Housing Security: Breaktime • Connor Schoen
Reweaving the Safety Net: Innovating Against Youth Homelessness
Youth homelessness is a crisis hiding in plain sight. Unlike chronic homelessness, it doesn’t always look obvious—these are young people who may seem like classmates, coworkers, or friends, while quietly struggling with housing insecurity.
In this episode of unNatural Selection, we sit down with Connor Schoen, co-founder and CEO of Breaktime, to explore how his team is innovating new ways to identify and engage youth in need. Connor shares how Breaktime equips young people with not only jobs, but the soft skills and resilience required in a world where technology is rapidly transforming the value of hard skills.
We discuss what it takes to truly understand the needs and challenges of this population, how to engage them in ways that foster trust and opportunity, and how to equip them with the skills to navigate a rapidly changing social landscape during one of life’s most vulnerable and confusing periods—youth.
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Connor Schoen is the Co-founder and Co-Executive Director of Break Time. Born and raised in Westborough, MA, Connor Schoen has always been driven to create positive social change in his home state. As a Harvard student, he began volunteering at a local homeless shelter and was struck by how many young adults his age were experiencing homelessness, often after being rejected by their families for their sexuality or gender identity.
Thus, in 2018, Connor Schoen co-founded Break Time with a fellow shelter volunteer and Harvard classmate, Tony Hsu, to end young adult homelessness through employment and empowerment. Break Time has evolved from its early beginnings into a nationally recognized nonprofit with a lasting impact across Massachusetts and beyond. This past year, Break Time transitioned from renting an office in Boston's West End to purchasing its first permanent home at 63 Franklin Street in Downtown Crossing, establishing a lasting hub for innovation and collaboration to end young adult homelessness.
Connor Schoen has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for social impact and most recently was honored by WBUR with its inaugural Community Honors Award, recognizing five leaders shaping the future of Greater Boston through service.
Host: Connor, it's a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to unNatural Selection.
Connor Schoen: Thank you so much for having me, Nic.
Host: I'm really looking forward to this conversation, but before getting going, just to level set, always the same question. So, Connor, could you please tell us what need or impact drives your work?
Connor Schoen: Absolutely. I believe that every single young person deserves the support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. That's what's always driven me. And I think that unfortunately, for the transition-aged youth population, young people ages 18 to 24, for those that don't have parental support, family support, a financial safety net, it is incredibly challenging to navigate that part of your life and build towards the future of stability, success, fulfillment without some support. And so that's always what's driven me is how do we find ways to support that young adult age population and create tools and resources that are specific to their needs? Because they're not quite at, you know, they don't quite need the same things as say, a 35-year-old, a 50-year-old, and they don't need the same things as a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old. So how do we really target that population and create the right bridge to their future success?
Host: That's incredible. And I, I definitely, I applaud the work. I, I still remember what it was like during that age. And it's a confusing and scary time, for as confident or full of confidence as you may feel, it's definitely terrifying even under the best circumstances. And to get concrete before we dive in, could you give us a quick overview of what Break Time actually does?
Connor Schoen: Yes. So Break Time, our mission is to break the cycle of young adult homelessness. And what we specifically do is we equip young people with the job and financial security to achieve housing security. So we're not a housing or shelter organization. We actually work in partnership with housing organizations and we provide the other things that a young person needs to sustain housing for the long term. So our core program involves three weeks of soft skills job training, that's called our Launchpad program, getting our young people set up with the soft skills they need to succeed in any career.
[05:00]
Connor Schoen: Then there's a three-month paid job placement called Liftoff, where a young person is placed at one of our local employment partners in all different industries for three months of employment. And then after that, our Stable Orbit program is three years of continued wraparound support and financial support to help that individual sustain employment for the long term and continue to grow in their career, build financial security, build savings, build credit, build a foundation for their future success, and ultimately through doing so, set themselves up for long-term housing security. There's a lot of other aspects to what we do, a lot of things that we layer on top of that, but it all connects to job and financial security and wraparound support for that young person to make housing security and ultimately to make their success, fulfillment, happiness a reality for the long term.
Host: Wow. Okay. So, yeah, so when I hear that, it sounds almost like an accelerated program to get almost like a, a not necessarily a business degree, but an all-encompassing education on the skills that you need to succeed in society, right? So, they probably, can you tell us a little bit about what that educational program looks like? What are the, what's the curriculum? Is it one-size-fits-all or does it, is it tailored towards somebody says I'm more interested in engineering versus I'm more interested in business versus marketing and so on. How do you look at the educational component?
