DETROIT, FEBRUARY 7, 2023 — Urban Alliance, a national nonprofit that connects high school students to equitable, inclusive careers through paid work experiences, mentorship, and professional development, announced today a new partnership with Project Destined to introduce young adults to property management career pathways. Project Destined is a leading social impact platform that provides training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and real estate.
The Property Management Pathway program will enable 20 Detroit high school students participating in Urban Alliance’s flagship High School Internship Program (HSIP) with an opportunity to gain training, mentoring and compete in Project Destined’s ‘shark tank style’ pitch competition. Students will earn three hours of college credit upon completion of the program through a partnership with long-term Project Destined partner, Lehman College-CUNY.
“We are thrilled to partner with Project Destined for this exciting opportunity to connect our students to job skills and training to compete in a pitch competition,” said Veronica Nolan, Urban Alliance Interim CEO. “High school students are eager to learn and take on new challenges and opportunities that will put them on the path to success in real estate.”
Anthony Coleman, Urban Alliance intern and student at Southeastern High School in Detroit participated in the 2022 pitch competition and recalls his experience. “This program really has changed my thinking on what I want to do in the future. I got a feel of the real estate business, [and] feel like I can go to the top with it. Lastly, I appreciate where I came from which is Urban Alliance where it all started, so thank you for this amazing opportunity,” said Anthony.
For more than 25 years, Urban Alliance has connected high school students to paid internships. The Detroit region was formed in 2018 and has been part of a strong network of schools, local government, nonprofits, businesses, and funders who recognize the importance of youth employment and actively work to strengthen Detroit’s workforce development ecosystem.
Since its founding in 2016, Project Destined has worked with more than 4,500 participants in 35 cities across the U.S., the United Kingdom and Europe. Project Destined leverages a work-based learning approach where students join executives to evaluate actual commercial real estate deals in their community and compete in a pitch competition to industry leaders to earn scholarships.
“We are excited to partner with Urban Alliance to prepare this incredible group of students for a career in commercial real estate,” said Project Destined Co-Founder Cedric Bobo. “The real estate industry provides unparalleled opportunities to build a great career while also impacting your community and your city. This internship program will ensure that these students are ready to take on that challenge.”
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About Urban Alliance
Since 1996, Urban Alliance has placed over 6,000 young adults in paid internships and trained 23,000 more in workforce skills throughout its regions in the Greater Washington, DC area, Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. Urban Alliance launched the Property Management Pathway in 2020 to connect high school students and alumni with paid, real-world work experience, mentors, and industry training in leasing and maintenance to support their transition to part- or full-time work within the industry. Visit www.urbanalliance.org
About Project Destined
Project Destined is a leading social impact platform that provides training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and real estate. Project Destined partners with corporations, schools, and non-profits to deliver training using its proprietary e-learning platform and live courses. Project Destined leverages a work-based learning approach where students work with executives to evaluate live deals in their community and present them in a pitch competition to industry leaders. Scholars emerge with the skills, confidence, experiences, and network needed to secure a competitive entry-level job and become stakeholders in their community. If you are interested in partnering, please visit https://bit.ly/3Lr5vUH.
Media Contacts:
Project Destined: Cedric Bobo, cedric.bobo@projectdestined.com
Urban Alliance: Maria Ibañez, mibanez@urbanalliance.org