Jobs. Careers. Internships. A chance: All of them were on the table Tuesday in Balboa Park.
In fact, they were on more than 30 tables at the third annual Promise Zone Youth-Led Career Expo, which is designed to give students and young adults exposure to employers, interview training, resume reviews and even professional headshots.
“It helps young people develop responsibility, to learn how to talk to adults, to learn about self-advocacy in the workplace,” said Amber Weber, the Promise Zone program manager. “It is the best experience.”
A Promise Zone is a federally designated area that’s been historically under-invested in by companies, governments or programs. San Diego’s encompasses roughly 80,000 people living in communities like Barrio Logan, the East Village and Encanto.
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“The Promise Zone was definitely created to reduce poverty, and getting a job is one of the ways to do that,” Weber explained .
The Career Expo at the Balboa Park Club Tuesday is one of the ways the Promise Zone looks to level the playing field. A news release from the city of San Diego said the program helped decrease unemployment from 14% in 2016 to 10% in 2022. The city said the poverty rate also dropped from 35% to 20% during the same period.
