01 Jun Goodwill’s Summer Youth Programs Build Strong Foundation

Job Readiness Classes Start June 1, Work Program Begins June 8

Stefanie Toups liked Goodwill’s Summer TRAC Job Readiness Program so much, she enrolled in other Goodwill programs also designed to prepare young people for the working world.

The Nashville resident’s experiences led directly to a job with Crossroads Campus, a non-profit that finds loving homes for abandoned animals. Toups has worked there, grooming and caring for animals to help them get adopted,  for the last year and a half.

“I love what I’m doing,” she said. “I’m here because Goodwill got me signed up for this. It started out as a training program, and they just kept me after awhile.”

Toups, who is now 22, said she highly recommends Goodwill’s Summer TRAC Job Readiness Program, which she took in 2011.

“I had a lot of fun …,” she said. “It’s a great way to learn to do many things — sometimes it’s cleaning or using computers or just talking about life.”

The Summer TRAC Job Readiness Program is a four-week job readiness program for 14- to 18-year-olds whose families are economically disadvantaged. The program is offered twice during the summer. This year sessions will be from Monday, June 1-Friday, June 26, and from Monday, June 29-Friday, July 24. Twelve Davidson County teenagers will participate in each session.

Areas of focus include customer service, health care, career and personal finances. Classes are held from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at Goodwill’s Herman Street offices in Nashville, but field trips and local business tours also are planned.

Highlights of the first session will include First Aid & CPR certification on June 8, mock interviews with Deloitte consulting on June 11, volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank on June 15, touring a fire station June 16 and a financial planning class on June 24. The students will also shop for and prepare a meal with the guidance of a nutritionist. Upon graduation, students receive a $100 stipend from Goodwill.

GOODWILL SUMMER TRAC JOB READINESS PROGRAM

When:
First session, June 1 – June 26
Second session, June 29-July 24
Where: Goodwill & Kroger Locations in Davidson County

Another of the Goodwill programs Stefanie Toups participated in is the Summer Youth Work Program, which this year will be held from June 8-July 17. The six-week paid summer work training program is for 16- to 22-year-olds who are still enrolled in high school or have recently graduated. About 80 Davidson County students will be taking part in the program.

Most of the students will train at Goodwill, but about 30 will receive training at Kroger. Students learn about the responsibilities of having a job, including safety standards, and the rewards of earning a paycheck. Some students obtain permanent part-time employment through the program.

GOODWILL SUMMER WORK PROGRAM

When: June 8 – July 17
Where: Goodwill & Kroger Locations in Davidson County

Students in both summer programs are identified through communication with schools and other nonprofits, provided applications and then selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Both programs are sponsored by Goodwill and the Metropolitan Development Housing Agency of Nashville and Davidson County. Kroger also provides funding for students who receive work training in its stores.

Toups also participated in Youth Building Goodwill, a year-round program that provides educational, vocational and financial training to 17- to 25-year-olds who are out of school and unemployed. She said she plans to continue taking advantage of Goodwill’s free services because they have helped her achieve her goals.

“I’ve done it somewhere between four and five years now,” she explained. “I wouldn’t keep going to something for that long if it wasn’t helpful to me.”

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.
For more than 55 years Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has provided job training and job placement free of charge to people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through the sale of donated items. In 2014, Goodwill served 28,159 people in Middle and West Tennessee and placed 9.558 people in jobs. More information about Goodwill’s Career Solutions, retail stores and donation centers can be obtained online at  www.giveit2goodwill.org or by calling 1-800-545-9231.