMHN -Danbury (Western Connecticut Mental Health Network)
WCMHN - Torrington (Western Connecticut Mental Health Network)
WCMHN - Waterbury (Western Connecticut Mental Health Network)
VIDEOS
Here are some of our videos