Connor Schoen: Yeah. Well, the first part of Break Time's core program, Launchpad, those three weeks of training is really focused on the soft skills that everyone needs to succeed in the workforce. I think particularly now as we look at how artificial intelligence and other factors are shaping the labor market, the one thing that I think all employers, all recruiters can agree on is soft skills are absolutely invaluable and irreplaceable. Attendance, engagement, communication, professionalism, these are the kinds of things that as long as someone as an employee is willing to learn and grow, you just need that as a foundation. You can't, you can't get anywhere with someone unless they're showing up, unless they're communicating appropriately, unless they're coming to work in a professional way. And those are the kinds of skills that when you're 18 to 24, you haven't necessarily had the opportunity to establish or cultivate those skills unless you've had the privilege to say, have an internship or grow up in a family environment where these skills have been, you know, you've been mentored to, to adopt these skills. And so for us, that three-week program is really a boot camp in developing those soft skills you need to succeed in any job. We have young people who want to go into medicine. We have young people who want to become cooks. We have young people who want to become engineers. We have young people want to become designers, architects, musicians. We have young adults or, as we call them, associates, from with the interest in every single industry imaginable. And what we focus on at Break Time is setting them all up with those transferable soft skills that whether they stay in the same career track or they pivot like so many people do throughout their career, they will always have those fundamental building blocks that are going to serve them in whatever job they choose. And so our Launchpad program really focuses on, it's very engaged, immersive, hands-on, cohort-based program that goes through those skills and helps young people to develop those skills so that they succeed on the job. I mean, the kinds of things that you know, you might take for granted for knowing when you go to work are not always implicit or obvious to someone who's new to the workforce. You know, what are the customs around how you communicate to your boss if you're going to be late or you're sick? You know, what is the appropriate way, what is the professional way to communicate with your colleagues? If you, if you have a disagreement or conflict with a colleague, how do you go about resolving that? These are things that we go through simulated scenario-based trainings to actually show young adults before they get on the job, how to do it right. So when the situation arises, they're ready. Our young people don't get a lot of second chances. There's a lot of stigma and a lot of doubt that's cast our young people's way, both because of the insecurity and stability of their life, but also the communities they come from. You know, 87% of our young people identify as people of color, almost 40% identify as LGBTQ+. Our young people are coming from backgrounds that are already stigmatized and where they already face barriers to success just because of who they are. And so if we can prepare them to really knock it out of the park when they start a job, then we can set them up to sustain that job and ultimately grow in their career.
Host: Super interesting. And I don't want to jump to, I have questions later on about you mentioned AI and the way that society is changing, and I definitely want to dive into that.
[10:00]
Host: But just to set a little bit more context, you know, because you mentioned some of the demographics of the type of young persons that come to your program. But can you tell us what, what's like the single most misunderstood aspect of youth homelessness that you wish more people grasped and understood?
Connor Schoen: The single most misunderstood aspect of young adult homelessness is that it's not the same as chronic homelessness. It's not the same as street homelessness. It's not the same as the first mental image that probably pops up in your head when you think about homelessness. For most people, when they think about homelessness, they think about the most visible example that comes to mind, which is usually in a city, seeing somebody who is living or residing on the street, who might be going through acute psychosis, who might be going through challenges with substance use disorder. The most visible sort of graphic image that comes to mind is that, and that is such a tiny percentage of the overall homelessness issue for young adults. Most of homelessness is I'm sleeping on a friend's couch or I'm sleeping in a place. I'm not on the lease, I'm not protected, but I'm bunking with someone. I'm doubled up. We're sharing a bed because, you know, we can't afford rent. I'm staying with a family member, but I'm worried about violence. I'm worried about challenges and conflicts with this family member. Or I'm staying in a shelter. Sometimes it's I'm staying on the street, I'm sleeping out in the open because there's nowhere else to go. For our young people, most of the young people we work with, they're just in this transient space where they don't have the money they need to afford stable rent, to be on a lease, and they're just doing what they can to make it work, making sacrifices and taking big risks sometimes to have a place to stay. But ultimately what they need is very different than what somebody who has been living on the streets for 10 or 15 years needs. In that person experiencing chronic homelessness, that might be the first person who comes to mind. But the thousands and thousands of young people in, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who are experiencing housing insecurity, they, we, we don't see them. We don't see them. We don't, we, you know, might be friends with their colleagues, with someone who's experiencing this, and we wouldn't know, because we don't know what their living arrangement is when they go home. We don't know exactly what they're going through. We don't know the risks within their household that might make it an unstable and unsafe situation. And so the biggest thing I want people to know about young adult homelessness is, it's not as visible of a problem, but it's a deep and important challenge that affects young people at the inflection point of their life. For anyone who, as you mentioned, Nic, has gone through that period of life, it's a time of transition. It's a time where you should have the opportunity to explore yourself, your interests, to take risks, to make mistakes. And if you
[15:00]
Connor Schoen: don't have that foundational security, it's impossible. And so, that's what, that's why we do what we do. That's why we focus on this population.
