A time for academic and personal growth.

Some might think that 8th grade is too early for students to begin career education and development, but Pay It Forward 365 believes it is absolutely the right time.

The 8th grade is considered a milestone year, serving as a bridge between the formative years of middle school and the new, more complex challenges of high school. An ACT research study found that “being on target for college and career readiness in 8th grade puts students on a trajectory for success.” The study identified 8th grade performance as the highest-ranking determining factor in attaining readiness by high school students. A higher level of academic achievement has a large impact on their readiness, while those not on track with their career exploration and development are unlikely to attain the necessary level by the time they graduate high school.1

Pay It Forward 365 will work with Cleveland area high schools and UrbanWorks organizations to give 8th graders the edge they need.

The perfect time to learn about UrbanWorks.

Real world workplace visits promote career exploration and development, while giving students a better understanding about how their city works.

UrbanWorks will expose the students to the invaluable, important urban support services in the community at large where they live. Urban support services (also known as urban necessities), strengthen communities, enhance infrastructure, and provide essential assistance to city residents. Many choose these careers because they foster an extra level of satisfaction through serving others, a factor that could make a difference to idealistic 8th graders.

Roles include public transportation, municipal governments, utilities, safety, sanitation, neighborhood planning, cultural and human support, roadway maintenance, and community action agencies.

Municipal

Utility

Safety

Cultural

Pay It Forward 365 will bring 8th grade students right to the source, so they can get the feel for prospective career directions. A typical week looks like this:

Grade 8 - Urban Works (Sample Schedule)
M 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit City Hall & CLE Cavaliers - Lecture: Money and Finance
T 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit EMS Department & CLE Guardians - Lecture: Health and Nutrition
W 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit Police Academy & CLE Monsters - Lecture: Safety and Law Enforcement
Th 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit Fire Department & CLE Browns - Lecture: Improving Study Skills
F 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit Water Works & CLE Soccer Group - Lecture: Social Work, Human services, and Therapy

With this exposure to urban services, students will have a deeper connection to and respect for the community where they live, along with an appreciation of how their community is run.

Student Requirements

  1. Student must be actively enrolled in school and in there designated grade for the upcoming school year. GPA 2.0 minimum.
  2. Must have no disciplinary issues such as fighting, disrespectful behavior, foul talking language and no report misconduct from there particular school or juvenile services in the community.
  3. Proper hygiene is expected at all times, no exceptions.
  4. If a student is asked not to return to program for negative behavioral problems they will be expelled immediately with no refund of previously paid payment.
  5. Boys are expected to be gentlemen at all times to everyone and girls are expected to behave like ladies at all times to everyone-no exceptions.
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Pay It Forward 365 is forward-thinking.

Give your 8th grader the benefits of an intensive career exploration and development program.

Enroll for the Pay It Forward 365 UrbanWorks experience.

This is the first of a 4-year career development program, with each year focused on a different type of career option. 9th graders visit technology companies (TechWorks); 10th grade students are exposed to blue-collar trades (TradeWorks),; while 11th graders focus on white-collar professions (ProWorks). Completion provides high school students with a comprehensive view of the many career options they may not have even known existed as opportunities for them.

Year 1: UrbanWorks

Year 2: TechWorks 

Year 3: TradeWorks

Year 4: ProWorks

The Pay It Forward 365 program takes place one week during their summer vacation, starting in 2027, in which groups of fifty greater Cleveland area students in grades 8–11 get a first-hand experience with a variety of careers through visits to various workplaces.

We partner with workplaces in the community not only to give students a real-world experience, but also because that type of collaborative engagement between parents, schools, and the broader community has been shown to amplify the power of these career exploration efforts, giving students true insights into the job market and a variety of industies.2

Pay It Forward to your 8th grade student — which will pay off 365 days of every year in their future — and register today.

Enroll Now