This summer Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) YouthWorks Program partnered with Escambia County's Department of Neighborhood and Human Services to provide youth with valuable skills working as "Play, Learn, Grow" Summer Camp support staff. The youth worked alongside Escambia County employees and were trained on conflict resolution, dealing with difficult people in a work environment, working with diverse populations, responsibility, customer service, professionalism, teamwork and many other workforce skills. The training was conducted in several ways, including one-on-one, in a group setting and hands-on.
"The experience itself helped develop and prepare our youth for the future workforce and we, as well as the youth, are very grateful," said Eunicia Giuchici, Youth Career Placement Coordinator for Children's Home Society of Florida YouthWorks.
Some of the youth were offered jobs with the County next summer, while others went off to college with new employability skills, and some were hired in local jobs. All of the participants were successful on some level due to their involvement in the Summer Camp program.
"One youth, Kianna, has a future goal of becoming an educator for young children," Giuchici said. "This was her first job working with at-risk children. She had some bumps along the way but was able to learn from her experience to guide her in her next job. Due to her hands-on experience at the Summer Camp, Kianna was able to secure a job as a retail associate at Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast. She will be attending Pensacola State College next semester to begin working toward her education degree."
She added that all youth learn in different ways and that is why teaching alternatives are important to their success.
"Whether we tell them, teach them or involve them, we are making a positive effort in the future of our youth and workforce," Giuchici said. "We applaud the hard work of the supervisors, staff, and support personnel from Escambia County's Department of Neighborhood and Human Services including Shurlitha Jones, Leroy Williams, Kathryn Lovely and Nellie Washington, and the continuous employment support from Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast (Robin King and Ronald Rivera)."
