(FLINT, Mich., April 27, 2016) – The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce today announced the receipt of $140,500 from several foundations in support of giving Genesee County teens and adults the skills needed to get and keep a job.
The funding will benefit three programs:
- TeenQuest, a pre-employment and leadership training program for high school students, ages 14-19, in Genesee County
- Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), which connects TeenQuest graduates with summer job opportunities in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors
- Career Edge, a series of workshops designed to help adults — particularly the unemployed — prepare for the job market
“TeenQuest/SYI and Career Edge help teens and adults, respectively, develop the skills and knowledge base needed to succeed in the 21st century workplace,” said Rhetta Hunyady, Vice President of Education & Training at the Flint & Genesee Chamber. “Thousands of job seekers have benefited from these programs over the past several years. And with the help of our local funders, we look forward to working with many more.”
Recent grantors for these programs include:
- Ruth Mott Foundation, $88,000 (SYI, Career Edge)
- The Helen Dennis Family Fund/Grand Blanc Community Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, $17,500 (TeenQuest, SYI)
- Merkley Youth Charitable Trust, $5,000 (SYI)
The Chamber also received an anonymous grant of $30,000 for SYI, which connects TeenQuest graduates with local employers that have summer job openings. The summer employment program recently held its annual job fair and will officially kick off in late June.
Looking forward, area high school students will soon be able to register for TeenQuest’s summer session, which will be held for three hours a day, four days a week, from July 11 to August 4.
During this time, the teens will learn about the basics of financial literacy, business etiquette, work ethics, communication, goal setting and conflict resolution. Applications will be available within the next month at www.flintandgenesee.org/teenquest.
For adults, Career Edge will be offered twice next month – from May 2-5 at My Brother’s Keeper and from May 9-12 at Goodwill Industries of Mid-Michigan.
The Career Edge series includes four, three-hour workshops covering everything from writing a targeted cover letter to gaining a general understanding of business etiquette. Individuals who complete all four courses will be invited to the Chamber’s job fairs in September and April. For more information, visit www.flintandgenesee.org/career-edge.
Grants supporting these programs are received and administered by the Genesee Area Focus Fund and/or the Genesee Chamber Foundation, two supporting organizations of the Flint & Genesee Chamber.
About the Summer Youth Initiative and TeenQuest
The Summer Youth Initiative is a program that helps Flint-area teens find paid summer jobs. It’s open to students who’ve completed the TeenQuest afterschool program, which provides pre-employment and leadership training to students ages 14 to 19 to help them succeed in college and the 21st century workplace. Both programs are administered by the Genesee Area Focus Fund, a supporting organization of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. To apply or learn more, visit www.flintandgenesee.org/teenquest.