By Philip Haldiman

Independent Newsmedia

Growing up, Matthew Castillo couldn’t get enough football.

He started playing flag football at age 7, and jumped into tackle football at 9. He started on the freshman team at Peoria High School with his sights set on varsity.

But then tragedy struck.

When Mr. Castillo was 15 years old, he took a big hit on the last game of the season.

His football career ended that day.

A successful brain surgery brought him back to full recovery, but contact sports would not be in the cards moving forward.

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As a young man, he pushed through the adversity and directed his passion for football, eventually becoming a youth coach, helping children realize their full potential.

Mr. Castillo, now 22, attributes some of that success to his experiences in the JAG program or, Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates, at Peoria High School. It helped lay a foundation that prepared him for the real world and a more fully realized existence, he said.

“It got me ready for the future, and how to get ready for a job interview. But it became so much more than that. It became more like family. We had each other’s backs and were open to each other’s ideas,” he said.

“It made us more pure and taught me to  be honest with others, and to be 100% pure with myself. And that the more comfortable I am with myself, the more people will respect you.”

Successful adults

Mr. Castillo is one of more than 35,000 Arizona students served by JAG since 1980.

The nonprofit is filling a gap, considering employment rates among teens and young adults — commonly measured as ages 16-19 and 20-24, respectively — have declined since about 2000, according a Brookings Institute report released in April.

In 2017, 30 percent of teens had a job, compared to 45 percent in 2000, according to the report. Among young adults, 66 percent worked in 2017, compared to 72 percent in 2000.

This drop reflects a variety of causes, including voluntarily dropping out of the labor force to concentrate on education, as well as simply not being able to find a job, the report said.

The goal of JAG is to change this trend and expose students to a variety of career opportunities with local businesses, ultimately increasing better outcomes for JAG graduates.

JAG partners with local school districts, the business community, the public sector, and other nonprofits to help young people stay in school and acquire the academic, personal, leadership and vocations skills they’ll need to be successful upon graduation.  JAG works with youth from 6th grade through age 24.

Spokeswoman Nicole Porter said JAG identifies Arizona youth who need some additional support to graduate from high school and build a pathway to continued education, meaningful careers, and productive adulthood. This is particularly relevant today, she said, given the variety of economic, academic, and environment barriers facing the nation’s youth.

“It is about changing young people’s perceptions, and opening their eyes to opportunities they can chase, and achieving them. And bring them resources they need, whether it has to do with mental health or teaching them how to have a voice,” Ms. Porter said.

PUSD schools

The organization works with children during their middle-to-high school transition (6th-9thgrade), as well as college and career readiness (10th-12th grades), which can happen through a high school class worth three credits.

Locally, the group works with Sunrise Mountain and Peoria high schools, where they served 92 students in the 2018-19 school year.

Young people are given opportunities to learn and practice new skills through leadership, career exploration and community service activities of their choosing. Ms. Porter said these projects reinforce critical workplace skills including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.

She said the programs are led by a program coordinator who is dedicated to a cohort of 40 young people each year, allowing them to have a strong relationships with each participant and individualize services to meet their needs.

The coordinator acts as teacher, mentor, coach, and advisor for students to address school-related challenges, guide them through their career and college exploration, and empower them to take on their biggest goals.

JAG brings in guest speakers and provides career opportunities giving students hands-on career exploration.

Of the students at Peoria and Sunrise Mountain high schools enrolled in JAG during the 2018-19 school year, 86% improved their GPA and 81% earned all credits. The students also gave back to their community by performing a total of 1,942 community service hours with an average of 21 hours per student.

After 12 months of follow-up services, according to JAG, Peoria and Sunrise Mountain’s Class of 2018 achieved the following:

• 98% graduated;
• 96% of graduates were engaged in employment, further education, or both;
• 80% of graduates were employed and 84% of those employed were working full time;
• 68% of graduates were attending post-secondary education.

“It’s more than just about a job but also when you leave the classroom and go into the workforce, and how to work with those around you,” Ms. Porter said.

Resource center

Earlier this summer, the city opened its Community Assistance Resource Center in downtown Peoria, 8335 W. Jefferson St., providing resources for northwest Valley residents in the fields of finances, health care, child development, nutrition services and more.

As a tenant at the center, JAG Works provides outreach directly from the community, as opposed to the pubic school system.

It is for young people who may not have access to the program in school or somebody who is not in school.

The center provides young people, 16 to 24 years old, with guidance and opportunities such as professional and leadership development, peer/mentor support, team building and self-advocacy coaching.

JAG Works Coordinator Susie Kay said she assists youth to remain in school and acquire the academic, personal and leadership skills required for success after graduation.

With the center in its infancy, Ms. Kay said she has been focusing on recruiting and will start more workshops beginning the first week of September.

An informational meeting will be 5-6 p.m. Aug. 28.

“(Clients) come from all different kinds of backgrounds,” she said. “Some are at the top of their class and want to explore differet careers and some are on the edge of dropping out. Everybody has different barriers.”

Adulting

Success is not attainable without encountering roadblocks.

That punishing hit to Mr. Castillo on the gridiron nearly 10 years ago took him on an unexpected path. But he said he always wanted to be a football coach.

Once he turned 18, that’s just what he did, with National Youth Sports, a nonprofit that offers a variety of year-round programs for children ages 3-15.

The goal of the organization is to offer amateur sports programs through a volunteer base that serves youth, families and communities.

This mirrors Mr. Castillo’s mission.

Also at 18, he became a professional barber and has gone on to run his own successful business, including work on his own apparel line and grooming products.

One of his newest projects is a free youth football camp in Peoria called Earn Wings. He said it is a way for him to share his love for football and pass on his knowledge to the community’s youth.

“When I was a kid, my parents didn’t have the money to pay for a football camp,” he said. “So I want to give the opportunity I never got.”

Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.

If you go

What: JAG Works Peoria info night

When: 5-6 p.m. Aug. 28

Where: Peoria Community Center, 8335 W. Jefferson St.

Phone: 623-698-1289