FROM PREPARATION TO SUSTAINABLE CAREERS
Equipping young adults to build the foundation for economic mobility.
Bridge Over Troubled Water (BOTW) is building a connected pathway that brings together career preparation, real-world experience, trusted relationships, and practical resources so young adults ages 18 to 24 can better understand their options, make informed decisions, and move toward greater stability and economic mobility. Our work is designed with opportunity youth in mind, including justice-impacted young adults and those transitioning out of foster care.
The gap is not the absence of programs. It is the absence of a coordinated system that supports young adults on the path to meaningful careers and long-term prosperity.
— HOW BOTW BRIDGES THE GAP
Shared effort. Stronger outcomes.
BOTW’s role is to bridge the gap between young adults and the systems meant to support them by making it easier to navigate resources, access the right opportunities, and move from one step to the next with greater continuity and direction.
Richmond has strong resources. Greater alignment can make them even more powerful.
— WHY WE EXIST
Richmond is home to many organizations that support our regions economic ecosystem. BOTW is designed to help Career Builders navigate those connections, identify options that fit their goals, and receive consistent follow-through.
18.2%
of City of Richmond residents live in poverty; median household income is $64,587.¹
A strong first career step carries even greater weight when household resources are stretched.
49th of 50
is where the Richmond metro ranks among major metros for absolute economic mobility of children from low-income families. Those born in 1992 earned about 8% less at age 27 (about $2,300 a year) than those born in 1978, compared with a 4.2% decline nationally.²
Regional growth has not yet translated into upward mobility. Connected career pathways are one way it can.
Figures describe different populations and are not BOTW outcomes. Sources:
¹ U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Richmond city, Virginia, 2020–2024 (2024 dollars), accessed September 2026.
² RVA Rising, Understanding Economic Mobility in the Richmond Region: Takeaways from Opportunity Insights’ Research, analysis of Opportunity Atlas data (2023 dollars).
³ Measure of America, Social Science Research Council, Broad Recovery, Persistent Inequity: Youth Disconnection in America, 2024 (2022 data).
10.9%
of Richmond-metro young people ages 16 to 24, about 14,700, were neither working nor in school in 2022.³
A sizable pool of local talent is ready for work and learning.
Young adults are better positioned to thrive when they can see what’s possible and how to get there.
— THE BIGGER PICTURE
64%
of young people who did not pursue a nondegree pathway after high school say they would have considered one had they known more about it.⁴
Information and exposure open doors that ambition alone cannot.
BOTW is developing a first pilot cohort focused on career exploration, training, and hands-on opportunities in construction and the skilled trades. The proposed cohort would serve 15 Career Builders in 2027, subject to funding and partnership readiness, with no cost to participants.
Real-world experience turns learning into a career.
— 2027 LAUNCH PILOT
HVAC
Electrical
Plumbing & Pipefitting
Construction
Carpentry
Every partner holds part of the pathway.
When employers, training providers, funders, and community partners align around Career Builders, their contributions become a route Career Builders can follow.
