TPZ & ASA are co-designing digital resources to help young people plan their postsecondary paths
American Student Assistance® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures, and The Possible Zone (TPZ), an innovative, hands-on youth development program where young people in Boston prepare for life-long learning and careers of the future, today announced a one-year strategic partnership including a grant in the amount of $88,000. Through the collaboration, the two youth-serving nonprofits will co-design personalized, digital career readiness resources which will reflect input and feedback from more than 50 TPZ students. These critical resources will help teens and young adults (ages 16-24) make informed, confident decisions on the best education and career paths that meet their aspirations and needs.
“Research tells us that far too many teens are leaving high school feeling unprepared for what comes next. Through our partnership with TPZ, we are putting young people at the center of product ideation and development to ensure their needs are addressed in the form of valuable resources that will be instrumental in helping every young person to make informed choices about their futures,” said Alex Bulis, Chief Product and Technology Officer.
ASA & TPZ logosAs part of this strategic collaboration, ASA will provide funding, engineering, and product guidance to support the integration of TPZ’s LaunchLab Navigator app and its competency-based programming features into ASA’s comprehensive Career Navigation Platform, part of the ASA Career for Career Navigation at JFF (CCN) project aimed at helping young people find, evaluate, finance, secure, and achieve postsecondary education and career success. In addition, TPZ students will play a central role in co-designing and piloting the platform experience, participating in focus groups where they’ll test new features, explore prototypes, and share candid feedback on everything from navigation and usability to how effectively the platform supports their goals. This direct engagement will help ASA and TPZ ensure that the platform truly reflects the needs, voices, and ambitions of the young people it’s built to serve.
ASA will also provide TPZ with access to CCN resources and facilitate collaboration across all stakeholders by serving as a hub that connects different parts of the career navigation ecosystem including employers, higher education, K-12, intermediaries, and policymakers.
“We’re excited to partner with ASA to co-design such personalized, digital career readiness resources. Over the past several years, our students – through their thoughtful and direct feedback – have informed the development and refinement of TPZ’s programming, resulting in offerings that are both effective and in-demand. Their valuable perspectives will ensure that these resources will help many young people, like themselves, plan their postsecondary pathways,” said Raven Tukes, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, TPZ.
About American Student Assistance® (ASA)
American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a national nonprofit at the forefront of changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures through access to career readiness information and experiences for all. ASA helps middle and high school students to know themselves—their strengths and their interests—and understand their education and career options so that they can make informed decisions. ASA fulfills its mission–in schools and beyond the classroom–by providing free digital experiences, including Futurescape® and EvolveMe®, directly to millions of students, and through advocacy, impact investing, research, thought leadership, and philanthropic support for educators, intermediaries, and others. ASA fosters a generation of confident, crisis-proof young people who are ready for whatever path comes next after high school. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-asa.
About The Possible Zone (TPZ)
Young adults spark their passions and develop in-demand durable and STEAM skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and key networks at The Possible Zone (TPZ)—an exciting, tuition-free, experiential learning program where high school students prepare for life-long learning and jobs of the future. The TPZ mission is to advance economic equity by ensuring young people develop the entrepreneurial spirit, skills, and networks to launch successful careers. To learn more about TPZ, visit https://possiblezone.org/.