The City of Tallahassee is slated to receive $500,000 of funding through the State of Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice to support its nationally recognized youth program, Tallahassee Engaged in Meaningful Productivity for Opportunity (TEMPO). This funding is allocated to the City as part of the State's Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget, which will become available July 1. This funding doubles the State's support from last year's state appropriation of $250,000.
TEMPO provides a path for disconnected youth to connect with essential services that enable educational opportunities, workforce training and job placement. It targets youth ages 16-24 who are out of school and out of work. Additionally, TEMPO launched a generational poverty stop-gap initiative in 2020 that allows family members of participants to attain their GEDs regardless of age.
This additional funding will benefit up to 150 disconnected youth by providing workforce training scholarships and credential attainment through a vocational or technical college or university.
"Since we launched the TEMPO program in 2017, the City has engaged more than 1,900 local youths," Mayor John E. Dailey said. "Through their continuing success, TEMPO alumni are showcasing the positive trajectory the program provides with a zero percent recidivism rate, more than 400 now employed and 297 enrolled in higher education."
In June 2021, TEMPO graduated its largest GED cohort of 70 students, and in June 2022, more than 80 will graduate from the program with their GED/or workforce credential attainment licenses or certificates.
"TEMPO has been described as 'a lifeline' by many of the participants," said Dr. Kimball Thomas, director of Housing and Community Resilience for the City of Tallahassee. "Each day through this program, we are reaching a target demographic that represents, according to data, Tallahassee's largest potential gun violence victims and offender pools."
For more information about TEMPO and how this program provides viable alternatives by providing paths to economic opportunity for area youth, visit Talgov.com/TEMPO or call 850-891-8722.
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