As we return from the holiday season, I’m excited for what’s ahead. By forming new partnerships and building upon existing ones, the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce is now able to provide educational programming and opportunities to an even wider audience of young people.
For instance, for the first time ever, YouthQuest is now available through Bentley Community Schools. As of this week, students who attend Bentley Middle School and Barhitte Elementary can benefit from the afterschool program’s engaging academic activities, field trips and leadership development opportunities.
Additionally, to expose area students to different career opportunities, the Flint & Genesee Chamber is teaming up with Diplomat to offer Health Care Day in February. The event will provide teens with a deep-dive into health care-related career paths. We look forward to opening their eyes to the many possibilities available to them once they graduate high school!
We’re also joining forces with Clio Alternative High School to provide Career Edge workshops to area job seekers, and are continuing to work with local schools to offer pre-employment training for teens through TeenQuest.
Another exciting development is the upcoming launch of Flint Promise – a scholarship for students who live in and attend school in the city of Flint. The Flint & Genesee Chamber is among the community partners driving the program forward and will co-host a town hall meeting later this month to answer any questions the public may have about the fund. In the meantime, here’s what I can tell you: it’s going to be a game-changer for Flint.
Truly, these are just a few of many new partnerships and offerings launching in 2018. We’re not even two weeks into the new year, and I can already tell it’s going to be a great one!
Cheers to the new year,
Rhetta
Rhetta Hunyady is Vice President of Education & Training at the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce.