BY ETERNITY HONORE

FANTOMLIGHT PRODUCTIONS

“Education must not simply teach work, it must teach lifesaid W.E.B. Du Bois.

“Education must not simply teach work, it must teach life,” – W.E.B. Du Bois.

The Mayor’s Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE)  is an internship and enrichment program that bridges the gap between teaching work and life for Baton Rouge’s youth through this summer initiative.

MYWE was developed by East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome in collaboration with Big Buddy to create pathways to success for teens. 

This is achieved by, “providing young adults with a chance to discover interests, build skills, and explore careers through experiences that can serve as the foundation for educational and professional success,” stated Mayor-President Broome on the MYWE website. 

This year, the MYWE program focused on reaching “high-risk” youth, which the program defines as students who are at a higher risk of being perpetrators or victims of gun violence. 

In Louisiana, gun violence is the number one cause of death for children and teens. Nationwide, cases of gun violence are known to increase in the summer months, which puts youth even more at risk.

Gaylynne Mack, the Proud Executive Director for Big Buddy, said MYWE, “helps by making sure over 500 young people have positive places to be, every day during the summer. Young people get involved with other things when they don’t have positive things to get involved with.”

The Program

The MYWE program features 65 companies/organizations that serve as Host Sites and provide work experience and mentorship to the youth for 8 weeks during the summer. These local businesses and organizations are fixtures in the Baton Rouge community, and by allowing students to see their inner workings, they create attainable opportunities for the youth of today. 

Scholars work in these internships from 16-25 hours per week and learn fundamental life skills such as work ethic, time management, and teamwork..

“It’s expecting them to be on time, to come to work, to follow the instructions of their supervisors, to speak up when they don’t know how to do a task,” said Mack, “Those soft skills that are important no matter what job you go to are what we’re teaching through this program.” 

To further enrich the experience, MYWE requires scholars to attend paid Tool Time classes, which are designed to build both hard and soft skills necessary for their future endeavors. At Tool Time, students can select classes that interest them. These classes are taught by industry professionals and range from financial literacy to journalism. Students can also earn industry-recognized certifications such as CPR, ServSafe, Millwright, and many others. 

These certification costs can range from $60- $1,400, but through the MYWE program, students are being paid to earn them. This provides a monetary incentive to help students achieve skills that will benefit them throughout life.

The program also provides a Circle Mentor for each student.  Circle Mentors add an extra layer of support by connecting with the students and providing advice about navigating the workplace and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, these mentors provide the students with a safe space to practice and improve specific soft skills. 

MYWE also teaches responsibility in the form of accountability. If students do not attend work and classes on time or choose not to complete coursework or certifications, they will not receive their stipend. 

The Impact

Thus far, the MYWE program has a 90% completion rate among the students. Many of whom choose to continue with the program throughout their high school careers because of the abundance of resources it provides. 

The impact of this program can also be seen in real-time. This summer’s MYWE program boasts that zero fights have occurred at host sites or Tool Time.  The lack of violent incidents in the program is in stark contrast with the East Baton Rouge schools, which these students attend. 

EBR schools have averaged 109 fights per week across the district for the past 2 years.

The skills emphasized through this youth program such as time management and teamwork invigorates students to perform at a higher level socially, academically, and professionally. This, in turn, facilitates change.  According to a survey by MYWE, 98% of the scholars who participated in the program now plan to pursue post-high school educational opportunities.

The Mayor’s Youth Workforce Experience is constantly pushing the students of Baton Rouge to reach their highest potential through extrinsic motivation,  endless support, and constant accountability. 

This program guides the students through what is expected of them as workers and as members of the Baton Rouge community. 

“It’s not just show up and do nothing. “It’s to show up and perform, and that’s what we want from our next workforce,” said Mack.