Host: That's powerful. And I, I didn't realize that it was a transient phase, and I was going to ask, you know, what's the, what's the biggest difference? And you absolutely addressed it. So, that's, that's incredible. And I imagine that there's a lot of trauma and there's a lot of emotional difficulty that is brought in by all of these young adults that you're working with. And so, how do you manage that within your team? The people that are working with these young adults, they are coming in with a lot of baggage, and they're coming in with a lot of difficulties. How do you look at that? Do you have emotional counselors? Do you have different teams? How do you staff that to make sure that you're taking care of the people that are helping these young adults?
Connor Schoen: It's absolutely essential that we are not only caring for our young people, but we are also caring for our staff. Our staff are the single biggest engine to everything that we do at Break Time. They're incredible. They are relentless in their support and their advocacy for our young people, and that's not easy. And so, we, we invest heavily in all of the supports that we have in place for our staff. We work with a couple of different partners in the Boston community. For example, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, or BARCC. They do incredible work in supporting all of us with trauma-informed care and training, and just overall support that we need to be able to show up and do the work that we do. We offer a lot of support in terms of mental health, professional development, and we also just have a great culture where we encourage folks to take breaks, where we, we encourage folks to support one another, and to always, always know that we're there for them. Because, you know, you can't pour from an empty cup. And if we're not supporting our staff, then ultimately, they can't support our young people in the way that they want to, and in the way that they are ready to. So, we're very, very focused on that. And then we, we use a lot of resources for our young people as well, in terms of referrals to mental health counseling, therapy. We have a lot of different, a lot of different organizations in the Boston community that we partner with to make sure that our young people are getting the support that they need for their full self. Because, as you mentioned, there's absolutely a lot of trauma, a lot of challenges that they're bringing, and we want to make sure that we're supporting them holistically. You can't just get a job and expect your trauma to go away, right? It's not, it's not a silver bullet solution. It's about how do we build the foundations for your future? And so, that's why we use that term, wraparound support, that is absolutely essential to everything that we do.
Host: That's a great concept. And I think that's true for everyone, right? It's, you, you can't just put one thing in place and think that the whole thing is going to change. It's about a holistic approach, which I think is very clever. And the amount of coordination that must go into that must be massive. How do you find and how do you onboard all of the young adults that you're working with?
[20:00]
Connor Schoen: That's one of the biggest challenges for us, given how invisible young adult homelessness is. We can't just go to the street and look for young people to support. They're not there. And so, we, we're very, very creative in how we approach this. We work with a lot of different partners. We have over 50 different partners in the Boston community and beyond, including housing organizations, shelters, but also health centers, community centers, food banks, food pantries, just any place where a young person might be. We're trying to meet them where they're at. So, one of the interesting things we've been doing is working with a partner called MassHire, which is a state employment resource, and bringing our resources to them and saying, you know, you're seeing a lot of young people come through your doors, but they're not ready for the employment opportunities that you have available. They need the foundational soft skills. So, we'll partner with you. We'll set up shop right in your office. We'll be able to work with those young people and then transition them into the opportunities that you have available. That's one example of how we partner with other organizations. We also do a lot of outreach on social media. We work with our young people to share their story and to share the impact that Break Time has had on their lives. And we've seen a lot of success with that as well, where folks are seeing the real stories of real young people that they know and recognize, and that inspires them to reach out and seek support for themselves. So, we've gotten really creative and been able to find ways to meet young people where they're at and bring them into our ecosystem of support.
Host: Incredible. And are you mostly based out of the Boston area, or is it broader Massachusetts? You know, because I can think about areas like Lawrence, Mass, or Revere, or other places where you would find probably a good concentration of homeless youths. Do you expand that far? Is it right now kind of concentrated in the Boston area?
