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| By Paula Canning Staff Writer HOLYOKE Greg Schwartz, Youth Program Consultant for Solutions Community Development, knows that practical work experience is one of the essential ingredients for a successful job seeker and a thriving community work force. That is why, for the past four year, Schwartz has been working with teens through the organization's Youth Entrepreneurship Program a program that he will be expanding now that the organization has secured a $25,000 grant from the United States Department of Labor. With the grant, Schwartz said that the organization will soon open a youth-managed cyber caf/ice cream shop, at the corner of Suffolk and High Streets. "It's a way of learning about business for the youths in the program," he said. Allowing the teens to work in the ice cream shop will help to reinforce the goals of the program which is to give qualified youth an opportunity to strengthen their economic potential by developing their business skills in a realistic environment, according to Schwartz. "We don't sit them in a classroom and teach them and then make them take a test," he said. "Instead we give them the real-life experience in a sheltered place where [they] can make mistakes and learn from them," he explained Under the supervision of Schwartz, the teens will be taking responsibility for all aspects of the business from selling the product, developing marketing strategies, to researching the competition and determining how to better serve customers. "We think it really gives them a terrific experience in what it's really like to run a small caf," he said. Allowing the teens to run the caf will expand upon the practical experience that participating youths are already receiving by selling ice-cream from pushcarts at places like the Holyoke Children's Museum, the Farmer's Market, and at Heritage State Park in downtown Holyoke. Schwartz explained that, while the experience does not encourage all participants to pursue a career in a business, he finds that youths who take part in the program "tend to make better decisions about their employment and career goals." "They may not become business owners, but it will certainly plant the seeds for something that we hope will sprout long term," he said. According to Schwartz, having the caf makes a reality out of a dream that began years ago. "We have been wanting to do this for a while," he said. One of the goals of the caf, which is scheduled for its grand opening some time in the next month, is to have one of the youths in the program rise to an actual managerial position, in which he or she would help to oversee the caf. "We want all of the [teens] to buy into the caf and feel that this it is their business and something that they care about and something they are proud of," he said. With about 30 youths coming through the program each year, Schwartz said about 25 of those youth emerge as "certified, customer-focused team players." "We think being customer-focused and being able to serve as a team player are two of the most important aspects of job readiness," he said. While most youth who take part in the program range in age from 15-19, he said that the organization has has people as young as 14 and as old as 22. According to Schwartz, the program attracts students through two sources through Holyoke's School to Career program which facilitates a collaboration between the organization and Holyoke schools such as William J. Dean Technical High School and Holyoke High School, as well as through CareerPoint, which is a non-profit corporation founded in 1996 by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. According to Schwartz, the program is facilitated by the Work Force Investment Act (WIA) work force development system. "There has really been a lot of work to get to this point, and its all of the partners that have really made it possible," he said. He said that Solutions Community Development also offers a variety of other programs, including the Bridge AmeriCorps program. Through this program, Solutions helps 18 part time volunteers donate an average of 20 hours a week of community service to a variety of the city's departments and non-profit organizations. Solutions Community Development also trains individuals in financial literacy through its financial services program, which is run by Sandra Rivera, and also facilitates a variety of job training and citizenship programs, according to Schwartz. Through the month of August, teens from the Youth Entrepreneurship Program will be selling their ice cream from pushcarts at the Caribbean Nights festival, which will take place each Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. "It's going to be wonderful for the city," Schwartz said of the festival. "The hope is that it will be a great event for Holyokers, but will also make Holyoke a destination for people outside of the city to come and experience the wonderful, vibrant cultural that is happening here." |