YouthNews. A publica on of the Youth Commi ee of the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Inc. Fasnacht, Execu ve Director of the Northeast

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1 YouthNews A publica on of the Youth Commi ee of the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Inc. Volume 5 Issue 2 Successful Programming Stories Youth Success Stories Youth Services Providers YES Northeast 1-5 Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Inc. 22 E. Union Street Suite 115 Wilkes-Barre, PA Contact: Marla Doddo Workforce Opera ons & Strategies Manager marladoddo@lswib.org Successful programming provides youth with the skills they need to compete! The Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board (L/S WIB) is pleased to share numerous successes. In this edi on of YouthNews you will learn about a variety of youth programs throughout the workforce region that are supported by public funds. Many of the ini a ves that we provide funding for enable at risk youth gain valuable skills to achieve grade matricula on, develop ap tudes for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, leadership, financial literacy, communica ons, a high school diploma or GED, and post-secondary training. The ul mate goal is a job and career with family sustaining wages. On June 28, 2016, ResCare Workforce Services proudly presented Courtney Fasnacht, Execu ve Director of the Northeast PA Manufacturers and Employers Council, Inc., with a Cer ficate of Excellence for the outstanding YES.Northeast Workshop Series provided to Out-of- School Youth enrolled in the GED program. The students have benefi ed by gaining important employability and life skills. Students look forward to the weekly scheduled YES workshops. Some of the various topics within the YES workshop series include: communica ons, customer service, career paths, health and safety, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, professional impact, me management and goal se ng. Con nued on page 2

2 Page 2 Con nued from page 1 The students have expressed their apprecia on for a ending the workshops which help them how to budget and manage money, how to conduct themselves during an interview, how to communicate in stressful situa ons and even everyday situa ons such as dining e que e and proper manners. The Board is proud to be partners with the Northeast PA Manufacturers and Employers Council, Inc. and highly recommends the YES Northeast Workshop Series. SHINE-A er-school Program Success On Tuesday, May 24, 2016 students and teachers from SHINE-A er-school program in Shenandoah Area School District traveled to Capital Hill to speak with congressional representa ves on the need to fund and the successes of a er school programs. Rachel Strucko, Director SHINE Program Schuylkill County along with other a erschool proponents met Congressmen Joe Pi s, Mike Doyle, Lou Barle a; U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey and staff; and Jared Solomon, Legisla ve Assistant of U.S. Senator Bob Casey. SHINE students provided a demonstra on on 3-D prin ng and answered ques ons posed to them by the congressional representa ves. SHINE-A er-school is supported by the Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board s TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) funding. Con nued on page 3 Back row: Teacher, Angie Brayford, David Monjaraz, Jared Soloman, Sheena Mickolo Front row.: Brad Monjaraz, Mia Zamudio, Paloma Monjaraz, Ayden Zamudio Le to right: Ayden Zamudio, Brad Monjaraz

3 Page 3 8th Annual Schuylkill County Career Fair The 8th Annual Schuylkill County Career Fair was held on April 19, 2016 at Martz Hall in Po sville. 61 vendors par cipated and approximately 930 students from 11 school districts a ended. Grades 7-12 from across the county were invited to a end. Vendors included employers from local business and industry, nonprofits, post-secondary training providers, PA State Police, and the military. Representa ves from Industry Partnerships and the PA CareerLink, Po sville were also in a endance. L to r: John Tkatch, Project Manager, NEPA Industry Partnerships, Trina Moss, L/S WIB. Students had the opportunity to speak one-on-one about the careers and educa onal opportuni- es available in Northeast Pennsylvania. They learned about the numerous employment opportuni es in Northeast Pennsylvania. Employers stressed the necessity for youth to stay out of trouble, don t get arrested, and the importance of a good a tude, decent grades, regular a endance, and the desire to come to work; all quali es of a excellent employee. The Schuylkill County Career Fair was supported by the Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board s Business Educa on Partnership funding. Gary MacCready, Director of Youth Programs, Pathways/ReDCo, PA CareerLink Po sville

