Martin Nava

Executive Director

Corazon Community Services

Nancy Yazmin Ibarra

Managing Director 

Corazon Community Services

Elsie Salamanca

Workforce Development Program Manager Corazon Community Services

Corazon Community Services, an impact-driven community organization, is reshaping how Cicero youth are obtaining gainful employment. In this interview, Elsie Salamanca, Martin Nava, and Nancy Ibarra, share how Corazon has been a trailblazer in the western suburbs, developing inspiring community programs that range from public health to workforce development. Read on to learn how their workforce program in particular supports youth by placing them into roles with local small business and nonprofit organizations. Their engagement strategy, paired with the fact that many of the organization’s leaders participated in Corazon’s programming themselves, has turned the organization into an organic extension of the community.

Tell me about yourselves and your roles.

Nancy Yazmin Ibarra: I’m the Managing Director at Corazon Community Services. My background started in business administration and accounting, and I spent nearly a decade in banking before transitioning into social and behavioral sciences.

Interestingly, my journey with Corazon began when I was 17 as part of what is now the workforce development program. After completing the program, I worked in youth development and health initiatives before leaving for banking. I returned in 2024 as an HR coordinator and gradually moved into leadership roles as my skill set became more aligned with the organization’s needs.

Elsie Salamanca: My journey is similar in that I also started early with Corazon as a health ambassador in junior high. Professionally, I started as a community organizer, then became Manager of Community Impact, and now serve as Workforce Development Program Manager. While I’ve only been in this role recently, I’ve worked alongside the department throughout the entirety of my time here.

Martin Nava: I’m the Executive Director at Corazon Community Services. I joined earlier this year, but I’ve been connected to the organization for many years as a Cicero resident. My professional background is in diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in healthcare. I’ve worked with a variety of organizations with a focus on underserved communities.

Can each of you share one thing that makes Corazon special or unique?

MN: One thing that makes it unique is how deeply embedded Corazon is in the community. We can confidently say that we are a trusted resource in the community–really, we’re an organic extension of the community itself.

ES: I echo that sentiment, because sometimes nonprofits aren't from the local community; it can be a struggle to really connect with its members. At Corazon, most of our staff come from the same or adjacent communities we serve. That changes how we approach the work and how participants engage with us.

NI: For me, Corazon is about continuity. I’ve seen the organization evolve across different stages, and Corazon has consistently been at the forefront of addressing community challenges, especially around youth development and prevention work. We were among the first to address issues like youth sexual health education (HIV and STI awareness) and workforce readiness in our area. Many of the approaches have been widely adopted by other organizations in the area. That legacy continues to shape how we operate today.

What types of participants does Corazon work with, and how are your programs structured?

Our workforce program generally runs 12 weeks, a maximum of 90 days. The grant that funds the program is the Illinois Youth Investment Program, which also sets the eligibility standards.

We have a Youth Ambassador Program for people between the ages of 16 to 24; to ensure our participants complete the program in 12 weeks, they engage in 15 hours worth of programmatic work a week. Our program includes work readiness training (Employment 101), digital literacy and computer skills, financial literacy education, trauma-informed care training, CPR and safety certifications, and industry-specific certifications depending on the placement.

What kinds of businesses do you partner with?

We have a variety of partners. Our partnerships are split evenly between other nonprofits and local businesses; we’ve provided placements at coffee shops, auto spas, a Boys and Girls Club, a church-based foundation, a children’s center, barber shops, and other small businesses and nonprofits. Our partnership helps these businesses and organizations free up some payroll, while they give back to the community by helping the youth learn and gain work experience.

What do your partnerships look like? Have you encountered any hesitation when forming partnerships?

Most small businesses don’t hesitate to partner with us because of the value that we provide through our services. The only instances in which we encounter challenges is if we’ve not properly placed a youth. When that does happen, we make sure we address any concerns. 