Connor Schoen: Yeah. So, we, our work extends across Massachusetts. You know, we're located right in the heart of Boston and folks are able to get to us from all over because we're so close to South Station, Downtown Crossing, really the nexus of all the MBTA lines in the Boston area. So, we have folks from as far away as Lawrence, folks as far away as Fall River. We also do a lot of virtual support for folks as well. You know, we, we have the opportunity to work with young people who might be, might be staying in Western Massachusetts as well. So, it's really the whole Commonwealth that we are seeking to serve.
Host: That's fantastic. I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about your background. You are obviously an accomplished person. You have a degree from Harvard. You were named in Forbes 30 Under 30. And you obviously have a very astute business mind. And I feel that's one of the things that I've seen in the nonprofit world, where the organizations that are run more like a business than like a non-profit end up being disproportionately successful. And you've taken this approach, right? Where it's very much a business mindset to how you're running this organization. Can you talk a little bit about that, about your background, and how you think about applying a business mind to a social problem?
[25:00]
Connor Schoen: Well, first of all, Nic, thank you for those very kind words. That's, that's incredibly generous of you. And I think that for me, what really pushed me to apply a business approach to this challenge of young adult homelessness, or really to any social challenge, is a belief that the most intractable challenges that we have as a society can and should be solved. And a business mindset can help because while the exact approach or the exact method of getting revenue to address these issues isn't the same as with a typical business, a lot of the same principles can be applied. A lot of the things I learned in my applied mathematics and economics degree can be applied to how you think about these challenges. And I think should be. We need to create nonprofit organizations that operate efficiently and effectively and get the job done for our young people. And so, that's what we're focused on at Break Time is taking a very methodical, data-driven, evidence-based approach to the work. We're running our program constantly in a cycle of innovation, evaluation, and iteration, where we're constantly collecting data on what's working and what's not, and then making immediate course corrections to ensure that we are doing best by the young people that we serve and maximize the scale and scope of what we do as an organization.
Host: Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. It's, you know, I've been on the both the for-profit and the nonprofit side, and, and I do feel that the people that bring a for-profit mentality to the nonprofit space often tend to be disproportionately successful because whether you're on the for-profit or the nonprofit side, economics factors always end up playing a really important part. And if you're not thinking about it, you're, you're losing the game.
Connor Schoen: And I think that, Nic, to your point, it's thinking about competition versus collaboration. I think a lot of times in the nonprofit sector, there's a lot of focus on competition and becoming the best, which is great. It's good to have ambition. But ultimately, in the context of, of innovation, just like somebody who's, who's doing a for-profit startup, you know, with a focus on collaboration and a focus on thinking creatively about how partnership can lead to the solutions versus competition versus trying to be the best, which ultimately, in the case of our young people, it's not serving them to think that way. So, that mindset has always driven me as a leader. And I think being exposed and being educated in the world of for-profit businesses, in the world of market economics has really helped give me some perspective.
Host: That's great. I want to shift gears, and I want to dive a little bit into the AI. You mentioned it earlier. And I'm really curious to know how you're thinking about the changes that are coming in society due to things like AI, due to things like automation. We're seeing already massive changes in the job market, and you're working with young people, and you're trying to give them the right skills for them to be successful in the future. So, what is your take on that? And how are you thinking about adapting your program for the future of the economy?
[30:00]
Connor Schoen: Absolutely, Nic. I think that AI is already transforming the labor market in so many different ways. I think that it's going to accelerate and increase the need for our services at Break Time because of the increased inequality that we're seeing in the labor market. You know, I think that the divide between the haves and the have-nots is going to be exacerbated by this change, and we need to be ready for it. So, at Break Time, we're really focused on three key areas of adaptation and how we're responding to this change in the labor market. The first is, as I mentioned earlier, doubling down on our commitment to soft skill development. That's essential. I think the one thing that AI cannot replace are those core human skills that we've been talking about, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional intelligence. These are the kinds of things that we as humans are really well equipped to do. And so, we're focused on that. The second is thinking about how do we educate our young people to be ready for this change. We're doing a lot of education in our program on what AI is, what its implications are, how to work with it, how to be ready for it, and how to understand that it's not a threat, but it's an opportunity, an opportunity that they can choose to adapt to and use to their advantage, or an opportunity that they can choose to be afraid of and let it sort of get in the way of their growth. So, we're really focused on that. And the third is, and this is where I think our program really shines, is our approach to transitional employment. You know, I think that as the labor market changes, we're going to see a lot more folks that need a bridge to the long term, to a good paying job. And Break Time's program is that bridge. Our three-month paid job placement is designed to be a transitional employment model, where folks can learn the foundational skills, they can start to build their resume, they can start to build their professional network, and they can do so in a supportive, low-stakes environment where there's a lot of resources for them, so that they're ready for that next job, which might be a higher-stakes, higher-pressure environment. So, we're really focused on those three things.
