BY TREEHOUSE FOR TRANSITION-AGED YOUTH
Rooted & Ready
Build real-world career experience, explore education and creative pathways, connect with a supportive community, and get paid along the way.
A Treehouse Approach To Growing Into Adulthood
Rooted & Ready is a relationship-centered, year-long experience where young people can build practical skills, explore their interests, earn money, and take meaningful steps toward education, work, and their goals for adulthood.
Participants join one cohort, creating a shared sense of belonging while following a path shaped by their own goals. Treehouse staff work alongside each young person to develop an individualized plan grounded in their strengths, interests, and hopes for the future.
Together, we’re helping young people build:
- Intergenerational relationships and a lasting sense of community
- Career, college, and training pathways
- Workforce readiness through paid learning and work experience
- Independent living and financial skills
- Confidence, communication, leadership, and self-advocacy
- Connections to trusted supports and community resources
Shared Foundation, Individualized Focus Areas
Career, College & Training Exploration
All Rooted & Ready participants take part in a shared experience that includes relationships and community, career and postsecondary exploration, workforce readiness, independent living and financial skills, and creative expression and leadership.
Each young person also has opportunities shaped by their individual strengths, interests, and goals.
Example:
Join the Truth Tellers Theater Ensemble
An innovative collaboration between Arts Integration Studio and Treehouse. Use creative expression to build confidence, communication, leadership, and advocacy skills. Work with peers to create meaningful, funny, and moving theater rooted in lived experience. No previous theater experience is needed. Learn more here.
Why Transition-Aged Youth?
Each year, as many as 20,000 young people age out of foster care, often without the lasting family and community connections that make the transition to adulthood possible.
Nationally, only 57% are employed at age 21, and 29% experience homelessness between ages 19 and 21.
Rooted & Ready reflects our mission to positively impact those numbers.
The program is designed to help young people build the skills, relationships, and confidence they need to step into adulthood: finding work, managing money, exploring education and training, and imagining a future that feels possible.
Paid Opportunities Through MassHire
Through Treehouse’s partnership with MassHire Franklin Hampshire (MHFH), eligible participants can access paid training and work opportunities..
MassHire’s YouthWorks program supports paid workforce-readiness training, additional education and skill development, and hands-on work experience. Participants can build experience for a resume, learn what it is like to be part of a workplace, and earn money while preparing for what comes next.
The experience includes:
- MassHire work readiness training – 10 paid hours
- Additional learning – 10 paid hours
- Work experience – up to 100 paid hours
Current hourly rates:
- Ages 16-17: $16.50 per hour
- Ages 18-22: $17.00 per hour
- Mentors: $17.50 per hour
Payment arrangements and available hours may vary by participant and opportunity.
Why Join Rooted & Ready?
Find your people.
Meet peers with shared experiences and become part of a community where you belong.
Get paid.
Get paid learning and work opportunities while building experience for your future.
Explore what’s possible.
Try out career, college, training, and creative pathways without needing to have everything figured out.
Build real-life skills.
Learn about work, money, independent living, communication, leadership, and self-advocacy.
Create a plan that’s yours.
Work with adults who listen to your goals, recognize your strengths, and stay in your corner.
Program Timeline
October – Early December:
Recruitment, relationship-building, and getting to know the cohort
December – May:
Shared programming, individual focus areas, and paid learning and work opportunities
June – August:
Summer work experience and support taking the next steps