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1. Share Opportunities Clearly

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Sustaining the Opportunity

2. Build a Welcoming
Onboarding Experience

Onboarding is the process of welcoming young adults into your program or workplace and supporting them as they get started. For Opportunity Youth and other young adults, onboarding is more than paperwork or orientation—it’s the start of a relationship! It’s the foundation of a positive, trust-building experience which models warm communication for young people.

Jump to: Takeaways

Who is this play for?

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Organizational Leaders

Direct-Support Staff

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Young Adult Employers

Why this
matters:

Builds trust quickly

Young adults feel valued and respected from the very start.

Improves retention

Clear expectations and early support reduce drop-offs.

Supports individual growth

Participants receive resources and referrals that match their needs.

Put it into action

Design (or Redesign) Your Onboarding Process

Create a structured, intentional onboarding journey that reflects the needs of Opportunity Youth. Start by defining your onboarding goals and thinking about when you want those goals to be achieved:

Do you want young adults to feel safe, informed, and connected within the first week?
What does success look like after 90 days?

Use your evaluation data to identify weak points and opportunities for improvement.

Team Exercise: Ask each team member to draft a visual roadmap (timeline, flowchart, or checklist) that highlights each stage of onboarding, such as orientation, skill training, and regular check-ins. Incorporate youth-centered design methods like co-creation sessions—inviting young adults to help shape the process.

Once you have that roadmap together, use that to determine what types of support tools you need to create.

Model Clear Expectations

A transparent overview of what the program involves, what success looks like, and what supports are available.

Use plain language and visuals—like checklists or infographics—that can be easily referenced on mobile devices. During the first week, review the roadmap with participants, pausing to answer questions and confirm understanding.

Revisit expectations at key milestones (30, 60, 90 days) to reinforce clarity.

Begin Onboarding BEFORE Their First Day

Onboarding should begin for the participant the moment they are accepted into your program.

Find creative ways to begin onboarding communications from the moment that someone is accepted into your program or gets a job at your organization by implementing one of the tips below.

For example, consider things like:

A welcome email that provides links to helpful supporting information.
A remote or in-person orientation session that takes place before the program starts.
Creating a part of your website specifically for new participants or employees.
Having program advisors or mentors reach out before the program officially begins shows that peer support boosts engagement and retention (Youth.gov, Positive Youth Development)

Your Welcome Should Remain Warm

A structured yet personal first day that focuses on building connection and reducing anxiety can prove to young adults the benefit of engaging in services from the beginning. First impressions set the tone, and your aim should be to help young adults feel included and respected for their time.

Here are some tips:

Craft a first-day experience that balances warmth with clarity. Greet participants by name, provide a brief tour, and introduce them to staff and peers.
Combine a simple, youth-friendly intake form with an in-person or virtual one-on-one session. Ask open-ended questions about strengths, interests, and aspirations before covering needs or barriers.
Consider offering a welcome packet with essential information and small tokens (like a notebook or bus pass) that show thoughtfulness.
Use icebreakers as “get to know each other” tools. For example, you can play a game of bingo that involves finding other participants and staff members who match certain criteria. Or simply spend time talking about what has brought everyone to this program.

5) Practice key skills right from the start

It’s important to help your participants begin practicing the skills you want them to develop right from the start. As we’ve covered throughout this playbook, there are times when your participants are going to need help. This could be when they are facing an unexpected challenge in their life. Or when they find themselves in conflict with others.

It’s critical that they start to practice handling those situations through active learning. They should also practice other habits you are seeking for them to build.

Roleplaying and scenario work are great ways to help people practice these skills.

In roleplaying, people step into different roles and try to work through a specific situation. People observing the activity can offer advice or talk about what they observed. It can be challenging to start role-playing at first because people can feel self-conscious. And at the same time, this is a skill that can be developed through practice.

In scenario training, participants are presented with a short scenario (usually no more than a paragraph or sometimes a brief scene from a movie or TV show) and then discuss what could be done to help with the process. That could be defusing a confrontation or helping an individual in a scenario through a specific problem.

Offer Early Wins

Opportunities for participants to achieve small, meaningful successes in the first weeks.

Structure the first few weeks with achievable goals—such as completing an introductory training module, updating a resume, or attending three sessions in a row.

Celebrate these milestones with public recognition, certificates, or small incentives like gift cards. Acknowledging progress helps participants build confidence and remain engaged.

Takeaways:

Onboarding is more than orientation—it’s the first step in building trust, providing support, and setting young adults up for success. A strong onboarding process:

Meets participants where they are.
Helps them navigate challenges with confidence.
Ensures staff and participants are on the same page.
Strengthens outcomes for both individuals and organizations.

For organizations in Memphis working with Opportunity Youth, investing in onboarding is investing in the future of your participants, your staff, and your community. Start small, build consistently, and keep listening to the young adults you serve. Need a light-touch activity to explore participant interest? Click here for the Participant Interest & Needs Check-In Worksheet.

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