TOWNSHEND — The afterschool program of Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School has launched the Help Empower Youth Career Initiative, kick-started by a $11,500 grant from the Thomas Thompson Trust.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m., the school will host a reception and banner-hanging ceremony in the Dutton Gym.
Students will present the Career Initiative to the invited guests, including State Senators Becca Balint and Jeannette White and State Representatives Carolyn Partridge, Oliver Olsen, and Emily Long, who is also a member of the Leland & Gray School Board. The event is open to the public.
The Afterschool Career Initiative connects the world of work to the world of school. Local professionals in fields such as health-care, audiovisual production, architecture, carpentry, and photography partner with Leland & Gray staff to present workshops which teach professional skills.
“The mission of the program,” says Leland & Gray principal Dorinne Dorfman,“ is to promote college and career readiness: a set of life skills that will serve students well whether they plan to attend college, learn a trade, or begin working right after graduation. ”
Grace Cottage Hospital was an early partner in this new enterprise, arranging for staff in the nursing department and the dietary/kitchen divisions to be available for leading programs. These are areas where job growth is expected to continue rising in Vermont and nationally.
Several areas of research informed the development of programming: surveys of student career interests, an assessment of the types of jobs in the towns served by Leland and Gray, and a review of the economic forecasts for Windham County prepared by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) and the Southeast Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) project.
Thara Fuller, who directs the afterschool programs for the Windham Central Supervisory Union and serves on several economic development and education committees of the BDCC, used the SeVEDS data to make the case in the Thompson grant application that the Career Initiative aligns with both community needs and Vermont's Educational Quality Standards.
“Our local employers have told BDCC they are looking for young people who are 'career ready' with solid skills that transfer across jobs. In the Career Initiative after-school programs, students may be exploring the field of photography or carpentry, but they are also practicing responsibility, follow-through, attention to detail - all foundational skills for life after graduation.”
Local professionals involved in the Initiative include David Cotton, Architect; Domenic Mangano, owner of Jamaica Cottage Shop; Desiree Plumley, Grace Cottage Nurse; and Christine Triebert and Fran Janik, photographers.
Jodi Clark, Project Manager at BDCC, wrote in her letter of support for the Thompson grant: “The Career Initiative at Leland & Gray directly fits the vision we hold at the BDCC for a thriving region. Meaningful work is not just about economics; it is about health and well-being. The ripple effects of young people lacking employable skills include increased risk of self-harm, involvement in the judicial system, and declining health.”
The Career Initiative team is actively seeking financial support. They are optimistic that additional sponsors will step forward to fill the gap left by the reduction of a federal grant.