City of Tallahassee’s TEMPO Program Graduates 70 Students

Once disconnected youth find success

June 25, 2021

Participants in the City of Tallahassee's nationally recognized youth program, Tallahassee Engaged in Meaningful Productivity for Opportunity (TEMPO), graduated last night, June 24, at the Jack L. McLean Community Center. They comprise TEMPO's fourth cohort and the largest graduating class since the program began in 2017.

Seventy formerly at-risk students received their GED certificates. Among them were a married couple, both headed to Tallahassee Community College and a 17-year-old Native American, who is a first-generation GED graduate from the Kiowa Tribe. He also plans to attend TCC in the fall.

"Through proactive efforts like TEMPO, the City of Tallahassee is connecting our community’s youth with resources that will help them on the road to success," Mayor John E. Dailey said. "To see this program grow from 12 graduates in the first cohort to 70 this year is an awesome achievement. Each student worked incredibly hard to reach this life-changing milestone, and the skills they have obtained during the process will aid them in all their future endeavors."

Administered by the City’s Department of Community Services, TEMPO is a public safety outreach initiative that identifies, engages and reconnects disconnected or at-risk youth, 16-24 years old, to educational and employment opportunities. By tapping youth into this network, TEMPO has been described as "a lifeline."

As demonstrated at the graduation ceremony, the program also offers services to the families of youth participants, further strengthening support networks and increasing a household’s opportunity to move out of generational poverty.

Through their continuing success, TEMPO alumni are showcasing the positive trajectory the program provides. One hundred youth are now enrolled in higher education, 96 youth are employed in minimum wage jobs and 70 have fair and living wage jobs.

For more information about TEMPO, visit Talgov.com/TEMPO or call 850-891-8722.