4 Page 4 Con nued from page 3 YES (Your Employability Skills) Recogni on Breakfast The YES Recogni on Breakfast was held on May 12, 2016 at St. Nicholas Hall, Schuylkill County to honor the YES graduates. School faculty and other businesses and industries were in a endance, along with local legislators and government officials. 290 graduates received the YES (Your Employability Skills) Northeast Cer ficate, with many par cipa ng in the recogni on event. The largest breakfast to date, there was a total of 345 a endees. Dr. Kelly Aus n, Penn State Schuylkill Chancellor, was the keynote speaker. A total of seventeen (17) schools offered the YES Program for the school year. They include Blue Mountain, Crestwood Area, Hazleton, Mahanoy Area, Minersville Area, North Schuylkill, Pine Grove Area, Pi ston Area, Po sville Area, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area, and Williams Valley, Wyoming Valley West high schools. The Schuylkill Intermediate Unit #29 also offered the program. A total of 691 students were enrolled in the program this year with, 60 students achieving perfect a endance and 290 receiving the YES Northeast Cer ficate. Cumula ve program enrollment totals 4,931 students from and 1,774 graduates from Lake Lehman School District shall be the fourth Luzerne County school district to offer the YES program beginning in the school year. The district will be offering the program to their high school upperclassmen. Currently Crestwood, Pi ston Area,and Wyoming Valley West offer the programming in Luzerne County; and 11 districts offer the program in Schuylkill County. The Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board supported the YES Recogni on Breakfast with Business Educa on Partnership funding and WIOA Title I funding. Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 Disability is a ma er of percep on. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone. Looking Forward Conference ~Mar na Navra lova The 2016 Looking Forward Conference took place on March 19, The daylong event is a career and academic planning event for students and their parents. The conference provided student sessions, parent sessions, and informa onal booths for the purpose of career educa on and development. This year was the fi h annual conference and had 289 par cipants, including 204 preregistered, 44 walk-ins, and 41 youth a ending from the Hazleton Migrant Educa on Program. Student and parent breakout sessions included making good career choices, regional high demand jobs, admissions, scholarships, college selec on process, SAT/ACT, internships/mentorships, college student panel, television and radio, graphic design, medicine, engineering, medical research, music industry, study abroad, accommoda ng students, computer science, and architecture. Sessions included student, parent, and student/parent joint sessions. One of the key sessions focused on making good career choices and u lized interest inventories from PA Career Zone. Youth and their parents from par cipa ng school districts included Crestwood, Dallas, Hanover, Hazleton, Lake Lehman, Nan coke, Northwest, Pi ston, Tunkhannock, Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming Area, Wyoming Valley West, West Side Career & Technology Center and Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center. The Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board supported the Looking Forward Conference with Business Educa on Partnership funding.

5 Page 5 Schuylkill Youth Summit Schuylkill Youth Summit took place at Penn State Schuylkill on Thursday, March 10, High school students from Schuylkill County a ended the Summit and determined to tackle blight in their communi es. More than 100 students came up with projects centering around the elimina on or blight in the county. Prior to developing their respec ve school district projects with classmates, the students received guidance from community members. Micah J. Gursky, Tamaqua borough councilman and execu ve director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, was featured as the guest speaker for the event. He talked to the students about the revitaliza- on efforts in the borough over the past 30 years. Gursky said that everyone told him he had to leave the area to be successful, but he wanted to come back a er gradua ng college and help improve the area. Students asked a panel of local business and elected officials about a variety of issues, including funding for projects, how to get started and dealing with private property. A member of the student execu ve commi ee for the event, Tyler Zimerofsky, a junior at Na vity BVM High School said, We had a lot of fun today and came up with a lot of ideas to help fight blight in our communi- es. The panel stated that they want to keep the youth in Schuylkill County and elimina ng blight will help with that goal. Students will be figh ng blight in their communi es throughout the year with the projects they designed which include improving local playgrounds and parks, helping the elderly maintain their proper es and establishing community gardens. It's all about showing what the youth can do because they are so much more powerful than they think. The Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board supported the Schuylkill Youth Summit with Business Educa on Partnership funding. Mariah Petschul came into the Po sville PA CareerLink office in August 2016 and enrolled in the WIOA Title I Out of School youth program. Mariah is a 19 year old mother of a young son and was determined to get her GED. Mariah obtained her GED on September 27, She also completed several workshops during this me including: Resume Wri ng, Naviga ng Job- Gateway, Budge ng, and Interview Skills, all within five weeks! Her a endance was admirable and she accomplished several of her goals in this short meframe. Her next goal is to research opportuni es for training to become a nurse. Mariah s outlook is posi ve. She stated, I enjoy learning and improving my life as well as those around me! Mariah s success and posi ve a tude will help her go far to achieve her goals. She is a role model for other students who want to truly move forward in a posi ve direc on towards a career pathway. Congratula ons Mariah! Con nued on page 6 Youth Success Story Mariah Petschul