Host: So, when you're thinking about the careers, are you shifting any of the training from, say, more technical skills to other things, or are you doubling down on technical skills because you think that you can train the young adults to be better equipped for the future? How are you thinking about the technical skills versus the soft skills?
[35:00]
Connor Schoen: That's a great question, Nic. And I think that for us, we're focused on the soft skills piece. The technical skills, there are already so many organizations in the community that are doing great work in technical training, whether that's in phlebotomy, whether that's in more hands-on trades, in different fields. We, we, we're a very collaborative organization, and we're not trying to reinvent the wheel. We're not trying to compete with those organizations. We're trying to work with them and say, we will provide the soft skills, you provide the technical skills, and we'll connect the two. And so, we're not doing a lot of technical skill training within our program, but we are connecting our young people to all of the technical skill training opportunities that exist in the community. And I think that's really important because, you know, we want to make sure that we are focused on our core competencies and not trying to be everything to everyone. And I've seen it manifest in a number of different ways already. I've seen folks a few years behind me in school graduating with computer science degrees or applied math degrees like I did, finding it hard to find a job when they were told initially that that major would be the golden ticket to a great, good paying job. I've seen young people go out for interviews and be asked about their knowledge of AI, and their experience with AI, AI is being sort of built into job descriptions as a skill that's needed. So, this is already happening, and we're seeing it, and we're trying to make sure that we are responding to it.
Host: So, in that context, what are the most in-demand technical skills you're seeing in the Boston area right now, or in Massachusetts in general?
Connor Schoen: Well, there are training programs that skill folks up for very specific careers, whether that's in phlebotomy, whether that's in, I mean, all sorts of different jobs. We have folks at different hospital jobs that you can get trained up for, more mechanic-type jobs, jobs in all different industries and fields. There are lots of training programs that already exist that we can set folks up with and, and help them get into that career. But at the end of the day, they need the soft skills to succeed in those programs and ultimately to succeed in those jobs. So, for, for us at Break Time, we are paying very close attention to what AI is doing to the labor market and to the world. We're doubling down on our commitment to soft skill development and trying to, to share with folks just, just how important that is and not to forget about that.
[40:00]
Host: I couldn't agree with you more. I think that the soft skills, communication, being personable, being able to connect with people, I think those are the last things that AI will be able to take over, which is why I think that this is a very shrewd strategy on your part. And on that topic of strategy, how are you thinking about the scale and the future of Break Time? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Connor Schoen: That's a great question, Nic. And I think that for us, we're focused on two key areas of scale. The first is deepening our impact in Massachusetts. As I mentioned earlier, we're focused on the entire Commonwealth, and we want to make sure that we're doing the absolute best work for our young people here. And so, we're constantly looking at new ways to innovate, new ways to deepen our impact. And I think that the second key area of scale for us is in sharing our model with other organizations that are doing similar work in other communities. We, we are very focused on a rigorous evaluation of our program, constantly collecting data, constantly evaluating what's working and what's not, and then sharing that model, sharing that blueprint with other organizations that are doing similar work, whether that's in the United States or abroad. So, we're very focused on that. And I think that the most important thing for us is maintaining that core commitment to quality and impact, not scaling just for the sake of scaling, but scaling with intention. I mean, all of our young people, as part of our Launchpad program or three-week soft skills job training program, have to complete a career pathways presentation where they research a specific career pathway. They research what the salary bands are. They research what education and credentials are needed to, to get a position in that field. So, our young people are being equipped with the skills not only they need to succeed on the job, but also that they need to navigate the job market. And I think that's really important to note when you talk about adaptability. We're training our young people to be very adaptable, and that's essential for the future of the economy.
Host: That's amazing. I love the concept of sharing the blueprint and sharing the model. I think that's, that's a true sign of, of a for-purpose organization. And that's fantastic. And I can only imagine what it's like to buy a piece of property in Downtown Crossing. I'm sure that was an adventure.
