LakeVille High School and Boys & Girls Club Join Program
(FLINT, MICH.) TeenQuest, the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce pre-employment leadership training program has added two new sites for the 2012-2013 year. Boys & Girls Club of Flint and LakeVille High School are among four sites accepting applications from youth ages 14-18 and in grades 9-12 for the fall training class.
The fall session begins on Monday, September 17 and concludes on Thursday, October 18. In addition to the Boys & Girls Club of Flint and the LakeVille High School sites, sessions will also take place at Flint Northwestern and Baker Career Academy. The application deadline is September 17.
Tim Herman, CEO of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce says the opportunity to prepare teens for the future with valuable, marketable skills is important to the Regional Chamber.
“TeenQuest provides an excellent growth opportunity for youth in the region,” said Herman. “The addition of Boys & Girls Club and the LakeVille Schools to this network of training sites will help expose the program to a broader range of teens and will ultimately benefit our region by providing well-prepared leaders to employers throughout the region.”
According to Vicki Luoma, Superintendent of LakeVille Schools her district is thrilled to have TeenQuest available for students.
“We started hiring Summer Youth Initiative students three years ago and quickly realized how difficult it was for our local students to access the preparation available through TeenQuest for summer employment,” said Luoma. “Now that TeenQuest pre-employment training is available in our district, it will enable our students to benefit from the leadership and employment opportunities available through the program. We are so grateful to the Regional Chamber for this wonderful opportunity to build a community coalition in support of our youth.”
Jamie Gaskins, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Flint says having TeenQuest leadership and pre-employment training onsite will provide access for students from throughout the region who have not been able to participate in the past.
“Having TeenQuest onsite provides a great opportunity for growth and leadership training for our teens,” said Gaskins. “We have hired teens in the past through Summer Youth Initiative and now we can provide employment training for a greater number of Boys & Girls Club teens. It is incredibly meaningful for our teens to gain the TeenQuest seal of approval as they enter the work world.”
Rhetta Hunyady, Vice President of Education and Training says the new sites are welcome additions to the TeenQuest program.
“Each year hundreds of TeenQuest graduates learn how to be leaders,” said Hunyady. “TeenQuest provides an exceptional opportunity for the participants at Lakeville High School and Boys & Girls Club, as well as the students at our other sites to gain the critical skills needed for success in the workplace and in life.”
TeenQuest is a five-week pre-employment and leadership training program designed to help Genesee County youth prepare for success in the future. Through TeenQuest students learn the basics of teamwork, business etiquette, work ethics, communication, goal setting and conflict resolution. The program is also a pre-requisite for employment through the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), which matches employers with TeenQuest graduates for summer employment.
For more information or to sign up for TeenQuest visit www.flintandgenesee.org/TeenQuest or call Paula Stainbrook at (810) 600-1413.
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.