Palm Bay Youth Program Earns National Recognition
PRESENTED AT annual U.S. Conference of Mayors
Article in: Space Coast Daily
By Yvonne Martinez, City of Palm Bay // January 24, 2015
BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – The city’s inaugural summer youth employment program known as Juniors to Jobs, earned national recognition Friday morning during the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors held in Washington, D.C. last week.
Mayor William Capote accepted a $4,000 grant award from the DollarWise Summer Youth Campaign to continue the program that was launched in the summer of 2014 through a partnership with CareerSource Brevard and the Greater Palm Bay Chamber.
CareerSource Brevard will use the grant to expand the program for summer 2015.
“These programs are very important for our communities and I’ve seen them work,” Mayor Capote told the audience which included more than 300 mayors from around the country.
“Start a program in your city because the kids need to understand financial literacy and what hard work means to the future.”
The summer jobs program was born from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and its DollarWise campaign.
Palm Bay’s 2014 Juniors to Jobs program used the DollarWise model to provide a training segment focused on personal financial literacy and budgeting in addition to a five-week paid internship with a local employer.
The weeklong training program facilitated by CareerSource Brevard gave students a strong foundation from which to jumpstart their future with the skills necessary to earn and maintain financial stability and work readiness.
As part of the program, all students were tasked to complete five online DollarWise financial education modules. They learned professional etiquette, proper attire, interview skills and financial management among other topics.
“CareerSource Brevard is excited to be a part of Palm Bays Junior to Jobs program,” said Marci Brilley, president of the organization.
“Investing in our youth not only changes their lives but also starts to create the building blocks for a local skilled workforce. Thank you to all the businesses that participated. Your involvement was critical to the success of the program. We look forward to continuing the partnership in 2015 and adding additional business partners.”
CareerSource Brevard will use the $4,000 grant to purchase software that will provide virtual personal finance simulations where participants can demonstrate financial competence in simulated exercises.
The money will also be used to set up savings accounts for participants and set up bank tours in addition to continuing the educational components and job placement activities.
Full article: http://spacecoastdaily.com/2015/01/palm-bay-youth-program-earns-national-recognition/