Exposure = the condition of being presented to view or made known
Mayor Marion Barry was praised for launching the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in Washington, DC and providing gainful summer employment to thousands of teens. My first job SYEP job was at an academic summer camp on the campus of American University. I was 14 years old and that was my first time on a college campus. My second SYEP job was with DC Superior Court and my third was at The National Institutes of Health. This exposure to higher education, government, and new careers was critical during my formative teen years. Those summer jobs took me out of my neighborhood and introduced me to people I likely never would have met. I believe I am an effective supervisor and trainer today because of those opportunities. Recently, I’ve heard of SYEP teens working in retail stores like Auto Zone and others working to clear warehouses. I have nothing against retail work or manual labor but as so many youth are being shut out of the changing work force we can offer more. I would love to see an Auto Zone manager or owner mentor a SYEP teen. I would love to know that youth are learning about sustainability and green living as they clean a warehouse. The bottom line is that employment should be about looking to the future as much as living in the present. I believe the work experience/exposure is as important as the income.
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What positive changes would we see in youth/young adults (and in the world) if we encouraged teens to tune into their natural talents, follow their passions, and develop a strategy to make a good living while doing it? We must go a step further to ensure that they possess both the hard and soft skills necessary to succeed in the new economy.
I would love to hear your thoughts on how we can improve youth/young adult workforce development. Please share your comments below.
Resources:
Blog Post: 23 Ways to Earn Money In College
Book: Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire by Troy Dunn
Book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens by Robert Kiyosaki
Television Show: Blue Collar Millionaires (CNBC)
Nicki Sanders, The Packaged For Success Coach, is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager. She has packaged her Masters of Social Work degree and over 15 years of work experience into Packaged For Success, a training and professional development company. Packaged For Success provides career coaching to college students, entry-level job hunters, and experienced employees seeking a promotion. Packaged For Success also offers communication and productivity improvement training for employees and supervisors and provides consultation on building sustainable, impactful, socially responsible community programs.
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