[45:00]
Connor Schoen: Absolutely. It was a massive undertaking, but it was essential for us to be able to create that space for our young people and to be able to deepen our impact in Massachusetts. It's a space where we can not only house our core program, but also be an incredible collaborator with others, so that Break Time feels like a one-stop shop for everything that young adults might need. As I mentioned earlier, we recently purchased 63 Franklin St., a five-story building right by Downtown Crossing. It's 34,000 square feet. We're going to be able to not only house our program, but also provide space for our partner organizations to be able to offer their services, all under one roof, so that young people can come to one place and get everything that they need, whether that's job training, financial coaching, mental health counseling, housing resources. It's all going to be there. And so, that was a huge moment for us, and we're really excited about what that's going to allow us to do in the future.
Host: That's amazing. And that leads to a question that I had a little bit earlier, that I've seen in the nonprofit space as well, where you can't be everything to everyone, right? You have to choose your battles, and you've chosen your battles to be the soft skills, the transitional employment. But in that context, how do you think about being a one-stop shop? You mentioned that you don't want to compete, you want to collaborate. So, how are you thinking about that as a one-stop shop for the homeless youth?
Connor Schoen: I think it comes down to being really focused on our core competencies and being an incredible partner to others. We are not going to be providing the mental health counseling directly. We're not going to be providing the housing directly. We are going to be collaborating with the best in the business to be able to do that. And I think that's really important for us to be able to maintain that focus on soft skills, on transitional employment, on the financial support piece, and then leaning on our partners to be able to provide those other services. And that's really the long-term vision for the new building in Downtown Crossing is to create a hub where all of that can happen, where we can have all of those services under one roof, but it's not all Break Time. It's Break Time and our partners.
Host: That's great. What is the biggest lesson that you have learned about yourself through the process of building Break Time?
Connor Schoen: That's a great question. I think for me, it's about adaptability and resilience. You know, when we started Break Time in 2018, we didn't know exactly what it was going to look like. We didn't know exactly what the needs were going to be. We just knew that there was a problem that needed to be solved, and we were determined to solve it. And I think that the biggest lesson for me has been that you have to be ready to pivot. You have to be ready to adapt. You have to be ready to learn from your mistakes and make course corrections immediately. And I think that's true for any entrepreneur, whether you're in the for-profit or the nonprofit space. You have to be resilient. You have to be ready to fail and get back up and try again. And I think that for me, that's been the biggest lesson.
Host: That's beautiful. So, in the spirit of that, what's the greatest mistake you've made so far?
[50:00]
Connor Schoen: Oh, the greatest mistake I've made so far. That's a great question. I think that in the early days of Break Time, we were a little too focused on, on the revenue and not enough on the impact. We were a little too focused on how do we get the money to keep the lights on and not enough on how do we make sure that we're doing the absolute best work for our young people? And I think that that was a mistake, and we've corrected it. We are now incredibly focused on the quality and the impact of our program, and we believe that the revenue will follow. And I think that's a lesson for any entrepreneur is to focus on your core mission, focus on your core product, and the rest will follow. You know, and it comes back to that concept of transitional employment. In the early days, we would just connect young people directly to a job, and we wouldn't provide that transitional period. And we saw that they weren't succeeding. They might fall flat on their faces when they jump into a job with, you know, very high standards, very high criteria, and it's their first job, high pressure. They've got a lot of instability in their lives. They don't even know where they're going to sleep tonight, let alone how they're going to, you know, rapidly skill up to succeed in this job, high pressure job. We need a bridge for young people and for
[55:00]
Connor Schoen: our society, given the growing inequality. There are so many young people, particularly young people of color, young people from the LGBTQ+ community, who are constantly taking care of other people. They don't have a second to waste in terms of getting income. So, they're diving into the workforce without that bridge. So, I think as inequality continues to increase and as we look at creating equality in our society, transitional employment is a humongous key tool to achieving that and creating that bridge for young people so that they can more gradually get into the workforce, more gradually skill up. It ultimately serves everyone because we all need great people at our companies, at organizations, and government. We need great people doing great work. And if we offer transitional employment, we're pipelining so many folks into the labor market that are going to do, offer such incredible value across all industries.
Host: Well, Connor, this has been such an eye-opening conversation for me. I commend you and all the work that you've done so far and the tremendous success. You're doing such wonderful work and influencing lives. I can only imagine just how fulfilling it must be to see some of these cohorts go through your system and become successful people in their own right. And so, with that, I just want to again commend you and your work. Congratulations and success so far. Congratulations on the new location in Downtown Crossing, and thank you so much for being with us on unNatural Selection.
Connor Schoen: Thank you so much, Nic. It's been such an honor and privilege to, to be on your podcast.