6 Page 6 Con nued from page 5 Youth Success Story Kemelin Pena Kemelin Pena, a 22-year-old young adult, enrolled in ResCare Workforce Services Young Adult Opportunity and Educa on Program in April Kemelin a ended high school in New York un l 12th grade when she became a mother and dropped out of school to take care of her newborn son. Shortly therea er, Kemelin and her family moved to Hazelton. She needed to secure employment, but soon discovered it would be very difficult since she did not have the proper qualifica ons or educa on to be hired for a decent paying job. Realizing the need to further her educa on and earn a GED, Kemelin decided to enroll in the Young Adult Opportunity and Educa on Program at the Hazleton PA CareerLink. She met with ResCare Workforce Services staff to take a pre-test. Her first impression about the program was that she thought it would be very difficult to obtain her GED, due to the studying and classroom a endance required. She quickly realized that she could be successful in the program as all the staff were very suppor ve and provided encouragement to her and the other students in the program. In me, Kemelin earned her GED which she says made her feel a sense of accomplishment. She was a determined student who put me and energy into her studies. She also obtained her ServSafe Safe Food Handler Creden al. Kemelin also took advantage of a work experience while in the program. She was assigned to the Hazleton One Integra on Project, a community center whose mission is to foster trust and respect among all of the region s ethnic cultures. She worked at the front desk where she developed so skills such as answering the phone professionally, customer service, faxing, coordina ng events and learning Microso Office. Kemelin requested addi onal responsibili es in the office such as helping young La no children learn English, learn basic computer skills, and registering clients children for school and other programs. Kemelin is delighted knowing that she is able to give back to her community by helping other young people whose families recently moved into the area. Congratula ons Kemelin! Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. Oprah Winfrey Con nued on page 9

7 Page 7 Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board Youth Services Providers Luzerne County Schuylkill County ResCare Workforce Services ReDCo/Pathways Workforce Investment Networks PA CareerLink Hazleton PA CareerLink Po sville 75 N Laurel St Hazleton Center 203 Arch Street Hazleton, PA Po sville, PA Contact: Contact: Gerald Fallabel, Program Manager Gary MacCready, Director of Youth Programs , ext or geraldfallabel@rescare.com gmaccready@redcogrp.com ResCare Workforce Services PA CareerLink Wilkes-Barre 32 East Union Street Wilkes-Barre, PA Contact: Gerald Fallabel, Program Manager , ext. 261 geraldfallabel@rescare.com Youth Commi ee The Youth Commi ee of the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (L/S WIB) provides exper se in youth policy for the local workforce board. Youth Commi ee members represent a diverse popula on of stakeholders from the private sector in the two county region. Youth Commi ee plans, develops, and oversees efforts related to educa on and prepara on of young people for successful careers and life-long learning. Responsibili es of the Youth Commi ee include: Coordina ng youth ac vi es in the workforce region; Developing por ons of the local plan related to eligible youth, as determined by the WIB; Recommending eligible youth service providers in accordance with the WIOA, to be awarded grants or contracts on a compe ve basis by the local board; Conduc ng oversight with respect to eligible providers of youth ac vi es in the local area, subject to the approval of the WIB; Carrying out other du es, as authorized by the WIB such as establishing linkages with educa- on agencies and other youth en es. Youth Commi ee assists the local WIB in: Planning local youth training policies; Enlarging the communi es view of the youth employment and training system; Working with organiza ons that serve the youth in the area; Looking at issues that could have an impact upon the success of youth in the labor market. The Youth Commi ee of the Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board meets quarterly.

