In 2013 CUP was started to break the cycle of poverty by offering mentorship and on the job life skills training in Adams County in Commerce City, Colorado. It began by helping families that needed care, through a food bank, one on one mentorship and life skills classes.

In 2018 CUP opened it’s first Coffee House, and focused mainly on students ages 16-24 helping them to “level up” to living wage job or school.

For the last four years CUP has been offering YEP, a 12-week Youth Empowerment Program, where young adults are guided through sessions on leadership training, practical life skills, resume building, faith & financial literacy, mental health awareness, healthy living choices and more. Our YEP curriculum & many community guest speakers focus on “how students can obtain tools to help them launch into adulthood successfully!” These classes help our young adults network and make connections that build social capital, and acquire knowledge that they may not have gotten at home or school.

Young adults are employed and work in a healthy work environment alongside wise mentors, in one of our three social enterprises that is our Beyond The Job Training. The connections that are made with mentors in the day to day, help students overcome hurdles in their lives, by having a caring person in their life at work to problem solve and train. This training goes far beyond the espresso machine. We do teach great customer service, effective communication, teamwork, and commitment to a healthy work environment, but we also identify and nurture strengths such as marketing, inventory control, management, admin skills and how to have a crucial conversation! These skills help at risk young people level up to a new and better opportunity in the work force.