To ensure partner success with participants, we interview our participants to better understand what their career goals are, what skills they bring, and what types of roles they are interested in. These interviews help ensure improved placements. In fact, our organization uses a yearly survey to gauge program success, and the feedback was overall positive. We know that being tied to the community is also part of our success. Our partners truly understand the need for and see the value in these programs.

What challenges are you addressing for employers? 

For small businesses, the most immediate challenge is finances. Many local businesses simply do not have the resources to hire additional staff, even when they need support. Corazon addresses this by placing participants who can help alleviate workload pressures without increasing payroll costs.

For nonprofits and larger organizations, the challenge is often organization capacity. By partnering with Corazon, participants can join the team and tackle entry-level tasks, allowing existing staff to focus on higher-level responsibilities. This improves overall efficiency while creating a pipeline of trained talent.

How do you identify and connect with new businesses to create opportunities for young participants?

Our strategy for connecting with businesses is on-the-ground and community-focused. For example, recently one of our teammates visited a local technology repair shop to have a device fixed. Immediately, they recognized that the business was understaffed, resulting in many people waiting in line. Seeing this gap, they reached out to the owner with an offer for a partnership; we made it clear that we could have our program participants expand his business’ capacity. We are also very quick to initiate partnerships with new local businesses, as many benefit from the additional support.

Are there any success stories of placements with your partners?

We have a myriad of stories that reflect the success of our program. Our youth have gone from our program to becoming senior leaders at nonprofits in the region,  successful realtors, financial advisors, etc. A lot of our alumni have also gone on to work as teachers, counselors, and social workers in our school districts. Some others now run their nonprofit organizations in our local communities.

I think what makes the success stories at Corazon particularly successful is that many of our team members got their start here. I think if not for this program, many of us would have lacked the knowledge and vision we needed to make the shift. For many of us, our careers have come full circle and we are now supporting future generations through our work at Corazon. We can proudly say we’ve also inspired many nonprofits in the area to take on their own programs to strengthen our future workforce.

What qualities make for a successful employer partnership?

Communication style is key. Constant communication is vital for smooth operations between all concerned parties. We also consider a willingness and the flexibility to mentor the youth. A lot of these participants are either high schoolers, or early college students, and for many of them, these are their first jobs. They might not know the basics, and having someone patiently help them develop their soft skills like their ability to take initiative, conflict resolution, and more is important to us. We also consider inclusion. We want our partners to provide safe spaces for all our students, regardless of their religious, ethnic, or gender orientations. 

What industries have the youths in the program favored the most?

Their interest is well spread out across the board. We have youth that are into tech. We've had youth that are more interested in the trades because regular academia wasn't for them. We've had youth go into social services, with particular interest in becoming social workers or nurses. We have a youth right now looking to pursue civil engineering.

What should be done to support small businesses or companies that hire entry- level talent from workforce development programs like yours?

Local officials should work with small businesses to help them develop core business management skills. Many small businesses springing up lack the education to handle basic business practices. We know of a small business conference being hosted at Malcolm X College; bringing those types of workshops and making them available to everyone will improve our society in the long run, especially if we also provide exposure to workforce programs like our own.

What kind of external support would help Corazon grow its impact?

From corporate bodies, we would appreciate scholarships, grants, or workshops. As an example of a successful partnership, last August, we partnered with Snapchat, and they did a three-day workshop to teach kids how to create Snapchat Lenses and then showed them how to monetize the lenses they made. We also had the opportunity to take the participants down to the Snapchat Chicago office where they got to interact with workers at the office. This was such a wonderful experience for our youth.

Job fairs are another way companies can help participants to take their next steps after going through programs like our own.

Why does this work matter?

At its core, Corazon’s model is about access and opportunity. Not all individuals start with the same resources or networks. Workforce development programs like this one help bridge that gap by preparing participants for real-world opportunities and connecting them with employers who are willing to invest in their growth.

For employers, the value is equally clear. Instead of struggling to find and train entry-level talent, they gain access to individuals who are prepared, supported and motivated.

And in doing so, they contribute to building a stronger, more sustainable local workforce.