WAY is a unique program designed to turn teens into workers with real career skills and aspirations. The program’s main focus is on work ethics and attitude, helping youth to think of themselves as “a person who works” with a real understanding of an employer’s right to a full day’s work for a day’s pay.

On our campus, the program has four levels, allowing youth to advance at their own pace:

• Level 1: unpaid chores in their cottages. All children learn that they must contribute to their community.
• Level 2: paid chores around the cottage for small wages.
• Level 3: paid jobs on campus earning amounts appropriate to their age and experience.
• Level 4: Jobs in the community. Our job developer helps youth find work in the local community once they have successfully completed levels 1 through 3.

Employers interested in providing a job for a young man should contact Buddy Schultz at BSchultz@childrensvillage.org.

WAY was developed by The Children's Village in 1984 and has been replicated by more than a dozen organizations nationwide. The Child Welfare League of America published a study of the outcomes for youth who completed WAY showing remarkable high school graduation rates and success as adults in the work world.