Recently I was blessed to be a part of such a wonderful event in which the Great Promise Partnership (GPP) and The City of Statesboro Village Builders came together for the Regional Employability Skills Day (R.E.A.L Skills in the Boro), which was held at the GSU Continuing Education Building.
This event was a great opportunity for students to get a feel for and learn about important and valuable skills that will greatly assist them in the life ahead as they step into the world of applying for jobs, or even retaining a job. Students from local schools that were interested or already involved in work-based learning programs were present alongside students of Statesboro's Youth Council and Youth Connect Programs.
Mayor Jonathan McCollar kicked off the event by giving a great speech, recognizing everyone who made it possible and the students, such as me, for attending and being a part of it all. Daphne Jackson proceeded after as she gave introductions and broke the spectators' silence with a icebreaker activity.
I can admit I wasn't really much of a talker as the event started, so communicating with others was a bit awkward at first, but I pushed past aside and participated. What's ironic was I was learning about skills that would help me further in life involving the work force, while technically working -- look at me being a double agent.
Effective Communication
Dr. Lasara Mitchell totally rocked the first breakout session I went to! She had us all hooked from the start with her awesome presentation about "Why Effective Communication Matters." Seriously, it was eye-opening.
But here's where it gets really cool. She didn't just talk at us. Nope, she got us all involved in this super fun activity. Picture this: two lines of students, right? One line had to organize themselves by their high school and birth month, while the other had to figure out their order based on birth year and the first letter of their name. Oh, and get this: no talking allowed! Can you imagine the chaos? I sure couldn't!
We were all scrambling, trying to figure out how to communicate without using words. It was hilarious watching everyone's faces as we tried to make sense of it all. I mean, who knew getting organized could be so tricky without talking?
But you know what? Through all the confusion, we learned some seriously important stuff about communication. Dr. Mitchell nailed it with her presentation, breaking down the barriers to effective communication and giving us practical tips we could use anywhere, not just in some boring office job.
Civic Engagement
During Dr. Kristina Patterson's session, things got real interesting. She didn't just talk to us about civil engagement. She really dug deep and embraced the superhero theme, which the event was based off of, and gave us a really cool example! Do you know what the Avengers: Endgame was? Well if you don't, I really didn't want to spoil it for you, but I have to spoil some of its plot. Sorry! Remember when when they're time traveling to stop Thanos from wrecking everything? Yep, it relates more than you think. All relating to the same thing. Helping their community!
Time to Eat and Learn
Well, or so I thought. They weren't done with the amount of knowledge we were going to receive, and I mean it. A special individual stood in front of us after lunch, a successful one at that. Could you guess who? No? Well I'll help you out: successful owner of The Boss Exponent, LLC, Lucas Frank.
He dropped nothing but wisdom on us. He shared his own bringing-up and hardships freely with no shame in what he did, because guess what. It's his background that pushed him to become who he is today, and as I listened in and started to really understand what he was saying, I was truly inspired by how far he had to come.
And besides the fact that he was talking to us, he got creative with his way of delivering his message by incorporating rap into it. Ain't that cool! Surely had me hooked into what he had to say about life and how distraction can take away your time and your mind.
Local employers and also helpful resources were present to explain the world of getting hired and help you if you were interested in the positions and job opportunities their companies offered. These included:
- Great Dane
- Hyundai Motor Group
- Work Source Georgia
- Bulloch Solutions
Financial Literacy
Mrs. LaShai Campbell took a different approach. We started out with an interesting activity where we were given a random type of business and an amount of money we could start with. This took a little bit of cooperation as you had to join with the others in your group to come up with the name and other required things that businesses need and the type of people it would attract/want.
It may sound easy, but believe me, it takes a little brain power to decide what you need and don't need for a business.
Employability Skills
The last breakout session of the day that I got to experience was Mr. Demetruis Bynes' presentation about employability skills. He starts preaching about how you can jump straight into the workforce after high school and still slay it in life.
No more stressing about SATs or writing college essays -- you can be successful without the the debt of going to college for 4 years and going straight to pursuing the field of your choice. Ain't that a relief, you can be done with school if that's your true desire.
Leaving with More Knowledge
Overall It's been an unforgettable journey diving into the world of employability skills at the R.E.A.L Skills in the Boro event, and I owe a huge thanks to all those who made it possible.
From the Great Promise Partnership (GPP) to The City of Statesboro Village Builders, and of course, the incredible speakers who rocked the stage, like Mayor Jonathan McCollar, Dr. Lasara Mitchell, Dr. Kristina Patterson, Lucas Frank of The Boss Exponent, LLC, and Mrs. LaShai Campbell. Your dedication and passion have truly inspired me, and I'm leaving this event equipped with knowledge and excitement for the road ahead.