Read the full article by Jenelle Lum at Sacramento News & Review
Valeria Ulloa was contemplating her next steps when she first heard of Juma during her senior year of continuation school. Her social worker at the time suggested she apply to Juma’s YouthConnect program that provides teens and young adults with employment opportunities and job-skills development. That was back in 2021.
Now, Ulloa serves as Juma Sacramento’s first youth manager.
“I’ve had a lot of growth,” Ulloa said. “The growth I’ve had with speaking and being able to approach people has changed for the better.”
Juma, which means “work” in several African dialects, employs youth ages 16-24 with a variety of hospitality jobs and teaches them career-building skills and financial management with an emphasis on serving youth that have experienced homelessness, the foster care system or have a history with juvenile justice. Founded in 1933 in San Francisco, the nonprofit social enterprise has since expanded to San Jose, Sacramento and Seattle.