Session 2 of Goodwill’s Summer Youth Program Underway!

The morning of July 10th welcomed another group of excited students who are participating in the second session of Ohio Valley Goodwill’s very popular and newly expanded Summer Youth program. Currently, the largest such program in the Greater Cincinnati area, this year’s Summer Youth program will serve more than 110 individuals over the three month period. The program is designed to provide students with a variety of team building and vocational exploration experiences structured to help them gather information about the world of work.

As part of the Summer Youth program, each student has the opportunity to learn work appropriate skills during the beginning of the program and then, actually participate in an interactive work simulated experience in the community on typical job sites. After their community job try-outs, each student reports back to their counselor through Goodwill partner agency, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, regarding their work experience and their job preferences.

Grace Flannery, Rock Star

Grace Flannery is excited about being part of the Session 2 group and getting a chance to experience some different work opportunities. Daughter of Goodwill Public Information Officer, Michael Flannery, Grace comes to the Youth program with a big smile on her face everyday. ” I love coming to Goodwill! I have an awesome coach, Hannah, and we do tons of activities to help me with my job at the Day Care,” said Grace.

Like Grace, the Youth Program participants will have the opportunity to experience a variety of different community worksites and will be transported and supported by Goodwill team members at all locations. A variety of work opportunities are explored including entertainment, landscaping, food service, day care, retail, warehousing and janitorial just to name a few. Worksites were spread across the Greater Cincinnati community and offered the chance for students to fully become engaged in the different aspects that each employment opportunity presented.

For more information about the Summer Youth program, please call (513) 771-4800. Goodwill’s Summer Youth program is in its fifth year and is a collaborative project with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).