8 Page 8 YES Northeast The YES Northeast Workshop Series is offered to out of school youth par cipants in the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board region. The workshop series provides youth with numerous offerings that pertain to leadership, communica ons, personal development, health and safety, quality and technology, and teamwork. The Youth Council of the Luzerne Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board has promoted and adopted YES Northeast in an effort to work with school districts to get the program into every district in Luzerne and Schuylkill coun es. For businesses who are considering suppor ng this effort to help ensure and develop the workforce of tomorrow, they have the added benefit of contribu ng through the Educa onal Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC). The Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Council (facilitator of YES Northeast ) has been named to the list of approved organiza ons under the Educa onal Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC). The YES Northeast Cer ficate Program has been named an innova ve educa onal program under EITC. The EITC Program was established by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to award tax credits to businesses that make contribu ons to an approved educa onal improvement organiza on. Businesses decide which EITC-approved organiza on will receive their tax dollars rather than making the payment to the state. This is a great way to keep your tax dollars local and help the local business economy to remain strong. Essen ally, your company would receive a large tax break by contribu ng to the YES Northeast Program, which is currently being offered in Schuylkill, Luzerne and Erie coun es. You decide where your tax dollars go! A business must submit a one-page applica on in order to be eligible for this program. It is easy to apply and tax credits are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applica ons must be re-submi ed each year. Approved businesses have two op ons: Two year agreement 90% credit up to a maximum of $300,000 per year. One year agreement 75% credit up to a maximum of $300,000. Taxes Eligible: Corporate Net Income Capital Stock Franchise Bank & Trust Company Shares Title Insurance Companies Shares Insurance Premiums Mutual Thri Ins tu ons Take advantage of this opportunity and in doing so, help support the YES Northeast Program in Northeastern Pennsylvania. For more informa on on how the EITC Program can benefit your company, or for assistance in filling out the applica on, please call Courtney at

9 Page 9 Con nued from page 6 Another component that contributed to Kemelin s success was the YES Northeast program. She obtained six cer ficates including Emo onal Intelligence, Conflict Resolu on & Leadership, Mock Interviews, Interviews, Career Explora on and Violence, Diversity & Harassment. A er comple ng her work experience she sought employment and landed a temporary placement which turned into a full me job as a front desk recep onist at the Hazleton PA CareerLink. Kemelin desires to con nue her educa on at Luzerne County Community College and seek a degree in human services. Kemelin offers this advice to others who are looking to succeed, Even though you may have some barriers in your life and have had to overcome obstacles, choose to stay in school or pursue your GED to further your educa on. Never let anyone or anything get in the way of achieving the success in life that you aspire to. I a ribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. ~Florence Nigh ngale Y o u th C o m m itt e e L u z e r n e S c h u y lk ill W o rk fo rc e In v e s t m e n t B o a r d, In c. M a ry M a lo n e, C h a ir H e a th e r N e ls o n, V ic e c h a ir S h a ro n A n g e lo B ria n H a llic k K a rla P o rte r Jo e A q u ilin a K a y Jo n e s K e n P o r te r D a v id B a ird C a rm e n R o s a K a h iu W illia m S c h a b e n e r K a t h y C o la n g e lo A n n e K e lly V ic k i S h a ffe r K a th y C o u c h T h e re s a K lin e C h e ri S h a v e r M a r y A n n D e v lin G re g K o o n s C h ris t o p h e r S n y d e r M a rla D o d d o S u s a n K u h l R o n S p a n g le r Jo d y D u n n ig a n P a tric ia L e n a h a n R a c h e l S tru t k o Je rry F a lla b e l K u r t L y n c h Je ff S w e d a C o u rtn e y F a s n a c h t G a ry M a c C re a d y S h a ro n T r o p p R o n G re v e r a Je a n n e M ille r M e lis s a T u rlip Jo h n H a a s Jo h n H a a s R o s s V a le n t i L in d a Y u rk o s k i The opinions or findings in this newsle er do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsoring organiza on, individuals or ins tu ons, their officers or boards, or the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Inc.