CAMDEN — Hopeworks ‘N Camden announced that it has hired Joshua Cooper of Lawnside to serve as literacy director of the Camden-based nonprofit.
Cooper will oversee Hopeworks’ literacy department and design curricula tailored to youth trainees in both the Day Training and Hope Through School programs. His responsibilities will include providing one-on-one tutoring for youth, managing and recruiting of Literacy Volunteer staff, creating and implementing Individual Literacy Plans and connecting youth to the larger world of college and career options.
“We are delighted to have someone of Joshua’s caliber and experience join the Hopeworks team,” said Father Jeff Putthoff, executive director of Hopeworks. “Joshua’s strong background working with youth in South Jersey for more than a decade will be a tremendous asset to the literacy program and our youth trainees.”
Cooper previously worked as a group counselor for the Center for Family Guidance at Virtua Camden facilitating life and social skills to youth between ages 12 and 15. Prior to that he worked as a community-based facilitator for the Princeton-Blairstown Center in Princeton where he implemented curriculum-based character education to youth in disadvantaged schools.
He earned a bachelor of arts in architecture from the University of Virginia and a master of arts in urban studies from Eastern University.
Founded in 2000 by three local churches, Hopeworks, www.hopeworks.org, is a nonprofit organization designed to empower inner-city Camden youth by offering learning opportunities, enhancing their self-esteem through real-world jobs, and teaching them to be successful and self-sufficient. Hopeworks’ literacy program has produced tremendous results in improving the skills of the youth in the program, averaging an increase of 2.3 grade levels in reading and writing skills and 2.6 grade levels in math.