And a new year begins for VISIONS Youth Works!

The new year has begun for the Youth Works program! This is the second year of the duPont three year grant and the third year for the program.

In February, RCC staff and Virginia Extension Agents combined forces with members of the Visions team to stage a poverty simulation. Open to anyone interested in participating, it attracted over 50 people. Each hour represented a week in the life of a family living in poverty, so participants experienced a month of struggling to make ends meet in different scenarios. It was an eye-opener for all concerned. In future, this experience will be offered to employers in the program to help them better understand the challenges their employees face.

Towards the end of this month, the interview process begins for student applicants to Youth Works. Because the program has been so successful, using funds remaining from previous years, many more slots are available, up to 52 from 40 last year. Students who are accepted to the program will be tested for their Career Readiness Certificates in May. They will go to work full-time in June.

This year, there will be two college visit field trips for the participants, up from one in the past. As in the past, Bay Aging will provide support via their Community Service Block Grant funds. To help youths with transportation needs, they will either give them gas cards (if they have a car) or Bay Transit tickets (if they don't).

The Youth Works program is an opportunity for local students to learn important work skills and to experience the world of work in all its many facets. Employers get a "free" employee for the summer in return for mentoring that student.

For more information, contact Rusty Bragg, Program Manager, Workforce and Community Development at Rappahannock Community College, rbragg@rappahannock.edu