By A.J. Dugger III
The Goodwill Summer Youth Program has plenty in store for their participants this summer. The program offers enrichment activities for teenagers aged 14 through 18 in Davidson County. “We have some of the neatest kids,” said Debbie Grant, the career solutions development director. “We’re trying to teach them how to be responsible adults.” The G.S.Y.P. is for teenagers with physical disabilities or financial disadvantages. “The majority of our students are coming from lower incomes families. They don’t have a lot of opportunities.”
The program operated twice this summer. There was a class from June 3rd through 28th, and the current one began on July 1st and will last until the 26th.
Seven years ago, Grant helped create the program after helping her daughter, who made poor choices that affected scholarship and college opportunities. “I thought to myself that if I can help one other child to not make a bad choice that will mess up their future, then I have done something good,” she said. Around the same time, Grant noticed other young people with similar problems. “I saw so many young adults coming into Goodwill that made bad choices,” she explained. “They just didn’t have the skills that they needed to interview or communicate to get a job.” Determined to make a difference, Grant helped create The Goodwill Summer Youth Program. On Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 pm, the students learn more about life, school and themselves.
The participants often learn things that they hadn’t realized. “We talk to them about how much control they have over their own lives right now,” said Grant. “They control who their friends are, how they speak, the places they go, and how much effort they put into their studies. They have a lot of control that they don’t think about. We want them to know how important their choices are now, even though they’re teenagers.”
There are other lessons as well. “We want to reach out and help young people while they’re still in high school. We want to help them understand that it’s important to stay in high school and get a diploma.”
Communication is something else that Grant and the staff help their participants with. “We have employers telling us today that kids don’t know how to communicate. They do a lot of texting, so they don’t know how to carry a real conversation anymore.”
The staff takes the teenagers to a computer lab to help them learn how to search for jobs on the internet, which is important because most job applications are now available online. In addition, they show them how to fill out job applications and participate in “mock” job interviews.
According to Grant, the field trips are a popular with the students. “They got to go to Meharry’s Dental Clinic and go through CPR and First Aid training to get certified. We went bowling recently and used it to help them understand stuff about math, like how their score is calculated. We also had presentations on suicide prevention for youth, and we’ve gone various places.”
At the G.S.Y.P, the students get library cards and are taught how to use the city’s bus system. They also learn about good nutrition and how to prepare meals. College is something else the teenagers are prepared for. “We talk to them about college scholarshop information, filling out the FAFSA and other information,” Grant explained.
If they successfully complete the program, the students will participate in a graduation ceremony where they make short presentations to work on their public speaking skills. But graduation must be earned. Excessive absences and tardiness will result in a student being discharged from the program. “When you’re tardy and absent a lot at a real job, you get discharged too,” said Grant. “This is part of how we teach them responsibility.”
One of the things Grant likes about the program is the family atmosphere. “There’s only 12 to 15 kids in each class. We like to keep it small so they can develop relationships with each other. They make new friends in the program.”
People interested in enrolling their child or supporting the program can call Grant at (615) 346-1237 or visit www.giveit2goodwill.org. The office is located at 937 Herman Street. Nashville, TN 37208.