FreshFoundations

Job-ready certifications and one-on-one coaching for adults 18 to 24. Microsoft Office and the credentials employers ask for, plus the mentorship to land the job and hold it.

Students at work in the computer lab upstairs at the Weaver Center

FreshFoundations at the Weaver Center for Community Outreach.

An instructor working through a lesson with students in the Weaver Center computer lab

The step after the summer job.

FreshFoundations picks up where FreshFutures leaves off. A teenager finishes the paid summer job, graduates, and then hits the harder question: now what?

This program answers it for young adults 18 to 24. College students. High school graduates. Young people who never finished and want a second run at it.

The core is certification. Microsoft Office and the other credentials employers list right on the job posting. Students earn them in the computer lab, at their own pace, with someone sitting beside them.

From certificate to hired.

A credential opens the door. Getting hired and staying hired takes more. So the coaching runs right alongside the certification: resume, interview practice, and the workplace habits that keep a paycheck coming.

The support reaches past work. Students get help with college applications and financial aid. They learn to manage money. They get mentors who treat them like family, and a hot meal so nobody studies hungry.

All of it runs out of the computer lab upstairs at the Weaver Center.

Our workforce curriculum is built around The 7 Essential 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Citizenship, Character Education, and Computational Thinking.

What you build here

Microsoft Office certification Resume and interview coaching College and financial-aid help Financial literacy Mentorship
Volunteer and help This program is funded in whole or in part by the City of Jacksonville through a Public Service Grant.
A mentor working with students in the computer lab at the Weaver Center

The program in numbers.

39 participants served annually
2,905 workforce training and career coaching hours delivered
23 industry-recognized certifications earned
76% credential completion rate
86% achieving employment, wage growth, or transition into further education or training
100% of documented transportation, childcare, and housing barriers addressed through wraparound support

Program outcomes as of May 31, 2026.

Help a young adult get started.

Your gift goes to work fast. It puts a young adult through a certification, funds the coaching around it, and keeps the lab open upstairs. Tell us your name and we will tell you exactly where it went.